Oregon Cultural Trust Grants $2.6 Million to Local Nonprofit

Salem, August 12th, 2015.  Statewide cultural organizations will receive a record $2.6 million in grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust in fiscal year 2015-16, up a full 30 percent over last year and surpassing $2 million for the first time. One recipient is BodyVox who received $20,045 to support “The Spin”, a new dance show that blends live performance and audience participation in the fall of 2015.

The overall dramatic increase in funding from the Oregon Trust results from a record fundraising year and a new distribution formula approved by the Oregon legislature.

The awards include a total of $644,959 to the Cultural Trust’s five statewide partners (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office); $644,959 to 45 county and tribal cultural coalitions (who re-grant the funds through local programs); and $1,260,945 to 84 cultural organizations through competitive Cultural Development Grants, more than double the amount awarded last fiscal year. The Cultural Development Grants include first-time awards to 25 organizations and the largest grants ever awarded – $35,000 – to six of the state’s largest cultural nonprofits. The grants are awarded for projects that address access, capacity, creativity and preservation.

The theater renovation will increase capacity of the theater as an environment for daily open-ended play and the Museum’s capacity to host community events and performances.

“We are extremely grateful to members of the legislature for giving us the flexibility to provide deeper support to the groups who ensure Oregon’s cultural vitality,” said Cultural Trust Executive Director Brian Rogers. “The increased funds will allow them to have an even greater impact on creating the quality of life we Oregonians expect and appreciate.”

“We couldn’t have considered renovation of our theater without help from the Oregon Cultural Trust,” said Museum Executive Director Ruth Shelly. “In the new space, children will exercise their creativity and imaginations in putting on performances for their caregivers and each other, expanding their confidence and budding skills in the theater and performing arts. We look forward to talks by our Artists in Residence, and performances by our community partners. Finally, we anticipate using the renovated theater as a venue for forums and seminars, to serve as a space for adults to gather and learn as well.”

The new distribution formula, put in place through the passage of Senate Bill 441, allows the Trust to allocate a larger percentage of the funds it raises to grant making and administration. The Trust raised a record $4.4 million in fiscal year 2014-15, through donor participation in the cultural tax credit, allowing it to allocate $2.6 million to statewide grants.

Here’s a long list of all the grateful recipients:

Oregon Cultural Trust Cultural Development Grants were awarded to:

(Note: Grants are organized alphabetically by region. * denotes a first-time grant.)

Central Oregon

Arts Central, Bend (Capacity): $12,296

Central Oregon Creative Economy Development: To support the creation of an actionable plan to enhance the Central Oregon cultural economy. 

Deschutes County Historical Society, Bend (Preservation): $14,164

Winter Comes: Oregon’s Nordic Ski History: To support Deschutes Historical Museum’s exhibit Winter Comes: Oregon’s Nordic Ski History in 2016.

High Desert Museum, Bend (Access): $16,645

Arts for the People: To support an exhibit exploring the history and cultural legacy of the Works Progress Administration                

Coast

Bay City Arts Center,* Bay City (Preservation): $5,839

Hoquarton Historical Interpretive Center Roof Replacement: To support the replacement of the roof of the Hoquarton Historical Interpretive Center building.

Liberty Restoration, Inc., Astoria (Preservation): $8,445

Theater Preservation and Restoration: To support the preservation and restoration of the Historic Liberty Theater building.

North Tillamook Library Board,* Manzanita (Capacity): $21,201

Creating Community Technology and Education Room: To support repurposing existing library facility to create community technology and education room.              

Eastern Oregon

Arts Council of Pendleton, Pendleton (Access): $5,000

First Draft Writers and Readers: To support First Draft, a free monthly literary arts series at the Pendleton Center for the Arts.

Drexel H. Foundation, Vale (Preservation): $10,249

Vale Hotel Restoration: To support the Vale Hotel structural stabilization, architectural and engineering project.

Fishtrap, Inc., Enterprise (Access) $10,187

The Big Read 2016: To support Wallowa County’s community-wide Big Read of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town & The Bridge of San Luis Rey” in January and February of 2016.

Four Rivers Cultural Center, Ontario (Access): $14,628

Four Rivers Community Theatre: To support the growth and increased participation of the Four Rivers Community Theatre program.

Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, Joseph (Creativity): $16,367

Exhibitions at Josephy Center: To support the ongoing Josephy Center Exhibition calendar including art, lectures, music and films.

