RACC Blog

RACC’s Project Grant Program provides financial support to individual artists and not-for-profit organizations in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties, for project based arts programming. Grants are awarded up to $7,000 and are available in three categories: Artistic Focus, Arts Equity & Access, and Catalyst.  The following 91 Project Grants were approved on May 27, 2020 and June 24, 2020 and total $404,460.

2019-20 Project Grant awards (Cycle 3):

RACC’s Project Grant Program provides financial support to individual artists and not-for-profit organizations in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties, for project based arts programming. Grants are awarded up to $7,000 and are available in three categories: Artistic Focus, Arts Equity & Access, and Catalyst.  The following 84 Project Grants were approved on February 12, 2020 and total $403,980.

2019-20 Project Grant awards (Cycle 2):

RACC’s Project Grant Program provides financial support to individual artists and not-for-profit organizations in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties, for project based arts programming. Grants are awarded up to $7,000 and are available in three categories: Artistic Focus, Arts Equity & Access, and Catalyst.  The following 86 Project Grants were approved on September 25, 2019 and total $391,260.

2019-20 Project Grant awards (Cycle 1):

The Professional Development Grant program assists artists or arts administrators with opportunities that specifically improve their business management development skills and/or brings the artist or the arts organization to another level artistically. The following 36 Professional Development Grants totaling $53,260 were awarded on December 9, 2019. (*First time grant recipients)

2019-20 Professional Development Grant awards (Cycle 2):

*Adam Bacher – Participate in Speakers Academy class with the National Speakers Association – $1,200

*Alexis Day – Participate in a residency at the Studios at Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA – $1,600

*Amelia Unsicker – Travel to present work at The PGK Dance Project in San Diego, CA – $1,800

Anne–Louise Sterry – Attend the Association of Performing Artists Professionals Conference in New York, NY – $1,600

*Ashlin Aronin – Participate in The Arctic Circle residency program, sailing from Longyearbyen, Norway – $1,600

*Becky Springer – Attend a four day workshop with Jodie King at the Sedona Art Center in Sedona, AZ – $1,400

*Cecily Overman – Attend Shakespeare training program at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA – $1,850

*Emma Colburn – Participate in DAK’ART 2020 Biennial for Contemporary African Art in Dakar, Senegal – $1,600

*Ezra Weiss – Career coaching with Kim Gumbel of Vespertine Works – $1,200

*Hannon Welch – Participate in residency at Carrizozo AIR in Carrizozo, NM – $1,930

Jennifer Swanson – Update of artist website – $1,500

*Jennifer Viviano – Travel and exhibit work at Sager Braudis Gallery in Columbia, MO – $2,000

Jessica Mehta – Participate in the Native Arts Cohort at the Potlatch – $1,960

*Jonathan Hanisits – Participate in residency at Casa Lu with printmaker Abraham Leon in Mexico City, Mexico – $1,550

*Kacy McKinney – Participate in a residency through Editora Quixote-Do in Brumadinho, Brazil – $1,000

*Kate Zipsy – Attend Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators conference in New York, NY – $1,500

*Katie Janovec – Travel to train with Rashaad Hasani and Ryan “Future” Webb in Washington, DC – $1,800

*Kelli Pennington – Work with Mary Virginia Swanson to refine portfolio and website in Tucson, AZ – $1,600

*kia metzler holden – Creation of an artist website – $1,500

*Kyla Yeoman – Attend DocShop workshop, part of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, MT – $1,000

*Leif Lee – Work with artist coach Beth Pickens, and attend class at Mercy Corps NW – $1,450

*leo ariel abbott – Study tap dance with Kaycie Jones at Portland Dance Studios – $,1500

*Maerose Sweeting-Boyer – Attend Jeff Miracola’s Fantasy Art Workshop at Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI – $1,750

Margaret Connelly – Creation of an artist website – $1,500

*Nathaniel Hughes – Study with coaches Alicia Cutaia, Russ Stark, and Anni Kupper in Portland – $1,450

*Peter Field – Attend film directing workshop through Raindance at Rough Diamond Productions, in Los Angeles, CA – $1,000

*Shana Palmer – Travel and exhibit work at Epsilon Spires New Media Center in Brattleboro, VT – $1,150

*Shatha Almutawa – Participate in mentorship and study with poet Zeina Hashem Beck – $1,800

Stefano Iaboni – Work with videographer to make promotional recording of performance – $600

*Stephanie Gervais – Participate in residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont – $1,500

*Talilo Marfil – Work with marketing agency on branding and creation of a new website – $2,000

Tiffany Kirkpatrick – Attend residency with Cross Cultural Collaborative in Nungua, Accra, Ghana – $1,500

*TJ Thompson – Study for with percussionist Scott Amendola in Berkeley, CA  – $1,150

Vanessa Renwick – Participate residency and festival presentation at Basement Films in Albuquerque, NM – $720

*Greater Portland Flute Society – Update organizational website – $1,500

*In Mulieribus – Travel to perform two at a conference in Spokane, WA – $1,500

The Equity Investments program provides additional funding for General Operating Support partner organizations to support initiatives which advance their commitment to equity in the arts, with a priority placed on racial equity A total of $239,550 was awarded to nine organizations in this cycle. Additional funds will be awarded in a second cycle in June 2019. The RACC Board of Directors approved these awards on March 20, 2019.

