Artist Julian Saporiti describes collaborating with community group Portland Taiko, to create Orient Oregon. “It was a historical song/film work composed against the backdrop of 2020. Through music it highlights the often invisible story of early Japanese American immigrants who worked as shopkeepers, loggers, farmers, and more. Over the course of a century, they endured racism and mass incarceration in concentration camps. Through original songs we get a sense of this 20th century narrative all set to rare footage of Japanese-American home movies filmed between 1920-1960, situating faces of color amongst the waterfalls, mountains and cities of Oregon, broadening a general understanding of who is woven into Oregon’s history.”
No-No Boy is a multi-media project blending film, sound, story and song into works which illuminate untold histories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. Through original lyrics, sound design, and carefully curated and edited archival imagery, difficult histories come to life in a pastiche which attunes multiple senses to the stories unfolding in each work.
#PDXCARES Supported Capturing the Moment
This RACC initiative was intended to further and support Portland-based artists making work during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis. The call for submissions aimed to reflect and record this time of change, uncertainty, loss and hope. It will continue to serve and showcase some of the work emerging from artists and creatives during this historic moment. Artist submissions selected for Capturing the Moment will be shared via RACC and the City of Portland’s communication channels including digital formats and social media accounts.
Funding for Capturing the Moment came from the City of Portland’s federal allocation of CARES funding (#PDXCARES). It was specifically dedicated to Black artists, Indigenous artists, and all artists of color who reside in the City of Portland.
2020 was a year like no other in RACC’s 49-year history. Through the lens of a devastating pandemic, we learned anew that arts, culture, history, heritage, and humanities are, and will continue to be, essential in our state, our nation, and around the world. Humanity has had to adapt to survive – changing the faces of communities throughout the world. Too many people have paid far too high a cost. We know the value that creative expression brings to us all and that public investment helps to ensure deeper access for all of our residents. Through this, we continue to stand strong as a community of creative providers.
2021 is a crucial legislative year for Oregon’s vital cultural sector. We are urging our state policymakers to prioritize arts, culture, heritage, and the humanities in order to encourage creativity, contribute to Oregon’s economic recovery, and rebuild community. Investing in Oregon’s creative and cultural life supports Oregonians’ values, promotes whole person health, strengthens communities, and attracts and retains workers in an innovation economy.
RACC’s mission is to enrich our communities through arts and culture and our vision is a thriving region, powered by creativity, with arts and culture in every neighborhood. To do this, RACC promotes equity, diversity, inclusion, and access and uses a racial equity lens to advocate for the equitable distribution of resources and the creation of public policies that will provide support for the arts ecosystem now and into the future.
Find out more and register for virtual Advocacy Day on April 23, hosted by many arts and culture organizations from around the state, and the Cultural Advocacy Coalition. Keep reading to learn about our shared legislative priorities and alignment with our coalition partners.
ADVANCE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO A WELL-ROUNDED ARTS EDUCATION FOR OREGON STUDENTS RACC supports and will monitor the specific recommendations of the Joint Committee on Student Success for funding arts and music specialists in elementary schools as they are closely linked with work across the six Portland school districts receiving Arts Education Access Fund dollars.
More on Portland’s Arts Education Access Fund explained here.
EXPAND OREGON’S INVESTMENT IN ITS CULTURAL AGENCIES AND PARTNERS SB 5023 – Business Oregon Budget Bill; SB 5025 – Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Budget Bill Increased state funding of cultural agencies and partners leverages the full potential of Oregon’s creative and cultural resources to attract and retain business, increase tourism, improve education and enrich the lives of Oregonians through greater opportunity to access meaningful experiences in the arts, heritage, and the humanities, statewide. Now more than ever it is essential that the cultural sector be supported as Oregonians recover from the economic strains imposed by the pandemic. The statewide partners include:
Oregon Arts Commission
Oregon Cultural Trust
State Historic Preservation Office and Heritage Commission
Oregon Humanities
Oregon Historical Society
PROTECT TAX POLICIES ALLOWING THE CULTURAL SECTOR TO SERVE ITS PUBLIC MISSION, INCLUDING HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF OREGON’S GEMS SB 108 – Historic Property Tax Credit Extension for 10 Years Critical this year is renewal of the Historic Property Special Assessments which assist owners of commercial properties. We support an extension of at least ten years, through 2031, to provide time for local governments, preservation advocates, and others to update Oregon’s approach to current preservation needs.
