Oregon
Cultural Trust
It's time!
First, donate to an arts/cultural non-profit by December 31, and then donate to the Trust online or by mail to receive your full tax credit. www.culturaltrust.org
A final word about Planet Earth...
The 350 Climate Change event in the Hult lobby on October 24, 2009, presented hundreds of musicians in ten performances highlighted by a rousing, rhythmic call to action by Mary Wood.
Beauty, urgency, and reflective melancholy flowed seamlessly.
Below, a still moment at the conclusion of a dynamic interactive performance by UO dancers led by Assistant Professor Shannon Mockli.
We made it a Day of Culture - October 8 at Midtown Arts Center, Eugene
The Cultural scene as seen at a free reception as part of Oregon's Day of Culture included a tour of the building and its studios, demonstrations, displays, door prizes and a toast to the arts.
Midtown Art Center's "resident" arts organizations include the Eugene Ballet Company, Lane Arts Council, Eugene Concert Choir, Eugene Opera, Oregon Mozart Players, American Institute of Architects, Eugene Ballet Academy, and Oregon Festival Choirs. The Hult Center and Oregon Bach Festival will also join in. It's one of many events statewide celebrating the arts and culture in our lives - Oregon Cultural Trust! Your donations to an arts non-profit and the Trust offers you a matching tax credit and benefits arts groups throughout the state.
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NEA Update (from Americans for the Arts) June 2009. The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $15 million increase for the NEA in its FY 2010 spending bill, setting it on a path towards final House consideration. Currently funded at $155 million, this increase would bring the agency's budget to $170 million. www.americansforthearts.org
2008 Arts Report Card, released June 2009, by the U.S. Department of Education. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/arts/
(Photo: Detail from mural at Holt Elementary (Kindergarten) from May 2009 Artist residency with painter Janas Durkee.)
The Oregon Arts Summit 2009 was convened by the Oregon Arts Commission as Oregon faces substantial challenges. http://www.oregonartscommission.org/ArtsSummit2009
From the Oregon Cultural Advocacy Coalition, February 2009: Legislators issued a "cut list" last week. It contains proposed reductions and fund sweeps for all agencies to re-balance the 2007- 09 budget, assuming an $800 million hole. This represents a serious threat to state funding for culture. In this proposal are the following reductions in current year spending: $211,384 cut to the Oregon Arts Commission; $350,000 cut to the Oregon Historical Society; $ 64,085 cut in lottery funds to the Office of Film and Television
More…. Excerpt from OPB: Salem, OR February 27, 2009. “The budget writing committee in the Oregon Legislature voted Friday on a plan to fill the gap in the current fiscal year’s budget … in part by taking money from the Oregon Cultural Trust … much of it came from people who paid extra to get a special license plate in support of the arts. $2 million dollars of the $12 million cultural fund is going to other things such as education and public safety.”
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National news, from New York Times: February 24, 2009. An omnibus bill for the current fiscal year introduced on Monday by the House Appropriations Committee includes a $10 million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Humanities, which would bring each of their annual budgets to $155 million. In the previous fiscal year, the endowment’s budget rose from $124.4 million to $144.7 million. The allocations, which have yet to be acted on by the House and Senate, follows the approval on Feb. 13 of $50 million in additional funds for the National Endowment for the Arts in Congress’s economic stimulus bill.
More from other sources: So far: 60 percent of the $50 million NEA stimulus boost will go directly to organizations for the support of jobs in the arts industry. 40 percent of the stimulus money for the arts will go to state arts agencies and the country's six regional arts agencies, including the Oregon Arts Commission. They will then (perhaps) redistribute those allocations via their existing funding channels. The risk: rather than boost the Oregon Arts Commission’s budget, the added federal funds will just help make up for cuts to its state funding.
Check Americans for the Arts to keep up with the national legislative scene: Legislative Issues
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February 1, 2009. Thinking about It. (Douglas Beauchamp)
EIGHT HUNDRED NINETEEN THOUSAND MILLION. $819,000,000,000
Some fraction of those zeros may stimulate employment and activity in the arts across the country. Threading through the lines of the House version of the economic stimulus package approved in January are sprinklings of possibilities - for artists, arts workers, arts education, an enhanced National Endowment for the Arts budget, an ArtsCorps! (Noting ... the Senate has yet to act, so this may change.)
President Obama offered the first-ever presidential arts platform during the 2008 campaign. Its three top priorities: expanding public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations, creating an Artists Corps, and championing the importance of arts education. The stimulus bill may be the first step.
For details and updates from Americans for the Arts: http://www.americansforthearts.org/
First Annual Oregon Arts Education Congress, November 17, 2008
Oregon Arts Commission convenes statewide delegates to develop long-range creative vision for Oregon students.
