RACC Blog

Volunteer with RACC for our Community Engagement Series!

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Role Summary

RACC is hosting a  series of community events. These are opportunities to ask questions about the recent announcement from the City of Portland about the proposal to not renew RACC’s contract, and to learn how community members can support RACC at this time. 

Volunteers will be helping with set up/take down,  organizing outreach materials, helping with food prep, speaking to community members and encouraging them to ask questions or make comments.

  • Status: Event Volunteer
  • Dates: September 25th, September 28th, October 5th, October 17th
  • All events: 5pm-8:30pm
  • Locations
  • Department Lead | Supervisory: Mario, Manager of Advocacy and Engagement, and Chanda, Arts Education Program Manager

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

  • Be willing to learn about RACC, our core values, history, and programs 
  • Attend virtual RACC volunteer orientation and training
  • Assist with setting up/tidying the space for the event
  • Speak to community members and encourage them to ask questions

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Positive energy and people skills
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Ability to stand or sit for up to 3 ½  hours
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse people
  • An interest in the arts, culture, arts funding, community engagement, arts & culture advocacy, or arts organizations
  • Be able to help lift some equipment, up to 50 lbs with assistance

Time Commitment Needed

  • 1 ½  hour training and orientation
  • Minimum of 3 ½  hours at one of the events
  • No maximum commitment; time slots available for all 3 events

Support Provided 

  • Training and orientation will be provided prior to the event 
  • Volunteer Handbook for resources and information
  • Snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided
  •  Travel reimbursement with receipts
  • Team members from RACC will be available to offer insight and support

Suggested Dress

  • These are fairly informal events.
  • Masks may be worn, but are not required.
  • Please reach out with any concerns or questions. 

To apply

Please fill in the intake form. Please state the role as: “Event Volunteer – RACC Community Engagements” Spaces are limited. 

Call for 2-D Portable Artworks – Public Art Purchase Opportunity!

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Sabina Haque, New Portlanders, Photographic collage printed on archival photo paper, 2019. This piece is within the Portable Works Collection.

Interpretation services available, email info@racc.org

    • Servicio de interpretación disponible
    • Предоставляются услуги переводчика
    • Có dịch vụ thông dịch
    • 通訳サービスあり

Opportunity Overview

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) and the City of Portland invites artists who currently reside in Greater Portland Metropolitan Area to submit 2-D artworks for purchase, to be added into the Portable Works Public Art Collection.

The budget available for purchasing artworks totals approximately $50,000.  We will purchase individual artworks valued $200-$5000. This budget comes from the City of Portland.

Artworks may relate to and celebrate the people and places of Portland, inspired by the four new geographic districts. These new districts have been established to better include the diversity of community voices within City governance.  An independent panel of artists, arts workers, community members and City employees will select the artwork to be purchased. To learn about these new districts, and how to apply for this art purchase opportunity, be sure to read the following guidelines and tune into our info sessions—details are listed below.

Please submit your application by Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 by 11:59pm through the Opportunity Portal: racc.org/apply

Important Dates

  • September 19th, 2023 – Info Session on Zoom
  • October 18th, 2023 – Applications Due
  • Mid-December, 2023 – Artists notified if artwork is selected.

About our Public Art Collection

RACC is purchasing finished 2-D artwork for the Public Art Collection. Works purchased will enter the Portable Works Collection or the Visual Chronicle of Portland Collection.

The Portable Works Collection consists of more than 1,600 artworks that rotate through a variety of publicly accessible City and County buildings. The Visual Chronicle began in 1985 and consists of more than 400 works on paper that focus on artists’ views of the city’s social and urban landscapes, with the intent to record the evolutions of Portland over time. These works are exhibited throughout City buildings. To view the entire Public Art Collection, please visit our online search.

Theme: Taking Inspiration from Portland’s New City Map

Through extensive community input, the City of Portland’s Independent District Commission has developed a new map of Portland that is comprised of four districts, following state and federal districting laws. These districts contain communities of shared cultural backgrounds and common interests. Essentially, these districts have been defined in an effort to promote strong collaboration and community engagement for the city’s future. Including neighborhood voices within the city governance helps ensure every community’s needs are met.

The artwork submitted for this opportunity may celebrate or take inspiration from the people and places of Portland, by connecting to one or more of Portland’s four new geographic districts. Artwork may convey or reference personal, social, historical, political, or natural phenomena that relates to any nook and cranny within Portland’s neighborhoods. The work may also relate to broader ideas of borders, maps, place, community, and similar topics. Note: we understand that themes can be limiting for artists and will consider artwork, whether it abstractly or directly relates to any of these ideas.

