Mayor Sam Adams

Looking around at the abundance of arts and culture offerings in our fair city, it’s hard to realize the financial challenges that all arts organizations—large and small—face.

A quick snapshot: The Portland region lags considerably behind other metro regions in its public funding for arts access and arts education. Seattle invests $7.52 per capita. Denver invests $15.62. We come in at $2.47 per capita in public funding for the arts.

Still, the Portland region’s arts and culture community saw positive signs. RACC, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, saw a 19 percent increase in its “Work for Art” workplace giving program. The Right Brain Initiative, the arts education program, had a very successful pilot year and is growing. After two decades, a City murals code was created, paving the way for more hand-painted public art in our city. 

And the arts community and the public sector came together to add a strategic piece to the puzzle -- the creation of the Creative Advocacy Network (CAN).  This much-needed organization is laying the groundwork for a movement to build a regional, dedicated and sustainable arts education and cultural access fund over the next few years.

2009 has marked an unparalleled year of planning, collaboration, and strategizing among the Portland arts and culture community. Like many, the economic recession has arts leaders struggling to sustain themselves during these difficult times but there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful, and motivated.

Arts & Culture in 2009: