Oregon ‘cultural field guide’ now online

Did you know that more than 1,300 arts, heritage, and humanities non-profits produce and protect cultural activities on behalf of Oregonians?

Now, for the first time, those activities are being catalogued in one place.

“Oregon Culture: A Field Guide” aims to serve local communities and visitors by presenting the best, most beloved Oregon cultural activities on a new website: www.OregonCultureFieldGuide.org.

Beginning today and continuing until November 15th, the site is accepting nominations to build its debut selection of featured activities. Anyone can participate. Users give a “thumbs up” to their favorites, and a live tally of “Trending Activities” displays the most popular.

Chris D’Arcy, executive director of the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Field Guide’s creator, is thrilled with the site. “We see the Field Guide as a tool to help people share and discover the treasures all around our state,” said D’Arcy.

Among the Field Guide’s additional features is a series of informational videos showcasing Cultural Trust-funded attractions in the seven regions of Oregon, as well as original portraits by photographer Holly Andres, whose subjects include author Cheryl Strayed, wine industry pioneer Susan Sokol Blosser, advertising guru Dan Wieden, and Grammy-winning musician Esperanza Spalding.

The Oregon Cultural Trust celebrated its 10th anniversary on October 8th. Since 2002, the Trust has given away more than $12.5 million in grants and program funding to cultural organizations throughout the state and built a permanent fund of $17 million for the future.

“It’s difficult to overstate how essential the Cultural Trust is to the cultural landscape of our state,” said Jonathan Frochtzwajg of PDX Pop Now. “Without its generous support, organizations like PDX Pop Now simply couldn’t bring the arts into the lives of the people who live here.”

“The Trust is an incredibly valuable partner to the museum and our community,” added JS May, chief advancement officer for the Portland Art Museum.

“Oregon Culture: A Field Guide” is the Trust’s latest contribution to Oregon arts, heritage and humanities.

The Oregon Cultural Trust supports more than 1,300 nonprofits statewide in the development of arts, heritage, and humanities programs. A model for national arts agencies, the legislation that created the Cultural Trust is ranked with the Bottle Bill and Vote By Mail as one of Oregon’s most forward-thinking laws.