Salem, Ore. – A record 149 grants totaling $2.9 million will be awarded to Oregon’s cultural nonprofits by the Oregon Cultural Trust in fiscal year 2016-17, a 9 percent increase over last year. The increase is the direct result of another record year of fundraising.

The awards include a total of $714,045 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); $714,045 to 45 county and tribal cultural coalitions – for regranting in their communities; and $1,433,798 in competitive Cultural Development Grants to a record 99 cultural organizations across the state. Cultural coalition base awards rose from $6,000 to $6,300; total coalition grants include a per capita multiplier that ranges from $15.62 for the Burns Paiute Tribe to .12 for the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition.

“The uniqueness of the Cultural Trust in the national landscape is a testament to Oregonians’ dedication to supporting culture,” said Carole Morse, chair of the Cultural Trust Board. “More than 10,000 families, individuals and businesses invest in the Trust every year to ensure future generations have access to active and culturally vibrant communities.”

“It is extremely gratifying to see the numbers continue to rise,” said Brian Rogers, the Cultural Trust’s executive director. “We are grateful to the legislature for the flexibility to award more of the money we raise to the groups contributing to Oregon’s cultural vitality. It’s an investment in the creative expression and cultural exchange that makes Oregon so special.”

The Cultural Development Grants include first-time awards to 45 organizations and the largest grants ever awarded – $40,000 – to eight groups: The Benton County Historical Society; The Dalles-Wasco County Library Foundation; Japanese Garden; Miracle Theatre Group; National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Oregon; Oregon Public Broadcasting; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and Portland Center Stage. More than half of the grants were awarded to organizations outside of the Portland Metro area. Cultural Development Grants fund projects that address access, capacity, creativity and preservation.

Cultural Development Grants were awarded to:

Note: Grant recipients are organized alphabetically by geographic regions (Central Oregon, Coast, Eastern Oregon, Gorge, Portland Metro, Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon).

 

Central Oregon

Camp Sherman Historical Society, Camp Sherman (Preservation): $8,013

Fireplace Restoration: To support restoration and repair of the masonry fireplace in a shelter constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp at the Camp Sherman Campground.

Deschutes Public Library Foundation, Bend (Creativity): $12,994

A Novel Idea: To support the community read program, which includes more than 30 book discussions, cultural programs, art workshops, exhibits and scholarly presentations.

OperaBend, Bend (Access): $14,881

Puccini’s “La Boheme:” To support the presentation of the touring production across rural parts of Oregon.

Playa, Summer Lake (Creativity): $31,239

Residencies: To support the confluence of artists and scientists coming together for residencies and related activities.  

Women’s Civic Improvement League DBA KPOV, Bend (Capacity): $7,835

Radio Signal Expansion: To support an expansion of KPOVs signal throughout Central Oregon in order to reach new audiences and better serve existing listeners.

 

Coast

Chetco Historical Memorial Committee, Brookings (Preservation): $15,428

Native American Historical Site Preservation: To support Oregon’s cultural heritage by preserving the remains of a prehistoric Native American site at the Port of Brookings Harbor, Oregon.

Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay (Creativity): $8,390

50th Anniversary Art Exhibitions: To support the 16 special art exhibitions from October 2016 through July 2017 for the organization’s 50th anniversary.

Little Theatre on the Bay, North Bend (Capacity): $16,984

Restroom Construction: To support the needs of patrons of North Bend’s historic Liberty Theatre by adding accessible and appropriately sized restrooms.

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, Newport (Capacity): $13,353

Designing an Expansion: To support a community planning process that refines the architectural and infrastructure designs for the expansion of Newport’s Performing Arts Center.

South Coast Folk Society, North Bend (Creativity): $11,349

Folk Orchestra Formation: To support a permanent folk orchestra on the Southern Oregon Coast to enrich cultural life and bring new resources to local communities.

Monday Musical Club of Tillamook, Tillamook (Capacity): $9,133

Executive Director Hire: To support hiring the Monday Musical Club of Tillamook’s first employee, an executive director, to increase organizational stability.

