C.O. museums, Redmond receive art grants

Wild Adventures at the High Desert Museum, public art in the City of Redmond and a celebration of the life and art of the late Apolonia Susana Santos at the Museum at Warm Springs are three of the 23 Arts Build Communities grants funded by the Oregon Arts Commission this month.

The grants, totaling $114,000, support projects statewide that address important local community issues including literacy, downtown redevelopment, community planning and cultural inclusiveness through a variety of arts disciplines to provide positive and lasting change for people throughout the state.

“Each project demonstrates creativity, local commitment, community partnership and high-quality arts programs created specifically to improve lives,” said Arts Commissioner Libby Tower, who chaired the review panel. “These awards represent modest investments that return significant value to Oregonians.”

Over half of this year’s 53 applicants are based outside the Portland metro region and the award distribution reflects the diversity of applicants, reaching small and large communities on both sides of the Cascades.

ABC grants offer support to underserved communities, including those where opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

The commission is able to support these community arts development projects through a funding partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Central Oregon grant recipients are:

High Desert Museum, Bend, $4500

To support program materials, supplies, travel and staff time for Wild Adventures, free preschool literacy and arts programming serving 3,400 children and their caregivers in four libraries. Using integrated arts programming to promote literacy, Wild Adventures aims to develop children’s interest in reading.

Museum at Warm Springs, Warm Springs, $5600

To support an exhibit on the life and work of the late tribal member and artist Apolonia Susana Santos, and an Artist Village to engage Tribal youth, the community and museum visitors during the museum’s 20th anniversary celebration.

Redmond, City of, Redmond, $2800

To support sculptor Ryan Beard’s residency with elementary, middle and high school students as he completes the design, construction and installation of a public art work on Redmond’s first traffic roundabout.