May 2008

· IN THIS ISSUE ·

• Feature: Northwest Business for Culture & the Arts Honors Business Volunteers for the Arts
• Message from RACC Executive Director Eloise Damrosch
• Advocates Help Secure Funding for Arts Partners
• Tri-County Candidates Respond to Arts & Culture Questionnaire
• Sunshine Dairy Foods & Work for Art celebrate a new unique partnership
• Artists Workshops in May & June
  
• City Hall’s First Thursday on May 1st: Art in our Future: City Hall Youth Art Show
• RACC presents Pattern from May12-June 6
• Summer Art Camps Listings

• Current RACC Opportunities:
  • Grants
  • Public Art
• May Events Funded in part by RACC:
  • Bodyvox: Horizontal Leanings
  • Kukatonon: Growing Up and Growing Together
  • South Waterfront Artist in Residence Program:
    China-on-Willamette with Horatio Hung-Yan Law
  • Dignity Village: Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box
  • Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra: Avast, Ye Mateys

Northwest Business for Culture & the Arts Honors Business Volunteers for the Arts

by Laura Becker, Northwest Business for Culture & the Arts

On May 21, Northwest Business for Culture & the Arts (NW/BCA) will hold its Spring Arts Breakfast of Champions and present the Business Volunteerism in the Arts Awards. Volunteers provide vital support and capacity to the arts and cultural organizations in our community. Volunteer service ranges from ripping tickets at a performance and helping with an auction at a fundraising event, to chairing a capital campaign committee and leading an organization through an executive staff transition.

NW/BCA’s awards will recognize volunteers from the business community who have made a difference not only to a nonprofit organization’s bottom line, but also to the momentum it generated and the inspiration it provided for others.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 Business Volunteerism in the Arts Awards:

• BOORA Architects and Andersen Construction
   Outstanding Commitment to Volunteerism by a Business

• Eric Friedenwald-Fishman of Metropolitan Group
   Exemplary Business Volunteer for the Arts

• J. Clayton Hering of Norris Beggs & Simpson
   John Hampton Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts
  

Temporary TBA Venue, 2005. (Photo: Sally Schoolmaster)

BOORA Architects and Andersen Construction were nominated by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) for their design and construction of temporary programming and exhibition space for PICA’s TBA festival for the last four years. BOORA leads the design for the venues and assists with building and recruiting other vendors, and Andersen sends in volunteer construction teams, assists with structural design and donates materials. BOORA and Andersen employees take pride in being involved in this unorthodox project and have become faithful attendees to the festival themselves.

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman (Photo: courtesy of Metropolitan Group)

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, Creative Director/President of Metropolitan Group, was nominated by the Library Foundation. Eric has served on their board since 2002 and has generously contributed his professional skills in strategic planning, fundraising, marketing and communications. With Eric as co-chair, the foundation’s Campaign for a Lifetime of Literacy has successfully raised more than $10 million to engage children and families in reading and cultural activities. Eric has also served on the board of Portland Center Stage for over five years and on the RACC board from 1996-2002.

The late John Hampton greets J. Clayton Hering, 2005 (Photo: Steven Gibbons)

J. Clayton Hering, President of Norris Beggs & Simpson, was nominated by the Oregon Symphony Association, where he has served on the board for more than two decades. He is currently Vice Chair and leads the Development Committee. Clayton has worked tirelessly as a strategist, a leader and a volunteer fundraiser. He has inspired many employees from his company to support our arts community, and Norris Beggs & Simpson was one of the first companies involved in Work for Art. Clayton also serves on NW/BCA’s Leadership Council, after serving nine years and as President of NW/BCA’s board. He passionately believes in the role the arts play in the cultural, economic and social well-being of our region and can be seen frequently at art events around town. For all this and more, NW/BCA will recognize Clayton with the John Hampton Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts. Named for the late timber-mill owner and arts champion, this special award will be given for the first time this year to recognize excellence in leadership and service to the arts.

In addition to recognizing these distinguished honorees, NW/BCA will officially launch their new Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA) program. This program has a proven track record, with 26 years of ongoing success in 14 U.S. cities. NW/BCA has received grants from the Meyer Memorial Trust, Nike and The Standard to start a BVA in Portland, which will connect skilled business professionals with arts and cultural organizations in need of high-level business assistance on specific time-based projects. The Breakfast will also showcase several examples of extraordinary volunteers that were nominated for providing just this type of service.