(Article courtesy Salem-News.com Nov-21-2008)
The Oregon Arts Commission convened the 1st Annual Arts Education Congress on Monday, November 17, 2008, at the Kennedy School in NE Portland. The Congress brought together 100 selected delegates from across the state to discuss issues facing arts education in Oregon.
The selected issues were identified, in part, through an online survey taken by over 400 teachers, artists, business leaders, parent advocates, elected officials, and liaisons from key statewide associations, among many others.
The delegates generated a first draft of an "Oregon Bill of Creative Rights" in support of sustainable, equitable experiences in all art forms for K-12 students. The completed Bill of Creative Rights will present unified messaging for advocacy efforts around the state and in framing a long-range strategic plan for arts education.
Students and schools were invited to contribute to this process by submitting preambles to the Bill of Creative Rights prior to the Congress. Students from responding schools -- The Opal School (Portland), Oregon City High School, LaGrande High School and Arlington Middle School -- cited the importance of understanding others, thinking creatively and learning self-expression as reasons to value education in the arts.
"The Oregon Department of Education is committed to partnerships that pursue sustainable strategies to improve arts education for all of Oregon's pre-K-12 students," wrote Superintendent of Schools Susan Castillo in a statement to the Congress. "We know the arts can play a key role in creating high levels of achievement for every child. All students deserve the opportunity to connect with their innate creative and innovative talents, fully preparing them for life in the 21st century."
Keynote speaker, John Jay, Creative Director for the Portland-based Weiden + Kennedy, charged Congress delegates to "brand" Oregon education on a national level, while keeping a broad focus on the current educational and financial environment. "Innovation and being practical are not mutually exclusive... today, truly creative people merge both," said Jay. "We need an argument for arts education that will withstand the rigorous financial realities and the competitive nature of the real world." Echoing the Oregon Department of Education's commitment to producing innovative, 21st century minds, Jay called for new models in both education and public perception of the value of the arts.
A broad variety of speakers addressed the Congress, including Charlie Walker (The Chalkboard Project), State Representative Chris Harker (D-Washington County), Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, Redmond Superintendent of Schools Vickie Fleming and Joyce White of Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington. Storyteller Will Hornyak concluded the day's events with a fable about the importance of working together and bridging gaps in ideology and history.
The Oregon Arts Commission has assembled a leadership team responsible for planning the next steps in developing a long-range vision for advancing arts education in Oregon. The team has been asked to map an arts education workplan to focus advocacy, expertise and energy towards common goals and to accomplish that task by the end of March 2009. Jean Boyer Cowling, Vice Chair of the Oregon Arts Commission will lead the team. Other members include Michael Fridley (Arts Specialist, Oregon Department of Education), Judy Rompa (Arts Chairperson, Oregon PTA), Lori Hager (Assistant Professor of Arts and Administration, University of Oregon), Diane Syrcle (Executive Director, Portland Youth Philharmonic), Shannon McBride (past president, Oregon Art Education Association), and Jeff Aeschliman (Public Affairs Specialist, State Farm Insurance).
Background on the 1st Annual Oregon Arts Education Congress can be found at: www.oregonartseducationcongress.org
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((article above accessed at: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november212008/art_congress_11-21-08.php
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Five of the 13 artists awarded $3000 Visual Artist* 2008 Fellowships by Oregon Arts Commission reside in the Eugene-area. Congratulations!
Kate Ali, Dexter, sculpture
Wendy Huhn, Dexter, fiber arts
Colin H. Ives, Eugene, media arts
Anya Kivarkis, Eugene, metals
Amanda Wojick, Eugene, sculpture
(*Note: In alternate years, performing and literary artists may apply.) Award and Artist details: www.oregonartscommission.org/public_news/pressrel_127_2007_12_27.php
View a combined slideshow of these Fellowship artists' work: http://oregonartsblog.typepad.com/photos/fyo8_fellowship/
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In 2007-2009, "The Oregon Legislature allocated increased resources for the Arts Commission, and these grants reflect that increased support. The groups reflect the strength and breadth of the arts in Oregon," said Cynthia Addams of Keizer, chair of the Arts Commission. "We are very pleased to be an advocate for so many arts activities that benefit Oregon communities." Oregon Arts Commission. www.oregonartscommission.org
Grant deadlines vary, for 2009 deadlines for grants, with guidelines and applications: http://www.oregonartscommission.org/grants/
• Career Opportunity Grants for Artists announced by Oregon Arts Commission. This new program assists marketing and/or further development the nature or quality of their artwork. Grant amounts range $300 to $1,500.
• Arts Build Communities Grant support both the arts in local communities and the involvement of the arts and artists in community development
• Artist Fellowships, $3000 each.
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Oregon Cultural Trust -- It's time! First, donate to an arts/cultural non-profit by December 31, and then donate to the Trust online or by mail to receive your full tax credit. www.culturaltrust.org