EXTEND OREGON FILM AND VIDEO OFFICE TAX CREDIT SB 43 – Tax Credit Extension for Six Years We support extending the sunset for labor rebates for qualifying film production and the tax credit for certified film production development contributions.
CONTINUE TO INVEST IN CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE HB 5534 – Lottery Bonds By creating the Cultural Resources Economic Fund in 2013, the State established its role in expanding and strengthening cultural infrastructure by leveraging lottery bonds to invest in arts, heritage, and humanities infrastructure projects.
WORK WITH KEY LEGISLATORS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES TO REIMAGINE THE STATE SONG RACC supports legislative deliberations on revising the lyrics to the state song or starting fresh. We applaud suggestions for a broad participatory process grounded in equity and inclusion. To date, the Cultural Advocacy Coalition, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Humanities, and the Oregon Community Foundation have led these conversations. More information on the State song can be found here.
PROTECT ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS HB 2255 – Limits Itemized Personal Income Tax Deductions for Charitable Contribution While tax policy is an important tool to incentivize activity and fund government services, the nonprofit sector is a partner in the service of public policy goals and should be promoted and strengthened through tax policy where possible. RACC does not support tax policy that discourages charitable giving by individuals.
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The Regional Arts & Culture Council seeks proposals for design, fabrication and installation of new artwork in Errol Heights Park. The budget for the commission comes from the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program and is approximately $85,000. Artists and artist teams living in Oregon or Washington invited to submit proposals. Park construction is planned for completion summer 2022.
With its forested setting, topography, creek, and wetlands, the four seasons have dramatic visual impact on Errol Heights Park. Art can play a role in showcasing the changing seasons and add a long-lasting amenity. This project seeks art that can strengthen our connections to nature, respond to the natural processes found in the park, and create engaging and dynamic interactions for park visitors. Materials with proven longevity in the outdoor environment are encouraged.
Read the full details about this call and the park design goals, themes, and site constraints.
Submissions Due: 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 28.
Sun reflecting on the Beaver Pond at Errol Heights Park. Photo credit Portland Parks & Recreation
Who can apply?
Artists or artist teams living in Oregon or Washington are eligible to apply. If applying as a team, at least one member must meet the residence eligibility requirement.
Selection criteria and decision-making
The Regional Arts & Culture Council and the City of Portland are committed to engaging new communities of artists, as well as expanding the range of artistic and cultural expression represented in the Public Art Collection.
A selection panel of artists, the park projects’ landscape architect, and community members will review artists’ submission materials and choose up to four finalists to interview for the commission. Criteria for selecting finalists for interviews are (1) quality of past work as demonstrated in submitted images; (2) ability and interest in creating site-specific artwork; (3) how past artwork has fit one or more of the general project goals through process and/or in the final design.
Artists are encouraged to visit the park prior to submitting their applications.
Follow Regional Arts & Culture Council on Facebook or @regionalarts on Instagram to stay informed of this and other upcoming opportunities.
Attendance is encouraged but not required to apply for the project.
We’re Here to Help!
Questions?
Contact: email project manager Salvador Mayoral IV with questions or to set up a time for a phone call: smayoral@racc.org.
About Errol Heights Park
Errol Heights Park is fondly described as a “little gem of a Park” in Portland’s Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood. Comprising more than 16 acres, the park is located in East Portland between Southeast 45th to 52nd avenues and Southeast Harney to Southeast Tenino streets. Adjacent to the park are two other neighborhoods, Woodstock to the west and Ardenwald-Johnson Creek to the south.
Approximately 1,477 households are within a half-mile walking distance of the park. Volunteer groups such as Friends of Errol Heights, Friends of Trees, and Johnson Creek Watershed Council have been dedicated stewards of the Errol Heights property for many years and members have participated in important ecological enhancement projects at the park. The defining feature of the park is a topography that creates an ideal setting to escape the city’s busy pace, enjoy the gurgling stream, and absorb the sounds of nature. A community garden of 55 plots in the park’s upper area near Southeast Tenino Court has been a focal point of the undeveloped park and a community gathering place.
We are delighted to announce the winner of the 2021 Arts Education and Access Fund (AEAF) Logo Competition. The competition challenged students to reimagine the original logo to illustrate how the fund supports the community and showcase students who benefit from arts education in school.
Arts education helps children develop the skills they need in order to communicate effectively, expand their analytical thinking, and engage with their community. In traumatic, turbulent times like these, art can be a literal lifeline for social, emotional, and mental health.