 

Eastern Oregon

Drexel H. Foundation, Vale (Capacity): $16,585

Programming Staff Hire: To support Cultural Programming Staff to improve capacity to coordinate volunteers and to improve marketing and outreach.

Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, La Grande (Capacity): $8,548

Additional Staff: To increase capacity with additional staff to manage local and regional arts programming.

Four Rivers Cultural Center, Ontario (Preservation): $11,376

The Preservation of Photographs of Japanese Americans: To support the digitization of 40,000 to 60,000 negative photos from two local commercial photographers essential to the history of Ontario from 1945-1985.

Grande Ronde Symphony Association, La Grande (Access): $12,143

Orchestral and Chamber Music Concerts: To support four public orchestral concerts and a series of four chamber concerts serving audiences in a rural isolated region.

 

Gorge

Arts in Education of the Gorge, Hood River (Access): $13,107

Art of Community: To support the creation of a bilingual art map and other activities to increase Hispanic access to the Art of Community public art project.

Columbia Arts, Hood River (Creativity): $9,688

Japanese Culture and Art Celebration: To support and explore the richness of Japanese culture and art in Oregon through a variety of art forms in a month-long celebration.

Confluence Project, Hood River (Access): $21,303

Confluence Oral History Project: To reconnect generations of Native people to place, each other and the broader community through the power of storytelling and art making.

The Dalles-Wasco County Library Foundation, The Dalles (Capacity): $40,000

Teen Programming Room and Digital Media Lab: To support repurposing an existing library facility to create a teen programming room and digital media lab for students in 6th-12th grades.

 

Portland Metro

Bag&Baggage Productions, Hillsboro (Creativity): $8,254
The Drowning Girls: To support the Pacific Northwest Premiere of “The Drowning Girls,” a haunting drama featuring an all-women production and performance team.

Boom Arts, Inc., Portland (Creativity): $7,100
Spiritrials: To support the Portland presentation of “Spiritrials,” a timely, imaginative theatre production about racial profiling and drug sentencing laws.

Chamber Music Northwest, Portland (Creativity): $23,490
2017 Festival: To support Chamber Music Northwest’s 2017 Festival, to focus on music created by women composers, including five new commissions as well as classic works.

Classical Up Close, Tigard (Access): $5,562
Classical Up Close Spring Chamber Music Festival: To support the fifth annual Classical Up Close Spring Chamber Music Festival, with free concerts presented all over Portland.

CymaSpace, Portland (Access): $6,045
Purchase New Equipment: To support the purchase of new equipment in order to expand access to cultural programming available to deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Ethos, Portland (Access): $17,992
Music Education Access: To support in-school music education opportunities for youth in rural Oregon communities.

Experience Theatre Project, Beaverton (Creativity): $9,133
The Tempest: To ensure and grow vibrant theatre arts in Beaverton and greater Washington County by producing a free outdoor production of “The Tempest” in the summer of 2017.

Friends of Historic Forest Grove, Forest Grove (Preservation): $7,621
The A.T. Smith House: To support the creation of a preservation plan for the Historic A.T. Smith House for contextual, educational and historic tourism programming.

Hand2Mouth, Portland (Creativity): $11,087
Psychic Utopia: To support the early development of a theatre work inspired by Oregon communes and created through engagements with communities across the state.

Historic Preservation League of Oregon dba RESTORE OREGON, Portland (Preservation): $20,352
Oregon’s Most Endangered Places: To support an expanded program to save Oregon’s Most Endangered Places by increasing staff and state-wide programming.

Hollywood Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $18,522
Hollywood Theatre Annex: To support the creation of a Hollywood Theatre multimedia art space showcasing local film/video works at the Portland International Airport.

Imago Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $7,727
Presentation of a Greek Tragedy: To support presenting a Greek tragedy in which text, stagecraft and staging are unified into one powerful force accessible to a wide audience.

Japanese Garden, Portland (Capacity): $40,000
Construction of Gallery and Performance Venues: To support exhibiting and demonstrating Japanese and Japan-inspired visual and performing arts.

Kukatonon Childrens African Dance Troupe, Portland (Capacity): $12,261
West African Dance and Drumming program: To support a culturally authentic West African dance and drumming program serving primarily low-income youth.