• August Wilson Red Door Project – $25,000 – Create and produce a new production entitled “Evolve” and develop related curriculum and evaluation tools.
• Ethos – $22,000 – Staff and board training and facilitation with consultants.
• Miracle Theatre Group – $16,500 – Convene DEI conversations for other arts organizations in the community.
• Northwest Children’s Theatre & School – $10,000 – Staff and board training and facilitation with consultants.
• Oregon Ballet Theatre – $20,000 – Staff and board training and facilitation with consultants.
• Profile Theatre – $50,000* – Support for the Community Profile program during the two-year Generations season.

The Professional Development Grant program assists artists or arts administrators with opportunities that specifically improve their business management development skills and/or brings the artist or the arts organization to another level artistically. The following 43 Professional Development Grants totaling $55,210 were awarded on June 11, 2019. (*First time grant recipients)

2019-20 Professional Development Grant awards (Cycle 1):

*Andrea Parson – Take 3-week physical theatre intensive at Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, California – $1,000

*Anna Song – Take 2-week medieval music intensive in Belasu, Spain – $1,600

*Audrey Goldfarb – Attend American Film Market in Santa Monica, California – $1,500

*Carl Annala – Participate in butoh and contemporary dance festival at Schloss Bröllin in Germany – $1,500

*Carlos Esparza – Take 6-week summer intensive at Martha Graham School in NYC – $1,320

Chliu-Mie Wu – Mentorship with glass artist Andrew Lueck on flame-worked technique in Vancouver, Washington – $1,200

Damiana Paternoster  – Take digital patternmaking coursework at Portland Fashion Institute and custom patternmaking with Dawn Muthart – $1,600

*Darcy Sharpe – Hire local artists and designers to rebrand logo and create marketing materials – $1,000

*David Benz – Present work in group show at Arcadia Contemporary in Pasadena, California – $1,200

*David Carmack Lewis – Present work in solo exhibition at Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon – $1,000

*Dawn Juliano – Take 1-week course on teaching traditional Irish music in Dublin, Ireland – $850

*Denise Dicks – Mentorship with photographer Ray Bidegain on alternative darkroom processes – $2,000

*Eddie Bond – Take 3-week jazz workshop at Banff Arts Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada – $800

 Eric Nordstrom – Take 1-week somatic dance intensive in Holderness, New Hampshire – $1,400

*Erica Compere – Take writing workshops with Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation – $1,400

Fuchsia Lin – Take 1-week fashion filmmaking intensive at London College of Fashion – $1,600

*Jeff Leake – Attend 3-month residency at Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai – $1,000

*John Niekrasz – Attend 3-week residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida – $1,400

Lamiae Naki – Participate in showcase performance at Western Arts Alliance Conference in Los Angeles – $1,950

*Larissa Cranmer – Take an online course on CAD patternmaking with Adobe Illustrator – $220

Laura Gibson – Attend 1-month residency at Yaddo Colony in Saratoga Springs, New York – $580

*Laura Martinez – Hire Studio Anneli to create website and online shop – $1,400

*Lucy Cotter – Hire designer Jan Mwesigwa to update artist website – $1,950

*Luke Zwanziger – Attend 4-day comedy intensive with Camp Improv Utopia in Yosemite National Park – $700

*Maren Salomon – Attend 1-month residency at CreateSpaces in Cardigan, Wales – $720

*Matthew Minicucci – Attend 1-month residency at James Merrill House in Stonington, Connecticut – $590

*Maxx Katz – Attend 3-week residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida – $1,400

*May Maylisa Cat – Develop marketing materials for artist website and Vimeo – $1,350

*Michelle Fujii – Participate in Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute in NYC – $1,200

*Olando Lin – Train with Form 3D Foundry on fabrication and hire Mario Gallucci for documentation services – $1,200

*Oluyinka Akinjiola – Take 15-week dance intensive at Edna Manley College in Kingston, Jamaica – $1,800

*Orquidia Velasquez  – Hire Aaron Kuehn to create custom photo database/archive – $1,500

*Pamela Santos – Hire writer Raina J. León for seminar and consultations – $1,500

*Patrick Gracewood – Participate in Inami International Wooden Sculpture Camp in Nanto City, Japan – $1,630

*Rebecca Curry – Mentorship with watercolor portraitist Chris Stubbs in Carlton, Oregon – $1,500

Roland Dahwen Wu – Present work at Cortona on the Move Festival in Cortona, Italy – $1,500

*Shawn Creeden – Attend 1-month residency at Arteles Creative Center in Haukijärvi, Finland – $1,950

*Susan Schenk – Take weeklong painting workshop with Lynn Wintermute at Menucha in Corbett, Oregon – $1,000

Takahiro Yamamoto – Attend 1-month residency at Bogliasco Foundation near Genoa, Italy – $1,600

*Tave Drake – Hire Ansley Fones to update logo and create website – $1,500

*Tina McDermott – Take Business Foundations classes at Mercy Corps Northwest in Portland – $400

*Live On Stage – Attend NAMT Fall Conference and Festival of New Musicals in NYC – $1,200

*Portland Open Studio  – Hire Firespring to develop online and mobile-friendly tour guide – $1,500