Arts Education and Access Fund 2021 Logo Design Competition
Winner
Vincente, a third-grader at Rose City Park Elementary School
Finalists
Edison, a fifth-grader at Rose City Park
Cate, a seventh-grader at Sunnyside Environmental School
All students attend Portland Public Schools.
The design competition was open to all students from kindergarten to eighth grade who receive arts education in Portland’s six school districts: Portland Public, Parkrose, Reynolds, David Douglas, Centennial and Riverdale. The design challenge was to for students create a new AEAF logo over Winter Break 2020. The competition was a collaboration between RACC and the City of Portland’s Arts Oversight Committee.
A panel of judges including professors and officials from Reed College, University of Portland, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, Portland Art Museum, Echo Theater Company, Office of Commissioner Dan Ryan and the City of Portland Department of Revenue reviewed the submissions and selected the winner.
Read Vincente’s interview with RACC’s Arts Education Access Fund Specialist, Chanda Evans.
Vincente, AEAF Logo Design Competition 2021 Winner
Vincente, why did you decide to submit your art for the AEAF Competition? Because I wanted to see how good at art I am. I tried my best.
What inspires you about art? Happiness. I have a sign in my room “Build Yourself Up and Never Give Up” I want people to become happy when they see my art.
Did you have fun doing the drawing? What is the title of your piece? Yeah – the name is The Rose Waterfall. Because there is a waterfall behind the rose.
How do you feel about your logo design used by different School Districts and Arts Organizations across the Portland Metro region? Excited! I thought I would never win!
Your Art Teacher is Ms. Vang, what is your favorite part of having art at Rose City Park Elementary? She helped me in first grade making faces – so she helped me learn art. She is nice.
If you could give advice to a budding artist, someone who is just starting to draw or paint, what would you tell them? Become yourself. Draw any art in the future – what you do is art. All art. Just be true.
The Arts Education & Access Fund Oversight Committee seeks new members. Commitments include quarterly meetings, with a variety of projects in between.
Current Chair Laura Streib explains the committee’s purpose, “The committee engages with City of Portland officials, the Regional Arts & Culture Council and school districts to make sure the AEAF is doing what the charter set out for it to do – ensure funding for K-5 Arts Education teachers and support for accessibility and access to the arts and arts organizations.” Findout more.
Mami Takahashi is an artist with SUPPORT BEAM, a new RACC grant program supporting artists’ long term creative practice and livelihood.
These works are part of my “Seeing You/Seeing Me” project. “Seeing You/Seeing Me,” (previously titled “Hiding and Observing”) is an ongoing project in which I use mirrored domes to hide my body or face during random social interactions with strangers. The domes camouflage and obscure my physicality as an immigrant, and serve as a metaphor for the invisibility/visibility of an immigrant experience, being a foreigner struggling for US citizenship. In 2021-2022, I will be expanding this project into a participatory community project happening in multiple U.S. locations historically connected to the problematic immigration of this country, including Portland, OR; Rabun Gap, GA; North Adams, MA; Chicago, IL; Santa Fe, NM; and elsewhere.
During my recent artist residency at Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Science, Rabun Gap, GA, I met 8 artists from the east coast and southern U.S. It was my first time in the southern part of the U.S. I was kind of excited to meet other artists there right after the legendary GA election of 2020, while a bit nervous to be in a historically conservative state. After a few days of adjustment for me and for them with my accent, I reached out to two Atlanta-based artists to camouflage themselves inside personal domes, which I constructed at the residency. Within each mirrored dome, we were all visually obscured from the outside but still recognizable as human forms.
While in the individual domes, we talked about our thoughts on current and past immigrations including forced, unconscious immigration such as human trafficking, slavery, and Dreamers. The talk was recorded as source material for future sound art. The photographs, video, and recorded conversations from this residency will combine with other documentation from the upcoming performances in 2021-2022.
Within the country’s present political turmoil, immigrants’ subjective struggles have been quietly buried deep in the bustle of daily life, their accented voices casually brushed aside in loud public forums. This combination of audio recordings and other documentation allows for the full scope of the project to breathe – the full breadth of the complexity of immigrants in the U.S..
-Mami Takahashi
Images made during a recent residency in Camp Colton, OR. Photographer: Adian McBride. Artist support at Camp Colton funded by Stelo Art (previously known as c3:initiative).
Mami Takahashi is an artist from Tokyo, currently based in Portland, Oregon. Using photography, performance, installation and urban intervention, her practice explores the complexities of being Japanese and a woman living in the US. The photographic works from the early development of the ongoing project, “Seeing you/Seeing Me”, are currently on exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Art and Culture, Portland, Oregon in an exhibition entitled The Unknown Artist, curated by Lucy Cotter.
