Phase two of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund for Live Event Venue Operations and Live Event Producers/Presenters Program is complete as of June 2022. The program received more than 360 applications, with estimated live event revenue losses exceeding $190 million. In the end, 238 organizations received a total of $33.5 million. Most grant recipients received between $5,000 and $250,000, with organizations operating multiple venues able to receive up to $750,000. You can view the recipients here

A “live event” was defined as “an in-person and time-limited, ticketed activity that brings individuals together in a designated space for a community, cultural, or entertainment event.” Principal business activities eligible for funding in this program were restricted to advertising revenue, catering fees, concession sales, merchandise sales, rental fees, sponsorship sales, and ticket sales.

The post Live event venue operators grant update appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

On March 28, 1942, Minoru Yasui was arrested in downtown Portland for breaking the 8 p.m. curfew that targeted Japanese Americans during the war.

Born to Japanese immigrants and raised on a farm in Hood River, Min became the first Japanese American member of the Oregon State Bar.

From anti-Asian discrimination to a system of legalized racial oppression

In the late 1800s people of Asian descent began immigrating to the west coast to work. Laws prohibited them from bringing their family members and becoming citizens. Extreme hostility and racism had been brewing for decades before the second world war.

A few days after Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command developed a plan to put all Japanese Americans into military custody. To argue his case, he prepared a report with rumors of sabotage that were later revealed to be false. Although the United States was at war with Germany, Italy, and Japan, only Japanese Americans were treated as enemy aliens.

In February 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the military to move people they viewed as threats into concentration camps. The order did not specify any ethnic group, but DeWitt used it to institute curfews for Japanese Americans.

Protesting against injustice

Min Yasui, then 25, thought the curfew was unconstitutional and unfair, so he challenged it by walking in downtown Portland after 8:00 p.m. When a police officer refused to arrest him, he went to the Second Avenue police station and asked to be arrested.

The day after Min’s arrest, DeWitt had given the order to evacuate Japanese Americans to concentration camps.

Approximately 122,000 men, women, and children were incarcerated without charges, two-thirds of them American citizens. Three cases challenged the incarceration, but it wasn’t until Dec. 18, 1944 when Mitsuye Endo’s case finally won and Japanese Americans could be released. Unfortunately, most could not return to their homes, properties, and livelihoods…all had been taken from them.

Min and his family went on to become activists for equity and justice. In 2015 President Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously) to Min, the first and only Oregonian to receive the country’s highest civilian honor.

Honoring Min

Oregon passed legislation to create a permanent Minoru Yasui Day on March 28, the day Min intentionally violated the curfew. In 2016 Governor Kate Brown signed the legislation into law.  In May 2021, the Japanese American Museum of Oregon reopened in its new location, featuring the Multnomah County jail cell in which he had spent where he spent nine months in solitary confinement.

Eighty years later, on March 26, 2022, the Minoru Yasui Legacy Project celebrated his legacy with a program, “Taking a Stand Against Racism and Discrimination.” Speakers Eric Ward (Western States Center), Kerry Tymchuck (Oregon Historical Society and on CACO’s board), and Deepa Iyer (Strategic Initiatives, Building Movement Project) spoke about historical discrimination and the current racism and violence faced by Asian Americans and others. The program honored Min’s youngest daughter, Holly, who passed in 2021. You can view the event on YouTube.

Inspiring young people

Each year the Minoru Yasui Legacy Project sponsors an essay contest. This year the prompt focused on people who took a stand against racism and discrimination. Congratulations to the essay contest winners!

We hope you’re inspired to learn more about this heroic Oregonian who fought for equality and justice for all. You can learn more about him at www.minoruyasuilegacy.org/.

Written by Marie Gettel-Gilmartin with assistance from Peggy Nagae, cofounder of the Min Yasui Legacy Project

The post Minoru Yasui: An 80-year Legacy of Taking a Stand Against Racism and Discrimination appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

Important dates

• Week of 4/11: Website will go up with information
• 4/20: Orientation to run through program guidelines and the application process
• 4/25: Applications open
• 5/16: Application process closes
• 6/30: projected date of fund distribution
• 12/23/23: funds must be spent by this date

Who’s eligible?

