The Oregon Cultural Trust Board, at its quarterly meeting in The Dalles July 26, awarded $502,552 in competitive cultural development grants, along with $508,746 in cultural participation grants to Oregon’s 36 county and six tribal cultural coalitions and $502,552 in partner grants to the five core partners of the Trust (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and State Office of Historic Preservation).

Libraries of Eastern Oregon (LEO) was awarded $5,000 to support its first-ever Word Round-Up book and writer’s fair October 26-27.LEO’s Executive Director Lyn Craig said the grant will allow LEO to pay lodging and transportation for key presenters, including David Axelrod, Pamela Steele, and Anne Osterlund. The group will even be able to offer a small stipend. “We can only play on the good will (of the presenters) once or twice,” said Craig. “These are people who typically charge $500 to $5000 and they’re doing this for free. The least we can do is pay for their lodging.”

With 3,000 writers and book lovers estimated to visit Pendleton the last weekend in October, the economic impact is bound to be felt. Wild Horse Casino has 45 block rooms filled and more reservations being made every day. LEO is now recommending overflow lodging. “People are coming from Boise, Spokane, Bend, and Portland,” said Craig. Mulling over their fundraising strategy last spring, LEO realized, “we needed to think like entrepreneurs,” said Craig. “We (thought up) a regional book fair; then we decided we needed to bring in some workshops, and authors…” OMSI has become a partner in the event; Powell’s Books has agreed to donate several thousand books and University of Oregon is slated to present a workshop on technical writing. “It has mushroomed,” said Craig.

The Oregon Cultural Trust is a private-public partnership that raises money from private donors and Cultural Trust license plate sales, and distributes 42% of private donations as grants, while building a permanent fund with the remaining 58%. Over the last 10 years since its inception, The Trust’s unique Cultural Tax Credit has allowed the organization to raise over $25million and grant $11million to non-profits all over the state. Grant funded cultural programming has served over 500,000 people, with a significant impact on education, economic development and quality of life in Oregon.

According to Trust Board Chair Bob Speltz, “Over its 10 year history, The Trust has received an increasing number of relevant, competitive proposals from all corners of the state. (And) 2012 was no exception.” Cultural Trust Executive Director Chris D’Arcy is pleased with the outcome of the 2013 granting process. “This year’s grants represent the variety and vitality of Oregon culture,” she said. “From Wallowa County to the Oregon Coast, the Trust is funding projects that reflect who we are, what shapes our communities and what we value.”

Development Grants Awarded by the Oregon Cultural Trust in 2013:

Central:

High Desert Museum, $14,000To support “Head to Toe”, an exhibit presenting clothing and accessories from columbia Plateau Native American groups, as a vehicle to explore the language of clothing and uncover the meanings of Native dress.

Nature of Words^The, $5,000To support the expansion of and increased access to NOW’s 2012 Literary Festival, by offering additional lectures, a larger gala dinner venue, and an additional author for the free Sunday reading, providing over 200 student scholarships, handicap accessible venues and transportation, sign language interpreters, and increased marketing in rural communities.

Coast

Coos Art Museum, $4,800To support the presentation of the 15th National Exhibition of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) at the Coos Art Museum from March 22 – May 18, 2013. The national exhibition will tour to seven other venues in addition to coos Art Museum, the only venue on the Pacific coast.EasternArts Council of Pendleton, $5,000To produce 25 live ArtZoom sessions, featuring guided Skype (or alternative teleconferencing medium) connection from the arts center, followed by a question and answer sessions and a short, guided, hands-on project using materials that are delivered to the participants before the virtual visit.

Eastern

Fishtrap Inc, $10,000To modernize Fishtrap’s administrative systems and upgrade communications and marketing programs by customizing a new data management system, training staff, upgrading an online conference registration system to integrate with Salesforce, through redesign of written materials and website, and expanded marketing.

Libraries of Eastern Oregon, $5,000To present the 1st annual Eastern Oregon Word Round-Up October 26-27, 2012 including a book fair with 6,000 books donated by Powell’s to benefit area libraries, and concurrent programs/workshops, book art exhibits, readings and events for the public.

Metro

Artists Repertory Theatre, $10,000To support increased capacity of theater operations and programming for the 30th Anniversary Year: fees for artists and technicians, re-instating a Props Master and a part-time Production Assistant and reconfiguring the development department.

Ethos Music Center, $10,000To place 10 volunteers, teaching music education, in the towns of Fossil, condon, Elkton, Long Creek, Madras, Monument, Metolius, and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, in partnership with Americorps.

Historic Preservation League of Oregon, $20,000To spotlight Oregon’s most significant historic properties through 1) programs to educate each local community on strategies and resources for preservation and reuse; 2) targeted technical assistance provided to property owners on ways to protect and restore their properties. 3) preservation seed grants to kick-start the work.

Independent Publishing Resource Center, $7,500To increase staff, improve computer technology, and expand member-based programs in the newly renovated larger space.

