OCF Invests Nearly $1 Million in Oregon Arts and Culture Projects Through 2021 Creative Heights Initiative

Oregon Community Foundation announced today $998,500 in grants for 12 arts and culture projects across the state through the 2021 Creative Heights Initiative.

OCF’s 2021 Creative Heights initiative aims to increase cultural visibility and vitality in the state through unique opportunities for Oregonians to experience innovative arts and culture. Funding is designed to support artists as they stretch their creative capacity, share new works and test new ideas.

Unit Souzou - A Constant State of Otherness

“We’re so excited to begin working with this incredible group of artists on projects of a scope and scale that are very significant to their respective communities,” said Jerry Tischleder, Program Officer, Arts and Culture, Oregon Community Foundation. “We’re grateful that artists across Oregon are finding new ways to inspire and engage communities throughout our state, using their creative voice.”

Following is a snapshot of just a few of the extraordinary projects that OCF is supporting with the Creative Heights Initiative:

• Confluence | Woodrow Hunt: $100,000 OCF Creative Heights Grant to create and showcase “Voices from the River,” a multi-media exhibit featuring culturally significant places and experiences of Indigenous people from the Columbia River system.
• High Desert Museum: $95,000 OCF Creative Heights Grant to commission Native artists to create living, utilitarian artwork that will be both part of the Museum's collection and used in Native communities.
• Portland Playhouse: $85,000 OCF Creative Heights Grant to develop a multimedia performance inspired by Afrofuturism's call to lift up Black creativity, joy and political power across time and space.

A complete list of all 12 Creative Heights grantees can be found online.

The Creative Heights initiative has invested roughly $1 million per year since 2014, encompassing 98 projects across a range of visual art, dance, folk and traditional arts, film/video/media, literary arts, museum exhibitions, humanities projects, music, theater and performance arts, history and heritage projects, and multidisciplinary artistic works.