Playa,* Summer Lake (Creativity): $24,961

Art/Science Thematic Residencies: To support the creation of exemplary artworks born from art+science residency interaction.         

Wallowa Valley Arts Council,* Joseph (Access): $11,800

Nez Perce Interpretive Center at Joseph: To support the purchase of the long-established Native American interpretive center at Joseph.

Gorge

Cascadia Center for Arts & Crafts,* Government Camp (Preservation): $19,930

Roofs for Cascadia Center for Arts & Crafts: To support new roofs on an historic United States Forest Service ranger station where CCAC offers workshops to the public in the fall of 2015.

 Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles (Capacity): $5,000

Collections Equipment Improvement: To support the purchase and installation of computer/scanner equipment for the center’s collections operations.

Southern Oregon

Dancing People Company,*        Ashland (Creativity): $5,993

Call Back the Sun, a Winter Solstice Community Dance and Celebration: To support the 10th year of DPC’s Call Back the Sun, a community-inclusive Winter Solstice show.

Douglas County Museum,* Roseburg (Preservation): $9,580

To support the ongoing restoration of O&C railcar #3001 at the Douglas County Museum.

Josephine Community Libraries, Inc., Grants Pass (Access): $12,972

Collection Development Project: To support the Collection Development Project and rebuild the library’s books and other materials.            

Klamath Art Association,* Klamath Falls (Access): $18,319

Sugarman’s Corner Pocket Park: To support sculpture in a pocket park honoring Klamath Basin’s biological and historical diversity.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland (Creativity): $35,000

Creation and Production of “Vietgone” and “The Winter’s Tale:” To support the 2016 pairing of “Vietgone” by Qui Nguyen and “The Winter’s Tale” by William Shakespeare.

Rogue Valley Chorale,* Rogue River (Capacity): $5,000

Marketing Project: To support a sustainable marketing plan including templates designed for in-house use.        

Rogue Valley Symphony Association,* Ashland (Capacity): $18,300

Marketing capacity: To support the increased marketing of Rogue Valley Symphony concerts and hiring a marketing assistant.             

Willamette Valley

Delgani String Quartet,* Eugene (Creativity): $5,270

A Celebration of Oregon Art: To support the production of Delgani’s four-concert project titled “A Celebration of Oregon Art.”      

Eugene Concert Choir, Eugene (Creativity): $25,449

Remembrances Project: To support the Remembrances Creative Heights choral-orchestral masterwork commission project.                

Eugene Opera, Eugene (Capacity): $15,684

Service Expansion Project: To support an expanded program of season productions and community engagement.

Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras, Eugene (Access): $13,890

ESYO String Academies: To support ESYO String Academies and teach music to elementary students of all backgrounds.                

Grand Ronde Tribe Cultural Resources Department,* Grand Ronde (Preservation): $33,543

Curatorial and Exhibit Renovation: To support the creation of curatorial space through renovation in the Museum and Cultural Center.                

Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, Salem (Creativity): $27,651

The Art of Ceremony: Conversations with Oregon Tribes. To support the writing and publication of The Art of Ceremony: Conversations with Oregon Tribes.

Joint Forces Dance Company, Inc., Eugene (Capacity): $7,878

Stabilizing DanceAbility International’s Oregon Programs:  To support more access to mixed-abilities dance with additional staff and an improved office.     

Lane Arts Council, Eugene (Capacity): $21,408

Arts Asset Mapping: To support development of a county-wide Arts Asset Map and accompanying interactive web-based tools.

Linfield College, McMinnville (Preservation): $6,130

Oregon Wine History Archive: Janis Miglavs and Oregon Pinot Camp Collections. To support the digitization of and access to interviews of contributors to Oregon’s wine industry.

Museum of Natural & Cultural History, Eugene (Preservation): $34,000

Redesign of MNCH anchor cultural exhibition hall: To support the redesign of the cultural exhibit hall, Oregon-Where Past is Present.  

Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health,* Salem (Preservation): $6,865

Photo and Document Archive: To support cataloging, digitizing and archiving images and documents from Oregon State Hospital sites. 

Oregon State University, Corvallis (Preservation): $5,000

Oregon Black Railroad Porters Oral History Preservation Project: To support the preservation of and access to Oregon black railroad porters’ oral histories. 