Literary Arts, Portland (Access): $17,949
Oregon Book Awards Tour: To support literary excellence in writing by Oregonians, and to facilitate a statewide author tour.

MediaRites, Portland (Preservation): $9,288
Crossing East Archive-Oregon Stories: To support the Crossing East Archive-Oregon Stories, part of an oral history archive project highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland (Access): $8,881
Beginning Strings Programs: To create access to music through peer-to-peer education at underserved schools as well as the Tuition Assistance and tuition-free Beginning Strings programs.

Miracle Theatre Group, Portland (Capacity): $40,000
El Centro Milagro and El Zocalo: To support improvements to El Centro Milagro’s exterior and El Zocalo to improve amenities and services for community and creative partners.

Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Portland (Creativity): $5,000
Lobby Gallery Update: To support the creation of a flexible gallery space supporting visual art exhibits at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.

My Voice Music, Portland (Access): $13,650
Learning Opportunities for Youth: To help marginalized youth cope, heal and thrive through ongoing musical instruction, leadership opportunities and positive adult mentorship.

Newspace Center for Photography, Portland (Access): $17,164
Hidden Assembly: To support Hidden Assembly, an exhibition, and corresponding public programs to reach new audiences and increase awareness of the hidden labor market.

Northwest Childrens Theater and School, Portland (Creativity): $21,905
Sleeping Beauty: To support Northwest Childrens Theater and School’s first puppet play and the development of five distinct characters that will become new playful faces representing the organization’s mission.

Obo Addy Legacy Project, Portland (Access): $6,533
Expressions of Africa: To support a two-day event to encourage youth participation in a jazz and African music event.

Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $28,168
Choreography XX: To support the creation and free public presentation of three world premiere ballets by female choreographers with Oregon Ballet Theater’s new Choreography XX initiative.

Oregon Children’s Theatre, Portland (Access): $18,272
Tomás and the Library Lady: To support the production and tour of “Tomás and the Library Lady” in Oregon communities, coupled with community engagement and literacy programs.

Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland (Access): $18,739
Susana Santos Journeys in Creativity: To support the A. Susana Santos Journeys in Creativity program for Native American communities, primarily high school students, throughout Oregon.

Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $9,229
Blue Door: To support a production of Tanya Barfield’s “Blue Door” in Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s 2016-2017 season, a first-time partnership with Profile Theatre.

Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland (Access): $40,000
Oregon Experience: To support the production of the 2016-2017 season of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s award-winning history documentary series Oregon Experience.

Oregon Repertory Singers, Portland (Creativity): $7,563
The Armed Man: To support the Portland premiere of “The Armed Man,” a multicultural mass for peace by Karl Jenkins performed by Oregon Repertory Singers and orchestra.

Pendulum Aerial Arts, Portland (Capacity): $7,528
Head of School Hire: To support the addition of a new Head of School, a senior-level position in charge of the training academy, the defining element of Pendulum Aerial Arts’ mission.

PHAME, Portland (Capacity): $11,535
PHAME Forward: Phase 1: To support a multi-year capacity building and program expansion initiative.

Portland Baroque Orchestra, Portland (Creativity): $19,681
PBO Chamber Series: To support an innovative chamber series to create artistic opportunities that attract a new generation of top period musicians to the region for the Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Portland Center Stage, Portland (Creativity): $40,000
2017 JAW-A Playwrights Festival: To support the creation of new theatrical works during Portland Center Stage’s 2017 JAW-A Playwrights Festival.

Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland (Creativity): $30,341
Global Harmonies: To support 70 years of music in five programs culminating in Global Harmonies, a program of brotherhood with the Chief Joseph Symphony featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland (Access): $16,632
Time-Based Art Festival: To support the planning and implementation of the 14th annual Time-Based Art Festival.

Portland Piano International, Portland (Creativity): $5,000
The Clearing: To support the inaugural presentation of The Clearing, a contemporary music festival scheduled for Nov. 7-13, 2016 at Portland State University.

Portland State University Foundation, Portland (Preservation): $5,000
Preservation of Historic Newspapers: To support preservation of the historic newspapers of Oregon’s African American community to ensure the paper’s long-term security and accessibility.