Examples:

Peninsula Park (on N. Ainsworth and N. Albina in District 2) features a turn of the century European-inspired rose garden that is not only encircled with blooming roses, but in recent years has become a site of gatherings, activations, vigils and protests. This site is treasured by many as a place of healing and transformation. Artwork may be inspired by experiences at the park, features in the park, or activities within.

The Portland Mercado is a hub within Portland (on SE Foster and SE 73rd Street in District 3) for Latinx culture with multiple small businesses including numerous food carts, grocery shopping, and gathering spaces. Artwork inspired by this site may convey food, care, celebration, gathering, and vibrant colors.

Other examples of areas in Portland that may inspire or relate to artworks include:

    • Powell Butte Nature Park in District 1
    • Kenton in District 2
    • Mount Tabor in District 3
    • Old Town Chinatown in District 4

Further reading about the new districts:

Purpose

The goal of RACC art purchases is to ensure that the art in the public realm adequately represents the many communities that make up our region. The Public Art Collection is a rotating collection that is displayed in accessible municipal spaces and can be experienced free of charge. Installations of public artworks can be found within conference rooms, hallways, elevator lobbies, office spaces, and more.

RACC is dedicated to continuing to expand the range of artistic and cultural expression represented in the Public Art Collection to rethink how our models of artist support can be most responsive to the changing needs of the surrounding communities.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

Artists currently living in the Greater Portland Metropolitan Area are eligible for this opportunity.

Submitted artworks must relate (abstractly or specifically) to the themes associated with the four new geographical districts of Portland.

We strongly encourage artists in under-represented communities to apply for this opportunity, including artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, and people of color; LGBTQIA+; and artists with disabilities.

The types of original artwork that qualify for this opportunity are works on paper, paintings, photographs, drawings, textiles, collage, Bas relief, mosaic, glass, ceramic, metal, prints and other original media intended to be hung on a wall with a 4” depth maximum.

Artists, please specify clearly if the submitted artwork is part of a series of works, and if the series needs to be purchased together as a whole, or if individual works in the series can be purchased.

Artworks with electrical components are not eligible for purchase at this time.

Size: 2-D artwork that fit the following dimensions will be prioritized; however, we will consider larger work:

30”W X 40”H X 4”D or smaller (76cmW X 102cmH X 10cmD or smaller)

RACC and the City of Portland will ultimately determine whether work will enter the broader 2-D collection entitled the Portable Works Collection, or the Visual Chronicle Collection of Portland.

Framing: Please submit finished, unframed artworks, unless the framing is an integral part of the concept of the artwork (please state that in the “Conceptual information” field in the application for that submitted piece). RACC reserves the right to reframe purchased artwork if a submitted frame does not meet the collection standards. Consider the potential for your submission to be framed behind glass or acrylic, to ensure its longevity within the public realm.

All submitted original artwork must be completely finished, dry, sprayed (if art media could smear), and work must be in suitable condition for framing or public presentation. Please do not submit artworks with conservation issues such as rips, tears, peeling, flaking, and/or water damage. RACC reserves the right to return any artwork that does not meet the collection standards.

The panel reserves the right to purchase work by an artist who does not directly apply to this call, if appropriate.

James Allen, The Trolley Years, Book excavation, 2016. This piece is within the Portable Works Collection.

How to Apply

All application materials must be submitted through the RACC Opportunity Portal, an online application system. Applicants will need to create an account, or log into their existing account at www.racc.org/apply.

For first-time users of the portal, view a brief video learning how to register here.

Application Requirements

  • Statement of Interest: Provide a brief description about the artworks submitted and your overall art practice and how your work relates to and celebrates the people and places of Portland, inspired by the four new geographic districts.
    • There are two options in submitting these responses:
      • Written Statement: 3000 characters or less
      • Oral Statement: Upload a video/voice recording no longer than 2 minutes. Please note this is not expected to be a highly produced/edited recording, a short recording that responds to the questions is enough. The intent of this option is to provide an opportunity for individuals who feel they can better represent themselves through an alternative medium to writing. Some examples include applicants for whom English is a second language, those who identify as neurodivergent, people living with disability and/or other accessibility considerations.
  • Up to 6 images of past work: You can submit up to 6 artworks and provide up to two images per artwork. Images should be jpegs no larger than 5 megabytes each. For each artwork, provide the title, media, dimensions, year completed, and purchase price. Conceptual information is optional.
    • (Note: If you are submitting a series that consists of more than six images, please include images that best represent the series and provide additional information regarding the series in the conceptual information field.)
    • Please only submit original prints and artworks, and not reproductions of artworks.
    • You have the option to upload a video file of the artwork instead of a jpeg.
  • *Optional* Resume/CV: Upload a PDF no more than two pages long that outlines artistic activities and /or professional accomplishments.

