As the New Year approaches, what were your Oregon cultural highlights of 2012?

What arts, heritage and humanities experiences touched, moved and inspired you? What cultural events did you share with loved ones, colleagues and friends?

In June, for example, I was lucky to stay at historic Timberline Lodge. I then climbed Mt. Hood while my 80-year old father slept in and perused the Mt. Hood Museum in Government Camp. Afterward we went down the mountain to see the California Impressionism exhibition at Portland Art Museum, a real treat since both of us are, achem, from California… We capped the weekend with closing night of Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues at Portland Center Stage.

That weekend now ranks among my most precious memories.

And how many of those highlights were supported by the Oregon Cultural Trust?

As you take stock of 2012, please ask yourself how much of the culture – the entertainment, education and life enrichment – you experience in Oregon is tied directly to the Trust. Has the museum, theatre, dance company, historical society or heritage site you enjoy received granting from the Trust or one of the county cultural coalitions? Is your favorite non-profit a partner of the Trust, and thus able to receive donations that, when matched with Trust donations, make the donor eligible for the cultural tax credit?

The Cultural Trust is responsible for so much good that happens in this state – for school children and lifelong learners in every corner of Oregon; for local economies, including tourism and entertainment; for citizen engagement in every community, and for overall quality of life.

For those of you who have already given to the Cultural Trust and its affiliate non-profits this year – Thank You!

For those of you who haven’t yet contributed, please give before the old year is out! 

As we set about deciding what quiet, spectacular and in-between ways we will meet 2013, many of those plans will involve culture. Perhaps it’s a hot local Bend band playing at a brewery on New Year’s Eve; a romantic stroll through the Zoo Lights (pictured above) in Portland; a trip with the kids to A.C. Gilbert Discovery Center in Salem, or a Bicentennial Blowout in Astoria to benefit the Clatsop County Historical Society… Whichever way you choose to spend New Years, you are likely to encounter culture. So live it up, be safe, and enjoy.

Happy New Year from the Oregon Cultural Trust!

May 2013 be the best year yet for Oregon’s arts, heritage and humanities!

-Meryl Lipman,Trust Communications Manager