This program is for live event venue operators and producers. These are defined as entities where no less than 30% of their revenue comes from live event sales. This threshold is low to allow for museums to be eligible for this funding.

Live event operators (e.g., fairs, festivals, cultural events) are defined as entities with 50% of their business activity funded through live events, which may include revenues from tickets and concessions.

Who’s not eligible?

• Adult entertainment venues
• Municipal- or state-owned venues
• Non-ticketed live event producers (e.g., bars with karaoke nights)
• Movie theaters (covered in previous phase of program)
• Sporting events and venues
• Temporary or pop-up live event venues
• Public or private universities
• Lobbying organizations

What will the application involve?

Business Oregon will be asking entities to look at fiscal years 2019 and 2020, using federal tax returns to establish overall loss. Their funding formula creates parameters around award sizes, which will generally range from $5,000 to $250,000.

They will prioritize entities that have not yet received funding from these four programs:

• Oregon Cultural Trust’s Coronavirus Relief Funds
• Department of Administrative Services’ funding for venues, released in 2020
• Shuttered Venue Operators Grant
• Operational Cost Assistance Program (administered by Business Oregon)

If you have received funds from one of these programs, you are still encouraged to apply.

Later in May Business Oregon will launch the companion program that targets support for organizations that support live venues and individual artists and musicians.

Let us know if you have any questions, and we’ll share more information as it becomes available.

Thanks,

The CACO board and lobbying team

The post Relief Funds to Begin Flowing Soon! appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

Crossroads is the oldest continuously operating art center east of the Cascades. A 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 1963, the center creates opportunities for the entire community to be engaged, inspired, and transformed by the arts. It’s a welcoming place where people meet and the arts speak. Admission is free for all.

Crossroads works to fulfill its mission through community-wide programs such as:

• First Friday exhibits that showcase artists and music
• Acting as a community partner to attract art-based industries
• Workshops and courses for kids and adults at the center and in local schools
• Networks, support systems, scholarship programs, and gallery space for artists
• Partnerships with public agencies to provide programs and services for at-risk and underprivileged youth and families, and adults in recovery programs

After the 1970 economy devastated rural Oregon communities, Baker City rebounded in the 1980s and became one of Oregon’s most beloved cultural communities. After completing a 6-year $1.6 million renovation of the Carnegie Library in 2008, the library has become Crossroads’ home. The arts have continued to thrive through many challenges over the years.

Two years into the pandemic, now Crossroads is facing another troubling time:

• When the pandemic hit in 2020, Crossroads limped along and survived. The community supported Crossroads even when the center had to close for 50 days. The center transformed itself within months by going online.
• Since Crossroads opened again on May 15, 2020, it has remained open ever since while keeping guests, students, and staff safe. The center had two online First Friday openings and has shared art programming and content on social media. Crossroads staff worked with partners to rebuild its website and place all gallery artwork and featured shows online for sale to support its local artists.
• Crossroads found 2021 to be financially devastating, ending the year with a 91% loss compared to 2020 and significant losses in three of the four quarters. Thanks to the leadership of the Crossroads Board of Directors, reserve funds helped the center navigate 2021.
• In 2022, Crossroads is seeing improved attendance and participation from local community members and a tentative return of tourists; however, additional state funding is critical to sustain staff and programs.

“During the darkest days of the pandemic, arts and culture uplifted us all worldwide,” said Crossroads Executive Director Ginger Savage. “Artisans offered classes and activities online often at no charge. Now it’s time to give back to those artists and help them rebound out of COVID.”

In the early days of the pandemic, Crossroads staff called its members to check in. The center’s staff is calling all members again this month to check in after the pandemic’s long isolation.

Crossroads is just one of many of our precious Oregon arts & culture organizations facing an ongoing challenge during the pandemic.

