Fifty-three organizations have been awarded $5,000 Arts Build Communities grants, totaling $265,000, to address a community issue or opportunity through the arts. The Oregon Arts Commission’s Arts Build Community program is committed to promoting arts access for underserved audiences and targets broad geographic impact throughout the state.
Among the many notable organizations and projects to receive grant funds for FY2024 is the Artist Mentorship Program, which supports Portland-area youth through mentorship, music and arts education as they navigate homelessness, trauma and uncertainty.
Other recipients include Scalehouse, Bend to support the Breaking the Bubble Cultural Education Initiative in partnership with the Warm Springs Community Action Team and the Tananawit Arts Collective. Warm Springs students will create and exhibit visual and video-based artwork at Scalehouse Gallery through February and create connections with Bend-LaPine students. Funds will support the rental space, outreach efforts to schools and material costs.
“These grants help arts and other community-based organizations address a local community problem, issue or need through the arts,” said Arts Commission Chair Subashini Ganesan-Forbes, who led one of three review panels. “All these critical art-centered projects are creative endeavors collectively conceived by local citizens that further strengthen relationships and enrich the rich tapestry of communities across Oregon.”
The grants also spark and leverage many other investments and resources, serving as a catalyst for greater economic and civic impact.
In recent years, the Arts Build Communities program has generated more than $600,000 in additional community investment, much of it representing salaries paid, as well as products and services purchased in the funded communities. The grants are made possible through a funding partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon Legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at artscommission.oregon.gov.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
This article appears in Source Weekly February 8, 2024.
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