Portland Metro Area

All Classical Public Media, Inc., Portland (Capacity): $35,000

On-Air Programming Expansion Project: To support expansion of All Classical’s program staff, on-air services and production facilities.       

Bag&Baggage Productions, Hillsboro (Creativity): $5,000

Orson Welles’ “Moby Dick, Rehearsed:” To support artists’ wages for our production of Orson Welles’ “Moby Dick, Rehearsed” in the spring of 2016. 

BodyVox, Portland (Creativity): $20,045

The Spin: To support The Spin, a bold new dance show that blends live performance and audience participation in the fall of 2015.

c3:initiative,*    Portland (Creativity): $10,407

Demos Exhibition and Programs: To support the exhibition and Community Dialogues Series of Demos: Wapato Correctional Facility in the fall of 2015. 

Caldera, Portland (Creativity): $12,645

Caldera’s Artists in Residence Program: To support the development of artists from Oregon and around the world through one-month residencies at Caldera.          

Cappella Romana, Portland (Creativity): $16,285

The Choral Works off Michael Adamis: Performances & Recording. To support concerts in Oregon and a recording of choral works by Greek composer Michael Adamis. 

Circus Project, Portland (Access): $13,099

Increased Access to Hands-On Circus Arts Instruction and Performance for Youth: To support 2015-16 circus arts training in schools as well as social services and a new studio.           

CoHo Productions, Portland (Capacity): $9,886

Theatre Consultation Program: To support a program providing resource and administrative management to professional artists.

Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, Portland (Creativity): $24,866

Portland2016: A Biennial of Contemporary Art. To support the production and exhibition of Portland2016: A Biennial of Contemporary Art.

Ethos, Portland (Access): $17,024

Music Across Oregon: To support music education opportunities for youth in rural Oregon communities.

Friends of the Cornelius Public Library,*              Cornelius (Capacity): $8,212

New Library and Community Convening Space: To support a new library to expand collections and provide space for more community involvement.

Friends of William Stafford,* Lake Oswego (Capacity): $4,000

Website Update: To support a website upgrade that will allow the organization to advance its mission and build membership.

Imago Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $7,262

La Belle: The Lost Art of the Automaton. To support the creation of a new family show, “La Belle: The Art of the Automaton.”

Independent Publishing Resource Center, Portland (Capacity): $22,827

IPRC Staffing and Retail Capacity-Building Project: To support capacity building and sustainability via staffing increases and retail space improvement. 

Jewish Theatre Collaborative, Portland (Creativity): $4,445

“Davita’s Harp:” To support JTC’s adaptation and world premiere production of Chaim Potok’s novel “Davita’s Harp”       in the spring of 2016.

Know Your City,* Portland (Capacity): $9,363

Capacity building initiative:  To support increasing Know Your City’s programming capacity by hiring a full-time Program Coordinator. 

Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland (Access): $14,888

Lan Su Chinese Garden’s 9th Annual Chinese New Year: To support expanded public access to Lan Su’s 2016 Chinese New Year celebration.

Literary Arts, Portland (Access): $17,314

The Oregon Book Awards & Author Tour: To support literary excellence in writing by Oregonians and to facilitate a statewide author tour.

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland (Access): $7,704

Outreach and Tuition Assistance: To create access to music via peer-to-peer education at underserved schools with tuition assistance.

Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland (Preservation): $11,787

Collections and Archives Accessibility Project: To support the creation of a publically searchable online database of the museum’s permanent collection.

My Voice Music,* Portland (Capacity): $12,123

Preparatory Assessment and Strategic Staff Increases for A Community Music Space:  To support preparations for a capital campaign to move into a long-term community music space. 

Northwest Dance Project, Portland (Creativity): $16,141

NEW NOW WOW: To support the commission, creation and presentation of three dance works by emerging choreographers in the fall of 2015.

Northwest Film Center, Portland (Access): $14,937

Northwest Film Center’s Northwest Exhibition Program: To support the Northwest exhibition program, including year-round programs, festival and tour.

 

Oregon Bravo Youth Orchestras,*            Portland (Access): $8,666

BRAVO Community Performance: To support the creation and delivery of a concert series in underserved communities in Oregon.

 

Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland (Access): $16,538

1. Susana Santos’ Journeys in Creativity: To support the Journeys in Creativity program for Native communities in Oregon.

