C.O. groups among arts grants recipients
Art as a means to address community need is reflected in 30 Oregon projects awarded $190,000 in 2016 Arts Build Communities grants from the Oregon Arts Commission.
Vacant downtown storefronts become celebrations of community in Corvallis; Fishtrap inspires 1,700 in Wallowa County to read Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” before engaging in discussions, events and activities about rural isolation and community; and in Portland, Sisters of the Road will produce “On the Ground,” a short film exploring the history and root causes of homelessness in Portland.
Now in its 20th year, the Arts Build Communities program targets broad geographic impact and arts access for underserved audiences. More than half of the 2016 awards go to communities outside of the Portland area.
“This program provides access to arts and culture activity in underserved populations of the state,” says Arts Commissioner Alyssa Macy, who led the review panel. “Local citizens employ creative thinking and collective response to identify a local need and provide an arts -based solution. These modest grants also spark and leverage many other investments and resources, serving as a catalyst for greater economic impact.”
In many cases these awards are seed money to spur additional local funding. In recent years Arts Build Communities projects attracted more than $570,000 in spending, much of it representing salaries paid to artists and others as well as products and services purchased in the funded communities.
Arts Build Communities grants are made possible through a funding partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts .
The 2016 recipients are:
Arts Action Alliance Foundation, Oregon City, $7,000
To support “Youth Arts for Change.” This project provides opportunitites for marginalized, vulnerable teens who have been remanded to facilities. It is intended to improve protective factors for rural middle school youth by engaging with artists, counselors and peers. Participants gain theatre, comic (graphic novel) drawing, photography and interviewing skills. Grant funds will be used to develop post-program theatre internships, cultivate new partnerships, pay artist fees and buy supplies.
Arts Central, Bend, $7,000
To support the “Pride of LaPine” mural. Grant funds will be used to pay artist fees and supplies. LaPine is an underserved rural community with little access to the arts . This project will stimulate community pride through the creation of a mural on a highly visible exterior wall in the center of town. Students and community members will execute the project under the guidance of a professional artist, culminating in a community celebration.
Beaverton Arts Foundation Inc, Beaverton, $6,500
To support “Beautify Beaverton,” a project that will place 10 vinyl-art-wrap installations on existing infrastructure, such as electical power boxes, throughout the city to strengthen its artistic visual identity. Grant funds will be used to pay artist fees.
Circus Project, Portland, $7,000
To support a community-based “Social Circus” that will serve more than 300 youth participants. The project reflects Circus Project’s partnership with social service agencies and public schools. Grant funds will be used to pay teaching artist fees, purchase and maintain circus-specific equipment and underwrite staff coordinating expenses for the collaborative planning and evaluation process with partners.
Corvallis Arts Center, Inc, Corvallis, $7,000
To support “Art in Rural Storefronts,” a placemaking project dedicated to strengthening connections between people and their rural towns through engagement with the arts . Focusing on one underserved town, three qualified artists will create contemporary art installations based on local culture or natural history with community input. The installations celebrate community life through the arts . Grant funds will support artist fees, travel and coordination.
Crossroads Creative & Performing Arts Center, Baker City, $5,000
To support the “8 Show,” an exhibit of 800 eight-inch square original artworks throughout Baker City’s historic downtown. The project will create a highly visible art experience showcasing the talents of the region’s artists while stimluating cultural tourism and enhancing the local economy. Grant funds will be used for supplies and marketing expenses.
Crow’s Shadow Institute, Pendleton, $7,000
To support printmaking education for art students at the Nixya’awii Community School, a charter high school located on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Grant funds will be used to underwrite studio space, technical assistance, art and exhibition materials, advertising and public receptions. As many as 14 students will produce limited-edition linocut prints and exhibit their work in the Crow’s Shadow gallery.
Dallas Downtown Association, Dallas, $5,100
To support the creation of a 15-by-60 foot mural in the historic area of Dallas. Based on an 1800s photo, the mural will depict a logging train pulling into the Dallas Station. The project will integrate art and history to celebrate 175 years of Dallas history in a highly accessible format while helping to preserve its historic core and increasing awareness of its role in the formation and growth of Polk County. Grant funds will support artist fees and supplies.
