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washington county arts guide
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march – may 2013
By Deeda Schroeder
T
he public art scene in
Washington County has
amped up in the last five
or six years, as cities
prioritize art’s presence in
day-to-day life and write art
into their planning
manifestos.
Cities have created their own arts and
culture councils that have helped — to
varying degrees — infuse new and
existing arts organizations and
individuals with the money they need to
operate and grow.
Public funds have boosted theater
troupes, paid for workshops and training,
and commissioned artists to beautify
public buildings and plazas.
As a result, several events have
become destinations for visitors,
invigorating the local economy.
It’s an investment priority that’s
beginning to pay off in Hillsboro. The
work done by the Hillsboro Arts and
Culture Council (HACC), especially, has
had a noticeable impact on the look and
feel of the city, said Aron Carleson,
president of the Hillsboro City Council.
Carleson calls HACC the
“cheerleaders for art in the county,” who
are trying to make art “a part of your
everyday life.” The art they sponsor
“brings people into the community and
builds a sense of place,” she said.
Hillsboro
The HACC is headed by Cultural Arts
ProgramSupervisor Maggie Chapin,
funded by the city’s parks and recreation
department, and housed in the Glenn and
ViolaWalters Cultural Arts Center.
It funds art primarily through its
Community Arts and Culture Grant
program, parceling out about $25,000
each year to individuals and
organizations that produce art or art-
related programs. This year’s grant
applications are due March 29.
The program awarded its first grants
in 2008, when there were seven
applicants. That number grew to about 25
last year.
“I get to use this great money to
support arts organizations and I see it
being effective. That’s exciting,” Chapin
said.
Last year grants went to theater
companies for outreach andmarketing-
plan development, to summer musical
performances at the Hillsboro Tuesday
Marketplace, outdoor summer theater
performances, and other lectures and
shows.
Awards range from $1,500 to $3,000, or
higher for groups with 501(c)3 status. The
15 council members review all the
applications, assessing whether they
demonstrate financial viability and
determining exactly how the money
would be used.
One unique aspect of the HACC
grants is that the money can be used for
marketing, unlike some of the other
regional grants. Last year, Hillsboro
Artists’ Regional Theatre used their
money this way.
“It helped them figure out how to best
sell what they do,” Chapin said.
Recipients should be demonstrating a
growing sustainability, relying less on
grant funds each year. Organizations that
aren’t growing would be a red flag for
councilors, she said.
“That’s the hard part. How do we
teach these organizations how to run like
a business?”
HACC also uses city funds to present
professional-development workshops that
help artistic types learn fundraising,
marketing and other skills. Admission is
$25, a steal of a deal, Chapin said.
The one-day events regularly draw
people from outside Hillsboro, she
said. So does the Hillsboro Arts and
Culture Summit, a networking event
that brings local organizations
together to mingle with folks from
larger, regional organizations.
“It has become a great launching
point for incredible partnerships and
collaboration,” which are necessary to
keep arts organizations afloat these days,
Chapin said.
“Every arts organization is going to
have issues withmoney. There’s never
going to be an end to it,” Chapin said.
In some cases the city will step up to
help—and not just through HACC.
In January, the city council
unanimously voted to grant
Bag&Baggage Productions, the Hillsboro
theater company, a one-time $30,000
operating support grant. The grant
pushes the theater’s total to $170,000 in
their three-year campaign to raise
$500,000, after commitments from the
Miller Foundation and projected support
from a Regional Arts and Culture
Coumcil grant.
The grant was a circumstance where
In Washington County, arts groups get by with a little help from their cities
The art of funding
Funding
continued on page 13
Angelina Marino and Joel Heidel created this mural, titled “School of Outdoor Learning,” in an alley off Southwest First Street in
Beaverton, between Watson and Angel avenues. It’s one of five murals funded by the city’s Public Art Program.
courtesy photo