After launching the program on May 21, NW/BCA will recruit business volunteers during the summer, and nonprofit project assignments will begin later this year. NW/BCA will be working closely with RACC to identify and assess the needs from arts organizations and to help plan this program. Through the increased business volunteer service of this program, arts nonprofits will learn better business skills and build new business relationships through these consultancy engagements.

The spring Arts Breakfast of Champions is generously sponsored by KeyBank and co-sponsored by Columbia Sportswear and Henry V, with support from the Portland Art Museum.

Arts Breakfast of Champions
Wednesday, May 21st, 7:30-9am
Portland Art Museum, Kridel Grand Ballroom
1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland

For more information about the Arts Breakfast of Champions, BVA, and NW/BCA please visit www.nwbca.org.

From RACC Executive Director: Eloise Damrosch Glass Coming to Portland During the week of June 16th Portland will host the annual Glass Art Society’s International Conference, this year entitled Forming Frontiers. This event will bring about 2500 students of glass, collectors and professional glass artists for lectures, auctions, portfolio review, displays, an education resource center demo-lectures, and networking. And, as in 2006 when the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts convention came to town, many galleries and museums will mount special exhibits focused on glass. On May 31st The Portland Art Museum will open a 30-year retrospective of German glass master Klaus Moje. And the Museum of Contemporary Crafts will offer an installation by Melissa Dyne, who creates elaborate works using simple window pane glass. Check listings for galleries around town also participating in this celebration of glass in Portland. Find information about the conference at www.glassart.org/portland.html. Another special event will be at May’s ArtSpark - the monthly social and networking event for artists sponsored by RACC on May 15 at the Living Room Theatres, SW 10th at Stark. OPB’s Oregon Art Beat will give a sneak preview of its first ever 30 minute story focusing on Public Art in Oregon. Featured will be murals in Vail, art in Tri-Met’s rail system and various pieces from Portland’s Public Art Collection. Party begins at 5pm, film presented at 6pm. If you miss the party tune into Oregon Art Beat at 8pm May 22nd. For more on ArtSpark visit www.portlandartspark.com. Eloise can be reached at edamrosch@racc.org.

Advocates Help Secure Funding for Arts Partners

On April 15, we learned that critical funding for Arts Partners was not included in the proposed City of Portland FY09 budget. So the next day, RACC sent out a Call to Action that encouraged arts advocates to email Mayor Potter and the Portland City Commissioners and ask for their support. A few days later, those who sent emails received this fantastic reply from the Mayor’s Office: “In consideration for the strong community support for this program, Mayor Potter will ensure that Arts Partners is included in the Proposed City Budget at the initial request of $150,000. Arts is an essential part of every child’s education, and we are proud to support Arts Partners.” On behalf of everyone involved in this collaboration, RACC would like to thank those who took the time to be an advocate on this issue. Your voice made a difference!

Tri-County Candidates Respond to Arts & Culture Questionnaire

RACC has posted the responses to an arts and culture questionnaire sent to the 65 candidates running for office in Portland, Metro, Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties. Visit www.racc.org or NW Business for Culture and the Arts at www.nwbca.org. We encourage our readers to consider the candidates’ position on these important issues when they vote. Ballots go out around May 2. Deadline to mail in your ballot is May 20.

Sunshine Dairy Foods & Work for Art celebrate a new unique partnership

Photo: William Rihel

The Dairy will donate 1% of yogurt and sour cream sales to Work for Art, which will then be matched dollar-for-dollar by a special public fund and passed on to arts and culture organizations in the Portland metropolitan area. At right, staff at Sunshine Dairy Foods receive drum instructions from Portland Taiko’s Michelle Fujii (at far right), during the April 10th employee giving campaign.

Upcoming Artists Workshops in May & June

RACC is offering professional development workshops for working artists in all disciplines through June 2008. See a complete listing of workshops and register at www.racc.org/workshops. Below are the two workshops still open:

• 5/16 Grant Writing for Success --102. This advanced workshop is for individual artists who want to improve their chances of success in winning grants.
• 6/27 Will Click for Art. Online marketing workshop for artists and organizations. (workshop just added)

City Hall’s First Thursday on May 1st:
Art in our Future: City Hall Youth Art Show

From painting and drawing to sculpture and performance, the spotlight will be firmly focused on the rich talent of Portland’s young artists. City Hall is excited to open its gallery space for the next generation of creative thinkers to exhibit their amazing work! Featuring work from: Buckman Arts Focus School, The Children’s Healing Art Project, Young, Gifted, and Black Art Competition in collaboration with the African American Visual Arts Scholarship project. 5-7pm at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th, Portland, www.commissionersam.com/youthart.