Deschutes Public Library Foundation, Bend, $5,000
To support “A Novel Idea,” the Dechutes County Library’s community reads program. Residents are encouraged to read, discuss and explore a selected book together. “A Novel Idea” broadens cultural, social, educational and economic engagement in community life by ensuring wide access and participation through partnerships with local artists, organizations and businesses. Grant funds will be used to purchase books and support the author’s honorarium.
Disability Art & Culture Project, Portland, $6,000
To support the Disability Pride Art and Culture Film Festival. The festival will include a DIY short film workshop, a panel on disability representation in film and TV, and eight hours of film that feature disabled filmmakers, actors or stories about disability. Grant funds will be used for our Reelabilities festival package; stipends for local filmmakers, theater space, closed captioning, audio description and ASL interpretation.
Film Action Oregon, Portland, $7,000
To support the Hollywood Theatre’s Annex at the Portland International Airport (PDX), a project to transform an outdated business center at PDX into a multimedia arts space, facilitating experimentation, innovation and critical pedagogy via inspired collaborations between regional, national and international artists. Grant funds will be used to support artist residency activities through the first year of the Annex’s programs.
Fishtrap Inc, Enterprise, $7,000
To support “The Big Read” in Wallowa County. More than 1,700 people of all ages from across the county will read Thorton Wilder’s play “Our Town” and novella “The Bridge of San Louis Rey” and engage in activities that fight rural isolation, deepen the reading experience and create community. Grant funds will be used to purchase books, pay program staff salaries and promote the program across Wallowa County.
Friends of the Florence Events Center, Florence, $5,000
To support a public art project that was designed to promote economic vitality, improve access to art for underserved audiences and celebrate the Florence Events Center’s 20th anniversary. Grant funds will pay artists’ fees for “Dancing with Sea Lions,” a project utilizing 20 artists to transform fiberglass Steller sea lion forms into dazzling, on-the-street public art. The finished pieces will be displayed on the Oregon coast from Newport to Reedsport, reaching an audience of more than 23,000 people.
The High Desert Museum, Bend, $7,000
To support “Art for a Nation: Inspiration from the Great Depression” which will connect the public to the arts by exploring the interdisciplinary programs of the era. The project is comprised of an exhibit tracing the federal government’s support of the arts through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), contemporary art bridging the 1930s and today , and programs to bring this time period to life. Grant funds will be used to deliver community programs.
Jefferson Live!, Ashland, $7,000
To support restoration of the 1930 Holly Theatre in Medford, adapting it for use as a performance hall while preserving its historic elements. The Holly will expand cultural activities, serve a diverse population and revitalize an economically blighted neighborhood. Grant funds will the support planning and design work for the restoration as well as forensic paint analysis to restore decorative elements inside the theater.
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (University of Oregon), Eugene, $7,000
To support visual arts outreach to hospital patients, adults with dementia and their caregivers, victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and promoting general wellness for college students and community members. Grant funds will be used for artist fees, art supplies, programming and transportation reimbursements/free parking passes for participants traveling to the JSMA from memory care and assisted living facilities.
Klamath Art Association, Klamath Falls, $5,000
To support the creation of sculpture honoring Klamath Basin’s biological and historical diversity in a city pocket park. The park will feature sculpture representing native wildlife, a timeline of historical events in the Klamath Basin and an engraved map showing the diversity of destinations within Klamath County. Grant funds will be used to pay artist fees for sculpture.
Lincoln City Cultural Center, Lincoln City, $3,350
To support a collaborative production of “Sound of Nature, Sound of Art” in December of 2016. SONSOA will celebrate the beauty of Cascade Head and connect students with older adults through a shared cultural experience. A chamber music ensemble will play nature-inspired compositions while artists simultaneously create and audience members experience both. Grant funds will go toward musician fees and art supplies for two concert events.
Literary Arts Inc, Portland, $7,000
To support the Oregon Book Awards’ Author Tour. The Tour brings award winners and finalists to 9 or 10 communities across the state to teach writing workshops, meet with readers, visit schools and present their work at a community gathering. Libraries, schools, bookstores and writing groups across the state will partner with Literary Arts to produce the tour. Grant funds will be used for author travel and expenses, promotion, and program staff time.