Portland Story Theater, Portland (Access): $5,000
Urban Tellers-Refugee Stories: To support a workshop and show dedicated to personal narratives from Portland’s refugee community.

Portland SummerFest, Portland (Creativity): $6,076
Opera in Portland’s Washington Park: To support the presentation of a free annual concert-style Opera in Portland’s Washington Park with world-class singers and a professional local chorus and orchestra.

Portland Youth Philharmonic Association, Portland (Creativity): $8,113
Symphony Performance by Tomas Svoboda: To support the world premiere of a 1963 symphony by Tomas Svoboda to be performed in Corvallis, Newberg and Portland, and distributing a recording.

Profile Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $7,426
Commissioning of a Play: To support the commissioning and development of a new play by the featured 2018 season playwright, resulting in a world premiere.

SMART (Start Making A Reader Today), Portland (Access): $8,363
Purchase Literature: To support increased access to literature representing diverse cultural perspectives for children.

Staged! Musical Theatre, Portland (Creativity): $5,000
John Hughes High: To support workshops and a presentation of an original musical theatre piece written by Mark LaPierre and Eric Nordin with leading roles for teens.

Tavern Books, Portland (Creativity): $15,251
Tavern Books’ Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series: To support the expansion of Tavern Books’ Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series, including the addition of a writer’s residency for young female poets.

The Library Foundation, Portland (Access): $6,527
Everybody Reads Program: To support the Everybody Reads program for 2,000 teens in high-risk schools, including books, study guides and transportation to an author visit.

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in Oregon, Newberg (Preservation): $40,000
Hoover-Minthorn House Museum: To support structural stabilization of the Hoover-Minthorn House Museum as a necessary step to the preservation of the museum.

The Portland Ballet, Portland (Capacity): $9,174
Studio Expansion: To support expansion of the smallest of the Portland Ballet’s three studios, adding 400 square feet.

The Shadow Project, Portland (Access): $15,449
SuperSensory Literacy: To support the installation of SuperSensory Literacy spaces in public schools, making reading more accessible to children with learning challenges.

triangle productions!, Portland (Access): $6,002
The Brown Paper Bag Series: To support the production of a play and a workshop project in order to expand triangle’s community outreach programming.

Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Portland (Capacity): $20,463
Third Rail’s Membership Model: To support the Third Rail’s Membership Model and programming with increased marketing resources and a dedicated marketing position.

Vibe of Portland, Portland (Capacity): $12,295
Fundraising Project: To support Vibe’s fundraising capacity, enabling Vibe to expand its arts education programs to meet community demand for arts education.

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc, Portland (Access): $20,950
Documentary Film Series: To support a documentary film series with cultural arts of Oregon tribes, including storytelling, music and dance, carving and basket weaving.

 

Southern Oregon

Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Alegre, Talent (Capacity): $8,968
Business Plan Development: To support the creation of a strategic business plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Alegre.

Chamber Music Concerts, Ashland (Access): $6,255
Creating Access for Audience Members: To support presentations of chamber music to potential audience members who are precluded from enjoying performances due to hearing and mobility impairments.

JPR Foundation, Ashland (Preservation): $13,233
Holly Theatre Restoration: To support the restoration of auditorium chandeliers and the fabrication of period lobby light fixtures as part of the Holly Theatre restoration in Medford.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland (Creativity): $40,000
Off the Rails: To support the development, rehearsal, premiere and surrounding community partnerships for “Off the Rails” by Native American playwright Randy Reinholz.

Rogue Valley Chorale, Rogue River (Creativity): $6,287
A Festival of Choirs: To support the presentation of a multi-generational concert celebrating the joy of life-long singing.

Rogue Valley Symphony Association, Ashland (Capacity): $17,780
Development Manager Hire: To support the hiring of a permanent, full-time development manager to increase staff capacity in the area of fundraising.

Southern Oregon Film Society, Ashland (Access): $7,971
Ashland Independent Film Festival: To support regional filmmaking by giving access to youth and adults throughout rural Southern Oregon to produce and experience local films.