Once you have started your application, you can save after each step and sign out—your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on as needed. Once you hit “Submit,” your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.

Due date: Wednesday, October 18th, 2023. Applications must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. PST

If you don’t have a computer or online access, please don’t hesitate to contact RACC for assistance.

Selection Process

Note: A panel of artists, curators, community members, and City representatives will select artwork for purchase. In the first round, digital images and their descriptions will be submitted and reviewed by the panel. In the second round, high scoring work will be reviewed in further detail in-person. Artists will be required to drop off or ship their work to RACC in advance of this in-person review. Details will be provided to artists.

We’re Here to Help!

    • Info Session for Artists: September 19th, 12-1pm on Zoom, RSVP here.
      • Attendance is encouraged but not required to apply for this opportunity. Follow @regionalarts on Instagram to stay informed of this and other upcoming opportunities.
    • Questions about the overall opportunity? Contact: Morgan Ritter at mritter@racc.org
    • Questions about the online portal and application materials? Contact: Nicky Cook at ncook@racc.org
    • If you don’t have a computer or online access, please don’t hesitate to contact RACC for assistance.

Getting Help with your Application

(Optional) We strongly encourage you to attend the info session, especially if you are a first-time applicant. Public Art team members and RACC partners will share background information of the call for artwork, what we are looking for, and exactly how to submit an application.

Interpretation services available, email info@racc.org

Servicio de interpretación disponible

Предоставляются услуги переводчика

Có dịch vụ thông dịch

通訳サービスあり

Call for Event Volunteers: Making the Case

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RACC and the Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (OVLA) are joining forces this fall to host a series of three workshops geared towards educating artists and art workers on legal matters pertaining to their creative practice. This series aims to empower artists with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions in their creative endeavors, while also offering a chance for our local art community to come together and connect.

The Event Volunteer will assist in the facilitation of these important learning opportunities. The event will run from 5pm to 7.00pm, but volunteers will be required to help set up from 4pm, and to help tidy up after the event.

Role Overview

  • Event Volunteer – Making the Case – RACC & Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (OVLA)
  • Status: Volunteer
  • Dates & Times: September 13th, October 11th, November 8th, from 4pm-7.30pm
  • Location: Regional Arts and Culture Council, 411 NW Park, Suite 101, Portland, OR
  • Department Lead | Supervisory: Yaelle Amir, Grants Program Specialist, and Sean Cumming, Hiring & Volunteer Lead

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

  • Be willing to learn about RACC, our core values, history, and programs 
  • Attend virtual RACC volunteer orientation and training
  • Assist with setting up the space for the event
  • Greet visitors and assist with access to the event
  • Support the Grants Program Specialist with facilitation of the hybrid elements of the event
  • Assist in any tidying of the space after the event

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Positive energy and people skills
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Ability to stand or sit for up to 3 hours
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse people
  • Knowledge of facilitating hybrid events, Zoom, and audio visual technology preferred
  • An interest in the arts, culture, arts funding, community engagement, arts & culture advocacy, or arts organizations

 Time Commitment Needed

  • 1 ½  hour training and orientation
  • Minimum of 3 1/2 hours at one of the events
  • No maximum commitment; time slots available for all 3 events

Support Provided

  • Training and orientation will be provided prior to the event 
  • Volunteer Handbook for resources and information
  • Snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided
  • Travel reimbursement with receipts
  • Team members from RACC will be available to offer insight and support

Suggested Dress

This is a fairly informal event and will be in an air-conditioned building. Masks may be worn, but are not required. Please reach out with any concerns or questions.

To Apply

Please fill in the intake form here. Please state the role as: “Event Volunteer – RACC and the Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (OVLA).” Note: Spaces are limited. 

Call for Event Volunteers: Freelance Finance for Creatives

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RACC is pleased to host a two-hour workshop this fall on the ins and outs of managing your finances as a freelance creative. Offered by Jenna Goldin (Enrolled Agent, Licensed Tax Consultant, and co-owner of Shift Accounting LLC), this workshop will cover topics such as business structures, self-employment taxes, types of income and expenses, record keeping, quarterly taxes, and more. Jenna’s presentation will include ample time for an in-depth Q&A so that attendees will leave feeling more empowered to take control of their finances.  