Living Stages Theater Inc, Portland, $7,000
To support the “Streets to Stages” program while strengthening partnerships with JOIN, Root Shock and the Bud Clark Commons’ Theatre for Real Life to offer workshops at three sites. The program will train six community facilitators in interactive theatre techniques to present a weekend festival of new plays created by community members impacted by homelessness and displacement. Grant funds will support program coordination, artist stipends and participant support.
Media-Rites, Portland, $7,000
To support “Crossing East: Relations,” a series of workshops and events addressing Asian American Pacific Islander stereotypes through a multimedia program in partnership with the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon. Participants will create artwork and help design a multimedia archive of Asian American/Pacific Islander oral histories as part of a 10th anniversary celebration of the Peabody-winning radio series Crossing East. Events held in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Corvallis will feature arts activities and community dialogue.
City of Milton-Freewater, Milton Freewater, $7,000
To support TALK PLAY DREAM: HABLAR JUGAR SO?’AR, a series of community events designed to bring disparate populations together to create and experience art and dream together about the town’s future. Art events include creative workshops, pop up galleries and new performances by locals and visiting artists. Grant funds will be used to pay artists and cover overhead for these events (materials, space rental, equipment).
Miracle Theatre Group, Portland, $5,000
To support Milagro’s Healthy Relationships Residency, a bilingual arts and health education residency in Umatilla County to include workshops and a play performance. Local partners will share resources related to sexual health and wellness. Grant funds will support contact hours of the teaching artists and related travel expenses.
Northwest Film Center, Portland, $6,600
To support the Heroes Magnifico Video Project, a collaboration with Milagro Theatre through which 40 low-income Latino youth in East Multnomah County will create short films about the values of self-sacrifice, family and hard work in their community. The project builds capacity through key partnerships and powerful media messaging. Grant funds will support teaching artist fees, Spanish translation services and more than 20 free public screenings.
Open He arts Open Minds, Portland, $6,000
To support the Coffee Creek Theater Arts (CCTA) program presented by Open He arts Open Minds at the all-female correctional facility in Wilsonville. The program consists of a weekly dialogue group, creative exercises and theatre workshops for 18 residents. Grant funding will be used for two program facilitators, guest artists, costumes, props, transportation, DVDs for performance copies and office expense.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, $7,000
To support the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in partnership with the Latino Network/UNIDOS to provide workshops, discussions, free tickets, a community reception and presentation by playwright Luis Alfaro. Grant funds will support theatrical storytelling training for UNIDOS members during their visit to OSF.
Port Orford Revitalization Association, Port Orford, $4,450
To support additional murals for the town’s business district and murals at the Port to integrate the area with Main Street and provide artistic signage to promote the newly designated ARTS district. This project follows on the success of a 2014 mural project to use the arts as an economic driver and to create a more vibrant, livable and pedestrian-friendly downtown. Grant funds will support supplies, artist fees and mural installations.
Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Portland, $7,000
To support Lan Su’s celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2016 . Grant funds will be used for artist stipends, publicity an interactive family guide for visitors, production equipment rental, and arts and crafts materials.
Sisters of the Road, Portland, $5,000
To support “On the Ground,” a short film exploring the history and root causes of homelessness in Portland from the perspective of people with this lived experience. The project will increase public understanding of homelessness by hosting several public screenings with facilitated discussion and developing a companion curriculum for teachers to use in high schools. Grant funds will be used to pay for artist fees, technical fees and staff time.
Springfield Academy of Arts and Academics, Springfield, $3,000
To support “A3 Composition Project,” a collaboration with Delgani String Quartet and Wildish Theater. Members of Delgani will work with students at the Academy on new compositions for public performance at Wildish Theater. Grant funds will be used to help cover artist fees and administrative costs. The intended audience to be served includes student at the Academy and members of the greater Eugene-Springfield community.
Write Around Portland, Portland, $7,000
To support creative writing workshops for those with the least access in Washington County. Grant funds will be used for staff time to form partnerships with social service agencies in Washington County, to train volunteer facilitators, to support workshop participants and the facilitators, and to purchase materials for the workshops such as snacks, journals and bus tickets (to keep the workshops free and accessible for participants).
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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants , special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts . The Arts Commission became part of the Oregon Business Development Department in 1993 in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grant-making, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature, federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
