City Of Portland: Supporting Community Healing With Art

Press release from the City of Portland:

April 8, 2021 10:17 am

Portlanders have endured the COVID-19 pandemic, political discord around the necessary racial reckoning work, extreme climate disasters like wildfires and an ice storm, and drastic changes to daily life. In these historic times of heightened emotional exhaustion and grief, local artists are still showing up in many ways. They are creating art that is evocative, grounded, and often represent new methods of communication in these isolating times. The City of Portland acknowledges the need to amplify the power of art to support our community members’ healing. Led by our Creative Laureate, Subashini Ganesan, with support from Mayor Wheeler's Office and Commissioner Rubio's office,  the City is embarking on an arts-focused, multi-pronged, community-informed collective grieving and healing initiative. This project will utilize inclusive community engagement strategies to connect with Portland's broad and diverse constituency, especially those who have been hardest hit. The Creative Laureate, with local artists and community-based organizations, will then develop and implement a citywide strategy to honor the attendees' reflections in a variety of art forms (e.g., murals, stage performance art, exhibits, digital videos). The physical and digital content will then be used for reopening efforts (e.g., City Hall foyer).  Some of the centering principles of this project: For more information, contact Mona.Schwartz@portlandoregon.gov or Samuel.Diaz@portlandoregon.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.