“I couldn’t have survived the pandemic without my friendships on the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon board,” said Savage. “To be supported by remarkable leaders from around Oregon was a source of inspiration and hope. We have worked hard to get funding to arts and culture organizations in Oregon. We need your help even more to ensure that ARPA funds get out now. The advocacy work is far from done…we need your help to advocate for additional state and federal funding to assist in recovery.

Renew your membership, make donations, read newsletters, and help supply needed materials to art organizations.  And if you can volunteer, we need your help!”

The post Crossroads Carnegie Art Center Brings the Arts to Life in Baker City appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

Dear Advocates, 

The Cultural Advocacy Coalition, Independent Venue Coalition, and Arts Magnets have been working together, with support and encouragement from our legislative champions Representative Lively and Representative Nosse, to assemble an Arts & Culture Sector Recovery Package that is available to the state through the American Rescue Plan.  

We are requesting $100 million dedicated to live venues, with allocations set aside for the Independent Venue Coalition, the state’s Seven Large Arts Anchors, and a fund available for grants to the vast array of other arts and culture organizations around the state. This is modeled on the distribution set up in last summer’s CARES allocation as determined by the emergency board, and which has been a key factor in our sector’s survival to this point. 

Oregon’s live venues and arts and culture organizations are deeply appreciative of the government and private assistance that carried us through the abrupt and rapid decline in revenues experienced during the pandemic. Those dollars were spent to maintain salaries and benefits for as long as possible, cover basic operational costs, and directly support musicians, dancers, and artists throughout the state.

With reopening now underway, organizations are faced with start-up costs and increased expenses at a time when most of us expect revenues to remain well below pre-pandemic levels for the foreseeable future. 

Please contact your area Ways & Means member TODAY (contact information listed by region below) and ask them to support this recovery package.

We believe this is a comprehensive and forward-looking program for a better recovery for these institutions that will be cost and administratively effective, will save these businesses and nonprofits, and will help revitalize Oregon’s economy. 

Thank you,
Cultural Advocacy Coalition
Board of Directors 

P.S. Please join our 2nd Responders Campaign and read about other cultural legislative session updates. Learn more.

Talking Points for Speaking with Ways & Means Members

On behalf of Oregon’s Art and Culture organizations, I ask that you invest $100 million into the arts and culture recovery package that is available to the state through the American Rescue Plan to help our sector recover. Among the first to close and last to reopen, it will take years for Oregon’s arts and culture organizations to recover from the economic effects of COVID-19. The sector, largely compromised of non-profit organizations has suffered lost ticket and admission revenues due to cancellations and refunds, reduced revenues from private donors and layoffs, budget cuts, significantly reduced capacity limits and major operational changes. 

Oregon’s live venues and arts and culture organizations are deeply appreciative of the government and private assistance that carried us through the abrupt and rapid decline in revenues experienced during the pandemic. As we look to reopen and be a part of Oregon’s recovery, organizations are faced with start-up costs and increased expenses at a time when most of us expect revenues to remain below pandemic levels for the foreseeable future. We need your help now to support and stabilize our arts and culture community. I strongly urge you to prioritize $100 million in recovery funds for arts and culture this session. 

(Personalize- share a quick message on what additional funding would mean for your organization)

Legislative Leadership/Ways & Means

Senate President Peter Courtney (Co-Chair) (D-Salem)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1600
Email: sen.petercourtney@oregonlegislature.gov 

Speaker Tina Kotek (Co-Chair) (D-N/NE Portland)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1200    
District Phone: 503-286-0558
Email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-NW Portland/Beaverton) 
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1717
Email: Sen.ElizabethSteinerHayward@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose)
Capitol Phone:503-986-1716  
District Phone:503-543-4046
Email: ​​​Sen.BetsyJohnson@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1416 
District Phone: 541-740-7744
Email: rep.danrayfield@oregonlegislature.gov 