Southern Oregon Historical Society, Medford (Preservation): $11,316
Textile Collection Project: To support improved care of and access to the Southern Oregon Historical Society’s three-dimensional collection through a textile cataloging and preservation project.

Umpqua Valley Arts Association, Roseburg (Capacity): $5,000
Social Marketing: To support implementation of the social marketing component of the Umpqua Valley Arts Association’s marketing plan.

Willamette Valley

Antique Powerland Museum Association, Salem (Capacity): $14,003
Volunteer Program and Event Manager Hire: To improve the volunteer program and to increase use of the Antique Powerland Museum Association’s facility for rentals and events.

Ash Creek Arts Center, Independence (Capacity): $7,424
Administrator Hire: To support hiring a half-time administrator, Ash Creek Arts Center’s first staff member, to coordinate activities, be the primary contact person and manage the membership program.

Benton County Historical Society, Philomath (Access): $40,000
New Museum Building: To increase public access to collections by developing a new museum building, designed by Allied Works Architecture, in downtown Corvallis.

Cascadia Concert Opera, Eugene (Access): $5,000
Opera for All: To support the presentation of opera in English at community and retirement centers to underrepresented audiences at no or little cost.

Corvallis Arts Center, Corvallis (Creativity): $12,069
Microbiomes-Seeing the Unseen: To support an art and science collaboration project resulting in a multi-media arts exhibition and show catalog in 2017.

Cottage Grove Historical Society, Cottage Grove (Access): $8,895
The General: To support the commissioning of an original score for the silent film “The General” and a tour with live music for the film’s 90th anniversary.

Delgani String Quartet, Eugene (Creativity): $8,389
Astonished by Music: To support Delgani’s upcoming 2016/2017 season, titled “Astonished by Music,” which includes four concerts and educational programs.

Elkton Community Education Center, Elkton (Capacity): $6,413
Fort Umpqua Awareness: To support increased public awareness and enjoyment of the recently completed replica of Fort Umpqua, a historic Hudson’s Bay Company trading fort.

Eugene Symphony, Eugene (Access): $8,910
Symphony Connect: To support a series of barrier-reducing chamber music performances and cultural experiences for clients of Eugene and Springfield human service agencies.

Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem (Preservation): $6,251
African and Oceanic Objects Conservation: To support an assessment of conservation needs and build storage mounts for the African and Oceanic objects in the permanent collection.

Historic Elsinore Theatre, Salem (Capacity): $17,867
Audience Development Program: To fund an audience development program through new investment in communications, marketing, online resources and event programming.

Huitzilopochtli Dancing and Teaching our Indigenous Heritage, Woodburn (Access): $5,000
Aztec Dance Circle: To support increased access to the Aztec Dance Circle program in a low-income, underserved community.

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (University of Oregon Foundation), Eugene (Preservation): $22,568
Campbell Courtyard Preservation: To replace the historic Campbell Courtyard reflecting pool, restore garden plantings and protect the basement storage vault art from water damage.

Lane Arts Council, Eugene (Access): $10,926
Fiesta Cultural: To support celebrating local Latino art and culture while increasing integration opportunities for Latinos in our community.

Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene (Access): $16,133
Education Coordinator Hire: To support the expansion of Oregon Mozart Players education and community engagement programs.

Salem Art Association, Salem (Preservation): $9,872
Online Database of Asahel Bush II Letters: To support digital access to historical letters written by notable Oregonians to Asahel Bush II, editor of the Oregon Statesman, from 1850 to 1863.

Salem Concert Band, Salem (Creativity): $7,582
A Poem by Eric Ewazen: To support commission of a musical tone poem depicting the Oregon Coast by Eric Ewazen to be premiered by Salem Concert Band.

Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, Eugene (Preservation): $21,140
Shelton McMurphey Johnson House Preservation: To support the completion of the preservation and restoration of the 128 year-old wooden windows of the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House.

Willamette Heritage Center at The Mill, Salem (Preservation): $8,190
Large Object Storage Building: To support the preservation and inventory of heritage artifacts by installing an HVAC system for climate control in the Center’s Large Object Storage Building.

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