The Event Volunteer will assist in the facilitation of this important learning experience. Those interested in financial topics for freelance creatives are encouraged to volunteer. The event will run from 5pm to 7pm but volunteers will be required to help set up from 4pm and help to tidy up until 7:30pm.

Role Overview

  • Event Volunteer – Freelance Finance for Creatives
  • Status: Volunteer
  • Date and Time: September 26, 2023, 4-7:30pm (the class will be from 5-7pm)
  • Location: Regional Arts and Culture Council, 411 NW Park, Suite 101, Portland, OR
  • Department Lead | Supervisory: Yaelle Amir, Grants Program Specialist, and Sean Cumming, Hiring & Volunteer Lead

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

  • Learn about RACC, our core values, history, and programs 
  • Attend virtual RACC volunteer orientation and training
  • Assist with setting up the space for the event
  • Greet visitors and assist with access to the event
  • Support the Grants Program Specialist with facilitation of the hybrid elements of the event
  • Assist in any tidying of the space after the event

 Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Positive energy and people skills
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Ability to stand or sit for up to 3 hours
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse people
  • Knowledge of facilitating hybrid events, Zoom, and audio visual technology preferred
  • An interest in the arts, culture, arts funding, community engagement, arts & culture advocacy, or arts organizations

Time Commitment Needed

  • 1 ½  hour training and orientation
  • Minimum of 3 1/2 hours assisting at the event

Support Provided

  • Training and orientation will be provided prior to the event 
  • Volunteer Handbook for resources and information
  • Snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided
  • Travel reimbursement with receipts
  • Team members from RACC will be available to offer insight and support
  • Free entry to the event

Suggested Dress

This is a fairly informal event and will be in an air-conditioned building. Masks may be worn but are not required. Please reach out with any concerns or questions.

To Apply

Spaces are limited. Please fill in this intake form, and state the role as: “Event Volunteer – Freelance Finance for Creatives”

Call for Community Outreach Volunteers: The Standard Volunteer Expo

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The Regional Arts Culture Council (RACC) has one mission – to enrich our communities through arts and culture. We believe that the arts have the power to change hearts and minds, and to inspire social change. We also believe that arts and culture are key elements in creating desirable places to live, learn, work, and visit.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to cultivate equity in all of our programs. 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.

Your volunteer work will help to educate and empower people from all walks of life by providing and promoting access to a diversity of art and cultural experiences. If you’re eager to make a difference, that’s a great start.

The Community Outreach Volunteer will participate in tabling during the The Standard Volunteer Expo in Downtown Portland on September 7th. The purpose of this position is to raise awareness in the wider community about RACC volunteer opportunities. It is also a chance to communicate with the community about RACC generally including: our role within the tri-county area and beyond; RACC’s core values and history; our nationally recognized public art programs and grant funding; and the many opportunities we offer.

Volunteers will assist RACC in recruiting potential future volunteers and outlining the benefits of volunteering with us.

Role Overview

  • Community Outreach Volunteer – The Standard Volunteer Expo
  • Status: Volunteer
  • Date: September 7th, 10am-2pm
  • Location: Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, OR
  • Department Lead | Supervisory: Sean Cumming- Hiring & Volunteer Lead    

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

  • Attend virtual RACC volunteer orientation and training
  • Assist with youth-led art activities
  • Hand out information and resources about RACC during The Standard-Volunteer Expo
  • Communicate with the wider community about RACC’s core values, history, grants support, public arts, and volunteer opportunities
  • Assist in set up/take down of our table at The Standard Volunteer Expo

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Positive energy and people skills
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Ability to stand or sit for up to 4 hours
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people
  • Confident in approaching and engaging young people in arts activities
  • Interest in the arts, culture, arts funding, community engagement, arts & culture advocacy, or arts organizations

Time Commitment Needed

  •  1 ½-hour training and orientation session September 5th
  • 4 hours tabling on September 7th

Support Provided

  • Training and orientation will be provided prior to the event. Exact date to be confirmed
  • Volunteer Handbook for resources and information
  • Snacks, water, and sunscreen will be provided during the festival
  • Travel reimbursement with receipts
  • Team members from RACC, who will be onsite throughout the event to offer insight and support

Suggested Dress

Volunteers will be expected to be tabling for up to 4 hours, so please wear comfortable clothing and footwear. Bring a hat, raincoat, and special foods if you have specific needs. Please make note of the weather prior to the event and dress appropriately.

To apply

Please fill in this intake form. Please state the role as: “Community Outreach Volunteer: The Standard Volunteer Expo”