Press Release: Regional Arts & Culture Council Awards $458,676 for 102 Arts Projects in 2009

For immediate release   Contact: Mary Bauer, Communications Associate Regional Arts & Culture Council  |  www.racc.org 108 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR  97209-3318 503.823.5111  |  email: [email protected]   Through vision, leadership and service, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of community life. 

December 16, 2008

Regional Arts & Culture Council Awards $458,676 for 102 Arts Projects in 2009

The Regional Arts & Culture Council has announced a record amount of grant funds to be invested in artistic projects in calendar year 2009. A total of $458,676 – 12.5% more than RACC awarded last year – will be awarded to artists, nonprofit organizations, and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties as part of RACC’s competitive “Project Grant” program.

Funding support comes from various sources – first and foremost from the City of Portland, whose funds for arts and culture were committed this past summer. Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County and Metro also provide funding for project grants, along with Work for Art, RACC’s workplace giving program that raised a record amount in the campaign ending June 30.

 “It is essential that we invest in the arts,” said Eloise Damrosch, Executive Director of RACC, “even in this economy. Especially in this economy. Without question, artists and arts organizations make our community a better place to live, and they need our support now more than ever. Just imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have the arts to get us through this difficult time; the arts bring us together, to challenge and entertain us. The arts give us hope.” Damrosch added that project grants like these also help the region retain creative talent.

In exchange for RACC support, which typically represents 25 to 50% of the total cost of a project, grant recipients will produce a wide variety of events throughout 2009 that are affordable and accessible to the public; bring arts learning to under-served students; and help stimulate the economy. For every ticket purchased to an arts event, an additional $24.24 in arts-related spending supports local businesses, including restaurants, parking structures, and retail outlets. Hotels, restaurants, and retailers also benefit from tourism generated by a diverse and healthy arts community.

Among the projects that will occur in schools, libraries, theaters, concert halls and galleries next year:

·         Live On Stage will present Eating Raoul – The Musical.

·         The 2009 Festival of Portland Music, presented by PDX Pop Now!, will feature 50 local bands.

·         Hand2Mouth Theatre will produce a new performance piece titled Things We Talk About.

·         Adelante Mujeres will help Latino immigrant families design and paint tables during the Forest Grove Farmer’s Market.

·         Artists Tim Stapleton, Peter Burr, Mary Oslund, Brian Lindstrom and Motoya Nakamura will produce new works.

·         Several community festivals also received support from RACC, including the India Festival, the Estacada Summer Celebration and the Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Festival.

A total of 212 applications were received (up 12% over last year), and these proposals were evaluated by 44 community volunteers – including professional artists, teachers, community representatives and arts administrators – who served on 11 panels. The panelists studied the applications and rated each proposed project for artistic merit, audience access, and fiscal responsibility, and ultimately recommended 102 projects for funding to the RACC Board, which approved the final allocation on December 10. Exactly half of the awards went to organizations and individuals who had never before received a RACC Project Grant.

The following 50 organizations were awarded a total of $222,930 in Project Grants for 2009:

Adelante Mujeres**                                                 Folk Arts Project                                       $      2,130

Agnieszka Laska Dancers                                          Multi-Discipline Project                           $      5,400

Art on Alberta                                                            Presenting Project                                   $      6,000

Art Walk Etc.                                                               Multi-Discipline Project                           $      4,570

Beaverton Arts Commission**                                Presenting Music Project                        $      4,305

Children’s Healing Art Project                                 Visual Arts Project                                    $      4,800

Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon                            Theatre Project                                         $      4,000

Cooper Mountain Elementary**                            Visual Arts Project                                    $      3,924

Dance Coalition of Oregon                                       Dance/Movement Project                      $      3,969

defunkt theatre                                                          Theatre Project                                         $      4,993

Disjecta Interdisciplinary Art Center                      Visual Arts Project                                    $      3,700

Elemental Summer Camp                                         Multi-Discipline Project                           $      3,866

Estacada Area Arts Commission*                            Presenting Project                                   $      5,041

Fear No Music                                                            Music Project                                            $     5,400

Hand2Mouth Theatre                                               Theatre Project                                         $      5,238

Independent Publishing Resource Ctr.                  Media Arts Project                                   $      4,752

India Cultural Association                                         Presenting Project                                   $      4,536

Innovative Housing Inc.                                             Visual Arts Project                                    $      5,100

Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC)          Visual Arts Project                                    $      4,540

Krayon Kids Musical Theater Company*               Theatre Project                                         $         850

Kukatonon                                                                   Dance/Movement Project                      $      6,000

Live On Stage                                                              Theatre Project                                         $      5,439

Merlo Station High School/BSD**                          Visual Arts Project                                    $      4,250

Multnomah Arts Center Association                      Visual Arts Project                                    $      4,437

My Story                                                                      Visual Arts Project                                    $      3,175

New Avenues for Youth                                            Literature Project                                     $      3,518

New Century Players*                                              Theatre Project                                         $     6,000

Newspace Center for Photography                        Visual Arts Project                                    $      1,058

Northwest Film Center                                              Media Arts Project                                   $      4,505

Oregon Historical Society Folklife Program          Folk Arts Project                                       $      4,459

Oregon Women’s Caucus for Art                            Visual Arts Project                                    $      4,800

