Tenacity, Investment Keys to Thriving Arts and Culture Sector

They used terms like “vibrant,” “thriving” and “strong” to describe a vision of the future for arts and culture in Oregon. Key ingredients to achieve that vision include tenacity, sustained investment and long-term political will.

Advocates for arts and culture gathered to celebrate their efforts and push for more progress at the kickoff for Oregon’s Arts and Culture Caucus at the historic Elsinore Theater in Salem. The Caucus is the largest voting block of state lawmakers in the Oregon House and Senate, which are considering new investments in arts and culture this legislative session.

“I would like the sector to be better supported by the state of Oregon so that artists, organizations that are supporting artists ... have a base of funding that they can rely on so that communities can count on these kinds of things being present and available,” said State Rep. Rob Nosse, who co-chairs the Arts and Culture Caucus with State Sen. Dick Anderson, a Republican of Lincoln City.

"Generations" Drummers and Dancers, including Brent Florendo.

The gathering in Salem was a collaboration between Oregon Community Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Culture Trust and the Oregon Arts and Culture Advocacy Coalition. The event was headlined by Grammy winning bassist and Oregon native esperanza spalding, with jazz pianist Darrell Grant, guitarist Edna Vazquez, former Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, among others.

Artists and advocates alike are asking lawmakers to approve $9 million in the next two years for arts and culture nonprofits across Oregon, among other initiatives.

Buffalo Kin. Photo by Christian Zavala. 

For Lisa Mensah, President and CEO of Oregon Community Foundation, the new funding is a critical next step following a major investment in March 2024. That’s when OCF joined with the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and state lawmakers for a $52 million “love letter” to the arts and culture community.

“They are so crucial for our state, and we’re here to celebrate them and support them,” Mensah said. “We must show the same tenacity our artists have shown us and keep up this dedication so that we can build a thriving arts sector long into the future.”

The Arts and Culture Recovery Fund at OCF has already distributed grants to 60 nonprofits around the state for a total of $7.6 million. The investments will continue with another $6.4 million reaching communities by June of 2025 for a total of $14 million.

Here are some examples:

• The Harney County Museum in Burns will get a new roof.
• The Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay will get a new sound system.
• The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology will expand arts education to 5,000 students near the coastal town of Otis.

The partnership with state lawmakers is heartening to Subashini Ganesan-Forbes, Chair of the Oregon Arts Commission and founder of New Expressive Works.

esperanza spalding. Photo by Christian Zavala. 

“Tonight is really a radical affirmation of the importance of arts and culture in each of our lives," said Ganesan-Forbes. “Everybody is doing their part to make arts and culture available for as many Oregonians as possible.”

The Arts and Culture Caucus has created strong bonds across the partisan divide, according to co-chair Sen. Anderson.

“I have witnessed the value of having a thriving arts and cultural community within the cities I represent. Recognizing this value and assisting its growth throughout all of Oregon is needed; it is an endeavor I am excited to be part of,” said Anderson.