Senator Fred Girod (R-Stayton)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709 
Email: Sen.FredGirod@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative David Gomberg (D-Central Coast)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1410
Email: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Greg Smith (R-Heppner)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1457 
District Phone: 541-676-5154
Email: rep.gregsmith@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1722
Email: Sen.LewFrederick@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Jeff Golden (D-Ashland)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703   
Email: Sen.JeffGolden@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale)
Capitol Phone: 971-231-4466
Email: Sen.ChrisGorsek@oregonlegislature.gov 

Senator Bill Hansell (R-Athena)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1729
Email: Sen.BillHansell@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1727
Email: Sen.TimKnopp@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Kate Lieber (D-Beaverton)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1714
Email: Sen.KateLieber@oregonlegislature.gov

Senator Kathleen Taylor (D-Milwaukie)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1721
Email: sen.kathleentaylor@oregonlegislature.gov 

Senator Chuck Thomsen (R-Hood River)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1726
Email: Sen.ChuckThomsen@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1451
Email: Rep.JanelleBynum@oregonlegislature.gov  

Representative Christine Drazan (R-Canby)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1439
Email: Rep.ChristineDrazan@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Gary Leif (R-Roseburg)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1402
Email: rep.garyleif@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Susan McLain (D-Hillsboro)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1429
Email: rep.susanmclain@oregonlegislature.gov 

Representative Rob Nosse (D-Portland) 
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1442   
District Phone: 971-217-8037
Email: Rep.RobNosse@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Tawna Sanchez (D-NE Portland)
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1443
Email: Rep.TawnaSanchez@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Janeen Sollman (D-Hillsboro) 
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov

Representative Duane Stark (R-Grants Pass) 
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1404
Email: rep.duanestark@oregonlegislature.gov

The post Recovery Package appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

By way of introduction, I am a co-founding partner of Common Ground Arts (CGA), an art consultancy and production company committed to transforming urban environments by curating and producing unique cultural experiences from concept to completion. We tailor our services to meet the demands of every project, no matter the scale, location or budget. I am also a self-produced artist; my practice centers and informs my work as a cultural curator and producer, as well as my role as an arts advocate. In the last several years, I have represented the great states of Ohio and New York, speaking with local and national representatives, their staff members, and other arts workers about why the arts are integral to the fabric of our communities. It is in this spirit that I now describe my second experience advocating with the Cultural Advocacy Coalition’s annual Cultural Advocacy Day here in Oregon this spring.

As requested, I sent emails to four representatives about Cultural Advocacy Day inviting them to join us by scheduling a time to speak with me about the importance of our cultural organizations, artists and arts workers. I received a response from one; since she was not available to meet with me, I met with one of her staffers, who are equally important when it comes to advocating. One of the first things I always ask is for each person to share an early or recent experience they have had with the arts. This question gives me an idea of whether this is an “arts person” or not and can help guide the rest of the conversation. It was immediately apparent this staffer had not been asked that question before and her eyes lit up as she talked about her time at PSU appreciating the public artworks she saw on campus. From there, I led with gratitude for the representative’s support for the CARES dollars to our cultural sector and urged for her continued support of increases in state budgets and allocating more dollars based on the talking points CAC provided. In my own pre-meeting research, I learned that this representative is also a pediatrician, so I was sure to be thankful for being on the frontlines of this pandemic making it personal by sharing that my mother is a retired RN who worked in pediatrics throughout most of her career. Thinking that this representative may be most interested in how the arts increase holistic health and wellbeing, I shared a few stories about how art heals, saves and changes lives. 

Finally, I closed by asking what kind of information would be most useful and/or meaningful to her mission while in office. I was told she welcomes any/all information about the arts in Oregon, particularly around problem-solving our current challenges, direct advocacy for the arts, and clear action points. I responded saying I would be more than happy to follow up with as much information as I can, thanking her again for her time and attention.

Advocating is not just about simply writing and calling your representatives, it’s about connecting, finding common values and meaning, and giving gratitude.