For more updates and ongoing stories from Support Beam artists, follow along on Instagram at #RACCSupportBeam.
Artists awarded Support Beam commissions are giving us small windows into their work, processes, and personal stories. In their own voices, hear more from these inspiring artists.
Support Beam funding from Multnomah County Percent For Art and PDXCARES.
“I want Native people to feel stillness; a moment where they can connect with their culture. A lot of us, especially Urban Natives, are disconnected from place and home. Disconnected from family, tribe, or our ancestral lands. I would like Indigenous people to feel inspired to find their heartbeat; to listen and seek out their own connection.
Far North stories often include frightful, grisly, often transformative elements that might be taboo in dominant culture stories. I am fascinated by them. To me, they express that we are more than just one thing; we are many things. There is personhood and spirit in everything and everything is connected.
I think we get stuck in our understanding of the world. We believe what we have been told. We limit ourselves when we get fixed this way. Art helps me ask questions and see things in a different way. I can get the feeling of what it’s like to not be so sure. Art asks that I expand my perspective, open my heart and my mind. It’s good for us humans to not feel so sure, to consider what we think we know. It’s rare that we have a full understanding of anything, I think. When I look at art that inspires me, it makes me say, ‘Oh, I see! I didn’t know that before!'”
Portland-based artist Mike Vos shoots images with 4×5 film using in-camera double exposures. Vos’ work is presented as an interconnected series of photographic installations that revolve around a central theme: a world without humans and wildlife’s reclamation of the industrial landscape. Drawing deeply from literary themes such as magical realism, alternate history, and subtle horror, Vos has crafted complex and intriguing visual narratives. These photographic projects all exist within a shared universe; each focusing on different facets of the story. His work carries a strong environmental message about the impact humans have on the natural world, and challenges individuals to consider the lingering effects of our choices once we are gone.
“The goal was to push myself to create art on a daily or weekly basis, and to utilize all of the creative talents I practice into one big project. For the past few months I have spent each week painting each letter of the English alphabet, recording my thoughts based around a random word that starts with each corresponding letter, and compiling those recordings, time-lapse video of my painting process, and self-produced instrumental music as a score, into a series of small videos released on my website and Instagram. The purpose of this practice was to push myself to work through creative blocks, train myself to continue to make work regardless of the outcome, and to hopefully inspire the other creatives in my communities to pursue their creative passions with fearless resolve. I believe that although we live in a time where the ability to stay connected through digital or virtual platforms during the course of a global pandemic is easier than ever, it is also more important than ever for artists and creatives to use their voices to amplify the struggles we face on a day to day basis. This artwork represents that journey by conveying myself in a hopeful light, backdropped by the alphabet, which represents the idea that communication is our greatest human trait.”
RACC is reposting here the latest information we have about federal, state, and local resources to support our community. Check for updates and sign up to receive RACC’s e-newsletter for timely notifications.
updated 4/23/2021
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program opens April 24
The long-awaited Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal postponed the relaunch to Monday, April 26, 2021 @ Noon ET. Links below may be subject to change.
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s grant program for shuttered arts and culture venues allows for a grant of up to $10 million for eligible businesses, including live venue operators, promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organizations, museums, zoos, aquariums and theaters.
Technical Assistant-only for the Application Portal through SBA Call Center 1-800-659-2955. For application assistance, SBA recommends contacting one of their local assistance providers.
Tips:
Register in advance and read through the FAQs for changes and clarifications. Those questions with an * asterisk before it are new additions.
Upload as much evidence documentation as possible and that can include explanation statements.
SBA will allow post-submission corrections for technical errors and omissions only.
Application portal server may get overwhelmed during the busiest times. SBA has created a “waiting room” system to keep your application in the queue.
The application now asks for both gross and earned revenue schedule. Remember, accrual method is requested for the gross revenue schedule in determining priority period, but you can use cash or accrual method for the earned income schedule.
Paycheck Protection Program Round 2:
The SBA continues to issue updated guidance and forms for next phase implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Following is a collection of the latest links to new information.
Oregon small business owners who have struggled to pay their rent during the coronavirus pandemic can apply for help from the state through Monday, March 22. Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, is administering the program. Grants up to $100,000 per business tenant and a maximum of $3 million for each landlord may be awarded.
Landlords must complete the initial application, but both the businesses and property owners need to participate in the application process and sign the grant agreement in order to qualify for funding.