Jacknife-Zion-Horesheaven Historical Society, $5,000To re-shingle the 1883 Philip Foster House at the Philip Foster Farm National Historic Site in Eagle Creek, Oregon.

Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, $20,000To present a special exhibition of the stone and metal sculpture and Akari paper lanterns of Isamu Noguchi, on loan from the Noguchi Museum in New York, as part of the garden’s 50th anniversary.

Library Foundation, $5,000To provide 2,500 books by Native American author Sherman Alexie’s to teens in challenged classrooms for “Everybody Reads” an annual program that engages over 10,000 people in reading and discussing the same book.

Literary Arts, $10,000To publicly recognize Oregon’s most accomplished writers through a judged competition, an annual awards ceremony and an author tour across the state, offering the literary community and readers statewide an opportunity to discover, recognize and interact with important local authors.

Live Wire Radio, $5,000To build Live Wire’s audience and inCrease and diversify our listenership across Oregon by implementing an aggressive audience development and marketing plan.

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, $5,000To deepen public knowledge, understanding, appreciation of and access to the art form of Jazz through build jazz music training, outreach and performance to provide students and audiences access to diverse musical experiences.

Northwest Dance Project, $10,000To support “New Now Wow!”, the creation and premiere of three new contemporary dance works by three young award-winning choreographers.

Oregon Ballet Theatre, $5,000To collaborate with White Bird to bring the work of Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg to Portland for a residency at OBT Exposed! a week-long, public rehearsal series out-of-doors in Director Park, in downtown Portland, resulting in a new ballet, set on OBT dancers, which will premiere on our spring program.

Oregon Children’s Theatre, $10,000To commission an original script and world premiere production of GATHERING BLUE – an adaptation of Lois Lowry’s companion novel to THE GIVER, including outreach efforts.

Oregon College of Art and Craft, $10,000To support A. Susana Santos Journeys in Creativity program (Journeys) creating an environment that promotes the cultural traditions of river-based Tribes, through hands-on craft instruction by master Native American artists in a pre-college environment.

Oregon Public Broadcasting, $35,000To distribute the historical documentary “Oregon Experience” to households across Oregon through public access television in partnership with the Oregon Historical Society, reinforcing our common identity, catalyzing cultural development, showcasing the cultural assets of the region and supporting OPB’s commitment to lifelong learning, reflecting the ethnic and regional diversity of Oregon.

Oregon Symphony Association, $35,000To support a concert performance with guest voCalist Storm Large at Carnegie Hall in NYC on May 9, 2013 as one of only two national orchestras invited to return to Carnegie’s Spring for Music Festival.

Pacific Northwest College of Art, $10,000To support Public Arts Programming by PNCA including: (1) “Happy Birthday: A Celebration of Chance and Silence” in the Feldman Gallery, celebrating the 100th birthday of John Cage; (2) Graduate Visiting Artist Lecture Series; and (3) community events like TBA:12, the inaugural Alumni Exhibition and auxiliary exhibit “These Prison Walls” showcasing poetry and art from youth inmates.

Portland Art Museum, $20,000To support the exhibition Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video, more than 200 photographs and video installations on issues surrounding race, gender, class, and global struggles for equality and justice.

Portland Center Stage, $10,000To produce the 15th annual “JAW: A Playwrights Festival”, scheduled for July 2013 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory, where 4 to 6 playwrights work with theater professionals from across the country to develop new works, culminating in staged public readings of the plays, plus a variety of cross-discipline community events.Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, $15,000To present Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival a contemporary arts festival featuring 10 days of theatre, dance, music, and film, and 6 weeks of visual exhibition and installation by regional, national, and international artists.

Portland Opera Association, $16,000To bring a 50-minute adaptation of Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE and in-classroom artist workshops to up to 75 schools over a 10-12 week period, presenting free public performances for families at community venues.

Portland State University Foundation, $5,000To inventory, organize, preserve and make accessible the historically important records of the Portland Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, the Country’s oldest Asian American organization dedicated to preserving our shared civil rights, by organizing 23 boxes of original documents and photos representing over 80 years of Portland’s Japanese American community history; identifying and preserving fragile materials; and launching an online searchable inventory, available to the public, to facilitate access for researchers, educators, students and community members.

Regional Arts & Culture Council, $5,000To perform conservation assessment and recommended maintenance treatments for three key historic monuments in the city of Portland’s Public Art collection: George Washington, SaCajawea and Jean- Baptiste and Portlandia, working with Robert Krueger of Cascadia Art conservation center.

Third Angle New Music Ensemble Inc, $5,000To support “Asian Music Now”, a musiCal walking tour of the Lan Su chinese Garden, featuring performances composed by leading chinese artists, and performed by the musicians of Third Angle and special guest artists who are acclaimed virtuosos on native chinese instruments.

