{"id":454,"date":"2007-10-04T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2007-10-04T14:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/10\/04\/the-arts-to-feature-in-portland-mayoral-race\/"},"modified":"2013-02-07T18:16:03","modified_gmt":"2013-02-08T02:16:03","slug":"the-arts-to-feature-in-portland-mayoral-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/10\/04\/the-arts-to-feature-in-portland-mayoral-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland mayoral candidate on the state of the arts in Portland."},"content":{"rendered":"

This caught my eye<\/a> in a recent perusal of Crosscut<\/a>, the online Northwest news journal – the article written by WW’s new arts writer Stephen Marc Beaudoin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Sam Adams will use arts as a major theme in the Portland mayor’s race<\/h2>\n

The energetic city commissioner minces no words about how important the arts should be and how unsustainable the current method of funding has become. He spells out plans for Stumptown in this Crosscut interview.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Two very telling questions\/answers: No. 1 –<\/em><\/p>\n

What sort of message will it take to get the rest of the business community on board in terms of increasing their support?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of it is they need to feel a partnership. We’ve had a lot of luck with the workplace-giving campaign, “Work for Art,” where we said we would match dollar for dollar up to $200,000 and the number of contributions went off the charts. I think what we hear back from companies is a couple of different things: number one, they like the public-private aspect. Two, they want to know that their money is going to organizations that are well run. They don’t like to give money to debt: we’ve got organizations operating here under a lot \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a lot<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c of capital and operating debt. The big five [arts organizations in Portland: Oregon Ballet Theatre, Oregon Symphony, Portland Art Museum, Portland Center Stage, Portland Opera] are in a combined deficit of what … it’s at least $30 million. That’s a lot of debt.<\/p>\n

and No. 2 –<\/em><\/p>\n

Why is it that in Portland these flagship institutions, which have taken on such ambitious programming initiatives and capital campaigns, are all struggling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a far more robust array of arts and culture opportunities in this city in terms of quality than we deserve when you look at how much public and private money is spent on arts and culture. Especially public. This is a city that’s ranked as the sixth-most-creative city in a recent poll, but we’ve been almost last as a state and about 21st as a city in terms of giving to the arts. It’s financially unsustainable. It is what is going to make or break this city, to a larger degree as a city: we will succeed or fail as a city based on how creative and innovative we are. The arts and culture in this city is viewed by too many people as a luxury. In terms of quality of life, what are we going to be, some hollow, soulless city that has beautiful trees and lovely sidewalks and nothing that is challenging us? Arts are the mirror of the city; they let us see things that we otherwise wouldn’t necessarily get to actually see or accept. They teach us lessons about ourselves, and allow us to grow and change as a city in ways that the news can’t do or anything else can’t do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n