Kendra Roberts, Co-Founder & Creative Producer
Common Ground Arts

The post Advocating is connecting appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

An urgent update on the legislative process: WE NEED YOUR HELP in the remaining two months of this session.

The grants program of the Oregon Arts Commission is under threat and may see cuts of over $400,000 in the next biennium if we aren’t able to convince legislators to add more general fund dollars to this critical agency budget. There are many competing state priorities but we know where Oregonians stand on strategic investments in the arts—the majority of our residents believe arts and culture are important to local business and the economy, and that arts and culture are important to overall quality of life.
Art is not a luxury…it is a practice that changes people; that builds people; that strengthens our civic fabric. Due to rising administrative costs, and budgets that have not kept pace with inflation, the squeeze of resources will come not only from administrative cutbacks but from reductions in existing grant programs. Grants will get smaller and it will take longer for dollars to reach our artists, collaborators and organizations.

Now is the time to raise your voice for the Arts, for Culture, for Heritage, for Humanities…for Oregon.
We ask two things:
1) Please contact your legislator and ask them to hold harmless the grants budget of the Oregon Arts Commission by providing an additional $400,000 in general fund dollars to cover the administrative shortfall.
2) Become a member of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition, if you haven’t already, so we can show the capitol building the force of advocates who represent Oregon’s commitment to the best quality of life we can achieve.A small investment here will impact so many of our pressing issues. Now is the time.
 

The post Oregon's Arts & Culture are Still Under Threat appeared first on Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon.

Join us for Advocacy Day on April 23rd, because we need arts and culture in Oregon. 

WHERE | Willamette Heritage Center (1313 Mill Street SE, Salem, Oregon 97301), and the Oregon State Capitol (900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301) 
WHEN | Tuesday, April 23^rd, 2019. Check in at 8:30 a.m. Several events, legislative meetings, and cultural performances until 5:00 p.m.  Participants must register below. There is a suggested $25 event donation, which would include lunch, parking, and materials ($15 without lunch).  A scholarship option is also available to some, please email Events Manager Laurie Garrett at laurie@oregonculture.org to inquire. Registrants can make their payment through PayPal’s guest checkout (below) or pay at the door if needed. 

Supporting cultural programs, events, and organizations in our state improves education, fuels our statewide economy, bridges urban-rural gaps, opens our minds, and keeps us connected and healthy.  That’s why we need YOUR voice on our most important day of the year. Help protect arts, culture, and heritage in Oregon by attending the Cultural Advocacy Coalition’s Advocacy Day event on Tuesday, April 23rd. Tell us and your Oregon legislators why arts and culture are good for you and your community. 

Our Advocacy Day event will give guests a chance to meet staff from other cultural organizations, as well as receive advocacy training from experienced professionals, see cultural performances, and help you petition elected officials to include arts, culture, and heritage in policy and budgeting priorities. 

Following lunch, the afternoon will be spent at the Oregon State Capitol meeting with legislators. This is a rare opportunity to translate your voice into real action. Together, we will communicate how the Oregon State Legislature can better support arts and culture, and why the Cultural Tax Credit, which is set to expire in 2019, is critical to Oregonians. The tax credit helps fund cultural events, activities, awareness, and access across the state reaching from the coast to urban centers and to the high desert. Funds from the tax credit have supported more than 1,400 arts, heritage, and humanities nonprofits in Oregon. Join us on Tuesday, April 23rd and show how arts and culture transcends your life as an Oregonian. Register for Advocacy Day below.

Download or print the Arts & Culture Advocacy Day Event Packet.   

Can’t join in person? Support arts & culture in Oregon by sharing and following us on social media and consider becoming a member of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition. Your gift helps us continue advocating for policies and funding that will create a thriving environment for arts, culture, and heritage across Oregon. The Cultural Advocacy Coalition is the only statewide advocacy organization lobbying Salem on behalf of Oregon’s arts and culture. Become a member today. 

DONATE

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