 

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland (Capacity): $7,326

Capacity Building through Community Engagement:  To support marketing to promote programming, membership development and outreach to new audiences.

 

Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland (Creativity): $8,021

“Nihonmachi: The Place to Be.” To support two performances of the play “Nihonmachi: The Place to Be” in the fall of 2015.

 

Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland (Access): $35,000

Oregon Experience: 2015-16 Season. To support the 2015-16 season of the award-winning history series Oregon Experience.

 

Oregon Repertory Singers,* Portland (Creativity): $7,481

Dvořák’s Stabat Mater: To support the Portland premiere of Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, to be performed by ORS at the Newmark Theater in the fall of 2015.

 

Oregon Symphony, Portland (Access): $35,000

2015 Oregon Symphony Waterfront Festival of the Arts: To support access for all to experience excellence in orchestral music with a free live concert.

 

Portland Baroque Orchestra, Portland (Capacity): $20,666

The Right Patron Services for Portland Baroque Orchestra: To support Portland Baroque Orchestra’s new patron services manager & marketing assistant.

 

Portland Center Stage, Portland (Creativity): $35,000

2016 JAW: A Playwrights Festival. To support the creation of new theatrical works at the 2016 JAW: A Playwrights Festival.

 

Portland Children’s Museum,* Portland (Capacity): $29,176

Theater Renovation: To support PCM’s theater renovation for enhanced play and cultural programming.

 

Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble,* Portland (Creativity): $8,413

The Journey Play is the Whole Thing: A Constellation of Art Events, Objects and Experience. To support the creation and production of a series of integrated works of art.

 

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland (Access): $15,627

TBA:15: To support the planning and implementation of the 13th edition of the Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival in September of 2015.

 

Portland Opera Association, Inc., Portland (Access): $35,000

Opera ala Cart: To support the creation and pilot of Portland Opera’s outreach project OPERA ALA CART in May of 2016.

 

Portland Playhouse, Portland (Creativity): $21,290

“How We Got On:” To support production of the west coast premiere of “How We Got On” by Idris Goodwin in the fall of 2015.

 

Portland Youth Philharmonic Association, Portland (Capacity): $6,244

Bridge to the Future: Year 2. To nurture PYP as a relevant, visible, accessible, stable and historic resource for young musicians.

 

RASIKA,* Portland (Creativity): $8,208

Duality: Indian musical dance. To support the first major three-day music and dance Festival of India in three Oregon cities.

 

Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland (Capacity): $12,369

Work for Art: Battle of the Bands. To support Battle of the Bands in May of 2016 to raise money for and celebrate employee engagement in the arts.

 

Scandinavian Heritage Foundation         , Portland (Capacity): $24,034

Data Driven Decision and Outreach Improvement Project:  To improve capacity for data-driven decision-making, optimizing human and financial resources.

 

Tavern Books     , Portland (Creativity): $17,052

The Living Library Publishing Program 2015-2016: To support the growth of Tavern Books’ Living Library publishing program.

 

The Library Foundation, Portland (Access): $6,128

Everybody Reads 2016: To support the purchase of 2,000 books and transportation for 750 teens for Everybody Reads.

 

The Northwest Photography Archive, Portland (Preservation): $16,369

Enduring Spirit: Photographs of Northwest Native Americans, 1855–1928. To support research and image restoration for “Enduring Spirits” a book of historical photographs.

 

The Shadow Project,* Portland (Access): $12,786

Increasing Access to Literature for Children with Special Needs: To support the installation of SuperSensory Literacy Spaces in eight schools’ special education classrooms.

 

Third Angle New Music Ensemble, Portland (Creativity): $6,140

Frozen Music: light and music in Aalto’s library. To support a musical installation designed by architect Alvar Aalto at the Mt. Angel Abbey Library.

 

Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Portland (Capacity): $10,203

New Membership Model: To support an innovative membership model that will deepen participation and attract new audiences.

 

triangle productions!,* Portland (Access): $8,273

The Jim Pepper Project Touring: To support touring a new Native American-themed work to underserved, tribal communities.

 

Write Around Portland, Portland (Access): $12,925

Creative Writing in Washington County: To support creative writing workshops for those with the least access in Washington County.

 

Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington,               Portland (Creativity): $11,799

The Teaching Artist Studio:  To serve 45 artists in three communities with training through The Teaching Artist Studio.

 

for more information you can contact the Oregon Cultural Trust.