White Bird Dance, $5,000To present a free, outdoor performance of “Le Grand continental”, a contemporary line-dance performed by 150 people representing the Portland general public; a weeklong celebration and exploration of Trisha Brown and her impact on contemporary dance; and the Creation of a multidisciplinary curriculum for Portland Public Schools based on New Zealand’s famed Black Grace dance company. culminating in a free student matinee performance.

Wordstock, $5,000To support the Wordstock Festival culminating in a two-day book fair at the Oregon Convention Center, October 13-14, 2012, in order to maintain low ticket prices and free admission to children 13 and under.

Southern

Jacksonville Heritage Society Inc, $5,000To repair the porch and stairs on the historic 1873 Cornelius C. Beekman House in Jacksonville, Oregon.Josephine Community Libraries Inc, $10,000To support an outreach Campaign: a media blitz about available resources, outreach in the community; and magnet programs to bring people into the library. The Campaign will include assessment, planning, design, and development, execution and post-execution data gathering.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival, $35,000To support the world premiere of THE (UN)FORTUNATES, a musical born from the history and tradition of American blues, conceived, developed and presented by OSF and a team of more than 20 artists.

Ross Ragland Theater, $5,000To purchase equipment needed for every performance and event in the mainstage/auditorium, and to retrofit an alternative performance space in cultural center to expand the community’s cultural experiences.

Willamette

Ballet Fantastique, $5,000To produce an original ballet adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice, re-imagining the novel in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the 1920’s, with live jazz music performed by the Gerry Rempel Jazz Syndicate of Eugene.Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, $15,000To create display cabinetry for the primary exhibit of the new Grand Ronde Tribal Museum & Cultural Center including design and development.

Eugene Ballet Company, $9,000To purchase a stage lighting board, instruments, and eight side-lighting “tree-Cages” that allow for maximum adaptability, particularly for touring in rural areas.

Linfield College, $8,000To support the processing, accession, and collection of records for four collections from the Oregon Wine History Archive (80-100 linear ft.), which contains materials from seven Oregon wineries/vineyards (Adelsheim, Amity, Erath, Eyrie, Ponzi, Sokol Blosser, and Weber) and the International Pinot Noir celebration. To enhance public access, a finding aid will be contributed to the Northwest Digital Archive with highlights of the digitized materials will be uploaded to Linfield’s digital repository.

Lord Leebrick Theatre Company, $10,000To support phase 1 of a 3 phase project to create a permanent home, in Downtown Eugene, which includes: property purchase, creating a 170 seat theatre, rehearsal/classroom space, scene shop, costume shop, dressing rooms, admin & lobby space.

Pentacle Theatre Inc, $5,000To install new wiring systems, modern lighting and sound instruments and components to save energy and increase electrical capacity for lighting and sound systems, transitioning Pentacle from analog to digital equipment to meet the demands of staging productions in the digital age.

University of Oregon Foundation, $10,000To support a 4-part, transformative capacity building initiative to meet the needs of the area’s Latino/a population through organization-wide diversity training, the Creation of a Latino Leadership council, and Spanish language training for museum staff and volunteers.

University of Oregon Foundation, $10,000To produce a tour of major Bach works featuring the Portland Baroque Orchestra in collaboration with the Festival’s artistic director designate Matthew Halls as harpsichord soloist to four communities in Oregon, including Portland, Eugene, corvallis, and Roseburg.

Whiteside Theatre Foundation, $15,000To repair, restore and strengthen a damaged structural column, weak fire escape, marquee, and sign connections on the historic Whiteside Theatre, in fulfillment of structural analysis recommendations.

Willamette Heritage Center, $7,000To redesign and reinterpret a permanent exhibit in the historic Methodist Parsonage to present a more inclusive history of the people who lived in and settled the region including Kalapuya people, the city of Salem, women and children (1870-90) and historic preservation and a special rotating community gallery, entitled is “Shaping Identity: Native Roots.”

Willamette University, $11,252To support conservation treatments for the Native American basket collection, research consultancies, and photography of the collection.

Cultural Participation Grants to 42 County and Tribal Coalitions ($508,746):

Base grants of $6,000 plus a multiplier based on population.Baker County $7,103Benton County $11,848Clackamas County $31,694Clatsop County $8,531Columbia County $9,373Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw $6,065Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde $6,359Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs $6,344Coos County $10,308Coquille Indian Tribe $6,064Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians $6,106Crook County $7,434Curry County $7,528Deschutes County $16,779Douglas County $13,358Gilliam County $6,128Grant County $6,509Harney County $6,507Hood River County $7,527Jackson County $19,887Jefferson County $7,484Josephine County $11,652Klamath County $10,536Lake County $6,540Lane County $30,035Lincoln County $9,146Linn County $13,973Malheur County $8,140Marion County $27,549Morrow County $6,764Multnomah County $56,251Polk County $11,153Sherman County $6,121Tillamook County $7,726Umatilla County $11,186Union County $7,760Wallowa County $6,479Wasco County $7,723Washington County $42,199Wheeler County $6,098Yamhill County $12,779