Meeting at RACC (07-12-12)

I attended a meeting at the Regional Arts and Culture Council today regarding the guidelines for project grants.

As I understand it, this type of grant seems best suited for established artists who already have contacts within the theater or gallery circuits. Let's say I want to propose a poetry reading; to be able to be considered for a RACC project grant, I must already have a venue booked up for this event.. This is also cool if I am, let's say, a painter, and a gallery is applying with the intent of booking me in the future... Otherwise, it doesn't look like there would be a way to make it work.
I may have misunderstood, and I will have to read all eleven pages of the grants guidelines paperwork, but the application process seems very complicated and restrictive...

Anyway, I gave myself the fun challenge of drawing people in the room...

Rapt audience listening to Helen Daltoso's presentation

And here are the panels in their original form, as drawn on four two-page spreads of my sketchbook, all connected later as the large panel above.

RACC Open House (12-01-12)

What a party! The Regional Arts and Culture Council had an Open House to celebrate their move to their beautiful new headquarters in the Park Blocks. Large windows; lots of exposed bricks and natural wood.

Artist Leslie E. at left

Despite the cold, the place was packed. I walked around and observed people.

"Performance art is so powerful. How did you attach the harness?"

 It was the usual art scene, people talking and networking, drink in hand.

Signature removed to protect the Mayor's privacy.

 I was very pleased to run into Sam Adams, the Mayor of Portland. I got him to sign my sketchbook!