Orlo                                                                              Literature Project                                     $      4,600 PassinArt: A Theatre Company                                Theatre Project                                         $      4,140

PDX Pop Now!                                                            Dance Project                                           $      5,770

Portland Children's Museum                                   Visual Arts Project                                    $      5,400

Portland Jazz Orchestra**                                       Music Project                                            $      3,719

Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival          Media Arts Project                                   $      5,700

Portland Theatre Works                                           Theatre Project                                         $      1,768

Quest Center for Integrative Health (QC)              Visual Arts Project                                    $      5,378

Sowelu Theater                                                          Theatre Project                                         $      4,780

Stumptown Stages*                                                   Theatre Project                                         $      3,732

Terra Linda Elementary PTC**                                Visual Arts Project                                    $      5,109

The Art Gym*                                                             Visual Arts Project                                    $      6,000

The Deep Roots Music Project                                Multi-Discipline Project                           $      2,448

The Media Project                                                     Media Arts Project                                   $     5,400

The PDX Film Festival                                                Media Arts Project                                   $      4,800

The Young People’s Theatre Project**                 Theatre Project                                         $      4,800

Third Angle New Music Ensemble                          Music Project                                            $      4,800

Tribal Leadership Forum (TLF)**                            Media Arts Project                                   $      5,031

Wisdom of the Elders                                                Folk Arts Project                                       $      4,800

The following 52 individuals were awarded a total of $235,746 in Project Grants in 2009:

Devon Allen                          Theatre Project                                             $      4,000

Peter Armetta                      Theatre Project                                             $      5,665

Susan Banyas                        Multi-Discipline Project                               $      6,000

Emily Beleele                        Theatre Project                                             $      5,668

Andrew Blubaugh                Media Arts Project                                       $      5,705

Tracy Broyles                        Dance/Movement Project                          $      4,382

Kevin Burke                          Music Project                                                $      4,800

Ryan Burns                            Visual Arts Project                                        $      3,200

Peter Burr                             Multi-Discipline Project                               $      4,800

Brandy Cochrane                 Visual/Media Arts Installation Project       $      3,864

Alissa Creamer                     Media Arts Project                                       $      5,548

Suniti Dernovsek                  Dance/Movement Project                          $      5,096

Sarah Dougher                     Music Project                                                $      2,450

Travis Ezell                             Media Arts Project                                       $      5,175

Liz Fuller                                Media Arts Project                                       $      5,157

Jackie Gabel                          Music Project                                                $      5,387

Dan Gilsdorf                          Visual/Media Arts Installation Project       $      3,392

Faith Helma                           Multi-discipline Project                               $      4,463

LeAnne Hitchcock               Visual Arts Project                                        $      2,848

Tahni Holt                              Multi-Discipline Project                               $      5,011

Jody Hughes                          Music Project                                                $      4,584

Eric Hull                                 Multi-Discipline Project                               $      1,014

Bethany Ides                         Multi-Discipline Project                               $      4,419

Abraham Ingle                      Media Arts Project                                       $      4,750

Kazuyo Ito                              Music Project                                                $      4,205

Ryan Jeffery                          Visual/Media Arts Installation Project       $      4,320

MyLinda King                        Music Project                                                $      4,536

Brian Lindstrom                    Media Arts Project                                       $      5,032

Brian Lindstrom                    Media Arts Project                                       $      5,700

Carla Mann                            Dance/Movement Project                          $      5,960

Matt McCormick                  Media Arts Project                                       $      3,492

Mack McFarland                  Visual/Media Arts Installation Project       $      1,940

Kristen Miller                        Visual Arts Project                                        $      5,646

Motoya Nakamura               Visual Arts Project                                        $      5,241

Lorna Nakell                          Visual Arts Project                                        $      4,707

Seth Nehil                              Multi-Discipline Project                               $      5,700

David Oates                           Literature Project                                         $      4,972

Bruce Orr                              Theatre Project                                             $      4,743

Mary Oslund                         Dance/Movement Project                          $      4,798

Chris Parkhurst                     Media Arts Project                                       $      4,760

Leif Peterson                        Media Arts Project                                       $      4,687

Ryan Pierce                           Visual Arts Project                                        $      1,422

Dmae Roberts                       Literature Project                                          $      5,750

Stephen Slappe                    Visual/Media Arts Installation Project       $      4,277

Desmond Spann**              Multi-Discipline Project                               $      3,060

Tim Stapleton                        Multi-Discipline Project                               $      3,908

David Stein                            Visual Arts Project                                        $      4,228

Carl Vandervoort                 Media Arts Project                                       $      4,643

Megan Ward                         Theatre Project                                             $      5,100

Marie Watt                            Visual Arts Project                                        $      6,000

Alan Wone*                          Multi-discipline Project                               $      4,973

Sharon Wood Wortman     Multi-Discipline Project                               $      4,568

The majority of applicants were from Multnomah County. (*) denotes artists and organizations in Clackamas County; (**) denotes artists and organizations in Washington County. To learn more about RACC and its various grant programs, visit www.racc.org/grants.  For descriptions of each project receiving RACC funding in 2009, visit http://www.racc.org/grants/docs/2009RACCProjectGrant.pdf.

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******************************* Mary Bauer Communications Associate Regional Arts & Culture Council 108 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 300    Portland, OR 97209-3318 503.823.5426 FAX 503.823.5432 [email protected] www.racc.org