ELOISE’S BLOG:

Saturday night I think many of us will be cheering the passing of this complex and challenging year. What lies ahead for our country is still a murky mystery, but hopefully there will be meaningful ways for creativity, intelligence, respect for all people, and collaboration to help guide us all.

Last week we shared widely our Annual Report for 2016. If you have not seen it and would like to you can find it here.

Looking into our 2017 crystal ball we see some exciting new activities on top of the ever evolving and growing RACC programs. New elected officials in several jurisdictions promise to influence our direction as well. Our public art staff and volunteers will be commissioning art for the new Multnomah County Courthouse downtown and resiting the considerable collection from the old building into county facilities. Work will progress in earnest on the Portland Building overhaul including new public art, and we will welcome many more murals and new pieces for neighborhood parks.

Grants will continue to fine tune all of its programs focusing on efficiencies, accessibility, technical assistance and the sometimes elusive funding increases. Much of RACC’s advocacy will focus on convincing all newly and returning elected leaders to invest robustly in arts and culture, which we know are part of what makes Portland so desirable to live in, do business in and visit. We need to support our artists and arts organizations to stay true to the Portland vibe – now internationally recognized.

Our connections with the business world are expanding in new and productive ways. Watch for information about “Juice” (formerly known as the Arts Breakfast of Champions) on February 8^th at 7:30 am, when business and arts leaders will celebrate creative connections, and artists and organizations will be showcased. Work for Art will continue to build on its highly successful 10 year celebratory increase in workplace contributions and host the 2^nd annual Battle of the Bands on May 17^th. Start practicing!

The Right Brain Initiative continues to grow throughout the tri-county region. Now serving 68 schools – including 27,500 students and their 1,900 teachers – we look forward to expanding our arts integration work even further when another school year begins next September.

Our Board recently held a retreat and committed to focusing time, resources and expertise in our equity work, helping the region with serious affordability issues for artists, arts organizations and all residents, and advocacy for increased funding from the Arts Tax and other sources.

On behalf of the amazing RACC staff and Board thank you for all you contribute to the rich culture of this place and together let’s design a promising and creative New Year!

ELOISE’S BLOG: 

I suspect people in our country – whatever  their political beliefs – will be grappling with the enormity of our recent election for years to come. Clearly it will be a while before new leadership is solidified and even longer to understand what they seriously intend to do. And then come the blows and counterblows (hopefully metaphorical). Maybe there will be some compromise, but that feels way beyond reach for now.

Meanwhile, incidents of racial slurs, violent protesters interrupting planned peaceful gatherings, and genuine fear for the present and future cast a pall over our city and especially those most targeted by bigotry, misogyny, racism, sexism, and prejudice of all kinds.  I believe that this is not the Portland region we want, that we at RACC are committed to overcoming. That Portland is unacceptable.

We may not have sway over what’s happening in our capital, but certainly we can recommit to our beliefs, values and hopes for an ever-improving Portland for every single person. In that spirit, I share below RACC’s Equity Statement created and adopted by our entire staff and Board last year:

We believe that the arts have the power to change hearts and minds, and to inspire social change. Prejudice and privilege have created barriers that RACC must dismantle, systematically and strategically, until everyone in our community has equitable access to arts and culture. 

 We acknowledge that there is no one perfect way to achieve equity, but we are willing to take risks because there is much work to do. We are thoughtfully researching and implementing new methods of thinking within our organizational culture, starting with an in-depth assessment of our services, policies and procedures. We are seeking out and listening to voices that have not been heard, and fully engaging under-represented populations in dialogue that will help us improve.

 We are committed to the full scope of this work and will hold ourselves accountable along the way—anything less would prove a disservice to ourselves and the communities we serve. RACC strives to be an organization that values and celebrates everyone’s life experiences, their voices and their histories. By consistently bringing new perspectives to our decision-making table, forming new relationships and alliances, and finding new ways to support creativity, RACC will be a strong, equitable and relevant organization. Throughout this process, we commit to humility, optimism and respect.

This is what we have promised to do and we strive to work every day with these goals foremost in mind and action. Our Board, days before the election, held a retreat to examine our roles in the community; to put our efforts in a larger west coast context; and to prioritize our actions for the near and long-term. At the end of the day equity was our Board’s number one, followed by clarification of our role and purpose, and working with multiple entities and individuals to address serious affordability issues for all people, for artists, and for arts organizations being priced out of living and working spaces. This must be addressed before it is too late.

Fundamental to achieving the optimum community we dream of are artists, arts providers, educators, cultural groups, creative problem solvers, innovators, visionary leaders of all kinds, youth, elders, and every citizen who wants to help. Tough times bring focus to this imperative work; clarify how important it is to work together toward shared goals; strengthen our resolve to create equal opportunities for all Portlanders; and encourage us to continue welcoming new Portlanders from around the globe to our Sanctuary City. We can do this and with everyone’s recommitment we will.

Local business owners Lisa Magnum and Jason Levian recently printed hundreds of colorful posters by hand at IPRC in an effort to help create safe places for all Portlanders. RACC has developed a slightly different version of their powerful poster – specifically including people with disabilities and all gender identities.

Together we can live by this statement and we happily make this poster available to others to use and to share:

Feel free to save and share the .jpg above, or click here to download as high-res PDF (11″ x 17″, 25KB)

Eloise’s Blog:

The August Wilson Red Door Project has been presenting a truly powerful and unforgettable production here in Portland over the past 6 months. Everyone I have talked with who has experienced Hands Up has been moved in ways new and startling to them. The play is a collection of monologues written by 7 Black playwrights and acted by 7 Black actors all in response to police shootings of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO, John Crawford III in Beavercreek OH and way too many other young Black men and women.

RACC is honored to join other underwriters in investing in this work and sharing this experience, not just the monologues themselves, but also the “talk backs” afterwards. The night that I attended, along with a group of RACC Board and staff, the talk back was extremely spirited, sometimes confrontational, and eye- and mind-opening.

The show moves around town and the region made possible by a very simple and portable set. Both public and private investments support this important work, and there will be more public performances scheduled in the weeks and months ahead, including November 17 at PCC Cascade, and December 2 and Wieden+Kennedy. Tickets are free but they often get snatched up within hours of being announced; subscribe to the August Wilson Red Door Project newsletter at http://reddoorproject.org/contact/newsletter to get the most timely notification when performances are added.

I hope you will be able to see this show and participate in the conversation. Please don’t be daunted if it takes you a while to get tickets. It will be worth it.