RACC presents Pattern from May12-June 6

Pattern: Exploration & Meaning of the Details by Jessie Smith. Elements of pattern that surround our daily lives will be at the heart of this mixed media installation. Various patterns will spill off of a bed placed in the space, travel across the floor and up the walls, graphically encompassing the space with multiple shapes and colors. Smith is currently a BFA student at Portland State University. The Portland Building Installation Space at 1120 SW 5th Avenue is open to the public from 7am - 6pm, Monday through Friday. To see visuals of past temporary installations, click here.

Summer Art Camps Listings

RACC is providing a listing of summer art camps in the tri-county region. Camps that offer all artistic disciplines will be listed at www.racc.org. If you want to submit a listing, please email mbauer@racc.org.

Grants Opportunities now available at www.racc.org

• Opportunity Grants support Portland-based nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to help meet special opportunities or emergencies. Intent to Apply Deadline: 5/7/08.

• 2008-09 Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature. The RACC Fellowship Program is intended to help artists of high merit sustain or enhance their creative process. RACC intends to award one $20,000 Fellowship to a literary artist. Guidelines and Application available by Friday, 5/9. Intent to Apply Deadline: 7/9/08, 5pm; Electronic Submission Deadline: 7/16/08, 5pm; Physical Submission Deadline: 7/23/08, 5pm.

Public Art Opportunities now available at www.racc.org:

• Natural Cycles, temporary art installations. The Friends of Tryon Creek State Park and RACC invite artists/teams living in OR and WA to submit proposals for temporary one-year installations in Tryon Creek State Park. Deadline: 5/14/08.

• The Public Art Mural program is a Portland city-wide program administered by RACC. Businesses and artists or artist teams are eligible to apply for this program. Deadline: 6/1/08.

Bodyvox: Horizontal Leanings Photo by Steve Cherry @ Polara Studios May 1-4 Newmark Theater, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, 503.229.0627 www.bodyvox.com Purveying the stark contrast of a fragmented world rife with friction and alienation, and the very same world achieving synergy and a collective balance, BodyVox enlists the musicians of Third Angle to present its latest creation, Horizontal Leanings. BodyVox receives General Support funding from RACC

Kukatonon: Growing Up and Growing Together Photo by Anthony Jordan May 2 10am: MLC, 2033 NW Glisan June 6 7pm: SEI Center, 3920 N. Kerby June 28 3-4pm: World Beat Festival (Contact: Marissa Newman, 503.362.0222) 503.709.7540 Kukatonon, made up of 25 schoolchildren ages 7-12, will perform original choreography about African rites of initiation into adulthood, reflecting their chosen 2008 theme, Growing Up and Growing Together. Founder and Director, Rolia Manyongai-Jones. This project was funded in part by a RACC Project Grant

South Waterfront Artist in Residence Program: China-on-Willamette with Horatio Hung-Yan Law May 3-31 South Waterfront Neighborhood, AiR Storefront Studio, 3623 SW River Parkway at Gaines off the John Ross Plaza, Portland, 971.998.4810 www.southwaterfront.com Horatio Hung-Yan Law’s three-component piece is based on the imaginary potential of how different Portland’s development could have been shaped, had early Chinese immigrants not left Portland due to the anti-Chinese immigration and labor legislations passed by the United States Congress in the early twentieth century. This project was funded in part by a RACC Project Grant

Dignity Village: Thinking Outside the Cardboard Box Photo by Jason Kaplan May 8 Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, 800-494-8497 www.dignityvillage.org An evening of art, film and performance on housing and community for those who have neither. Theatre: The Road to Dignity playlet by Dignity Village. Film: Tent Cities Toolkkit interactive movie. Exhibits: Photos & artwork from Street Roots, PhotoVoice, & More. Plus: Open-mic session for local musicians and poets. This project was funded in part by a RACC Project Grant

Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra: Avast, Ye Mateys May 23 Century High School Auditorium, 2000 SE Century Blvd. Hillsboro www.hillsborosymphony.org This pirate-themed concert will feature music by Khachaturian, Strauss, and Gilbert & Sullivan and will be conducted by Director Sharon Northe. This project was funded in part by a RACC Project Grant

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