Oregon Arts Summit Draws 530, Concentrates Energy and Leadership on Common Objective: Accelerating the Arts in Oregon

The Summit focused attention on the Oregon Cultural Trust, whose tax credit will be up for reauthorization during the 2013 Legislative session. The  Trust, ten years old, has distributed over $10 million to support and encourage local arts and cultural activities in communities across the state.

Over 500 arts and community leaders from across the state gathered at the Oregon Convention Center on Friday, October 12 for the fourth annual Oregon Arts Summit.

The annual gathering, hosted and presented by the Oregon Arts Commission, is an open public convening of Oregonians dedicated to the arts as a critical component of healthy and vital society.

Gaveled into session by Oregon Arts Commissioner Crystal Williams, Reed College Dean of Institutional Diversity, the 2012 Arts Summit focused attention on the Oregon Cultural Trust, whose tax credit will be up for reauthorization during the 2013 Legislative session. The Cultural Trust, ten years old, has distributed over $10 million to support and encourage local arts and cultural activities in communities across the state.

The Summit opened with remarks from Senator Ginny Burdick, President Pro Tempore of the Oregon Senate, who acknowledged the complexities of renewal of all tax credits and suggested to the arts advocates that citizen leadership around cultural issues is important to decision makers.

Local luminaries offering inspiration and personal reflections on the impact of the arts included Max Williams, CEO/President of the Oregon Community Foundation; Dan Wieden of Wieden + Kennedy; Dr. Rudy Crew, Chief Education Officer of the State of Oregon; and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.

Keynote speaker Eric Booth, the internationally honored leader in arts education, implored arts advocates to strive for authentic leadership and a “return to the soul” in arts programming. A dozen afternoon speakers, including artists and arts organizations across the state, offered TED-style insights on ways arts programs and ideas can inform societal change.

The Oregon Arts Summit is an important element of the Oregon Arts Commission’s Creative Oregon Capacity Building Initiative, initially funded through CHAMP, the cultural reinvestment process that brings together Culture, History, Arts, Moves/Main Street and Preservation/Public Broadcasting.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at: www.oregonartscommission.org