Time to Speak Up
For nearly five years, the MusicPortland movement (all of us, including YOU) has systematically worked to convince Portland and Metro leadership, the business community, and the public that our independent music ecology is an economic and cultural imperative. Now, FOR THE FIRST TIME, our community is invited to participate in developing the City's official cultural plan. This plan will direct investment, policy, and enforcement decisions for years to come. Historically, this plan only considers those artistic forms that fall within the traditional nonprofit Arts and Culture systems, not commercial, popular music. So...
I am thrilled to invite you to become part of Portland's cultural future by attending and contributing to a discussion about the Our Creative Future project. It is our chance to speak and be heard.
Across the Greater Portland region, including Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, local governments are partnering to launch a cultural planning process and set the vision for the next generation of arts and culture in our communities. We’re aiming to reimagine how the arts can better serve and represent our changing and growing communities while helping us build a more creative, equitable, and prosperous future.
Your voice and participation are a vital part of this process. We invite you to discuss the role that working musicians and independent venues can play in shaping our creative and cultural futures. We seek to understand the challenges that limit the cultural offerings that you would like to produce and how the City might strategically partner with culture creators to assist you in your work.
We are holding two sessions for starters:
Session #1: An in-person forum specifically for independent musicians and venue owners. Tuesday, February 21, from 1:00 – 2:30 at Show Bar at Revolution Hall. Please RSVP at this link.
Session #2 A virtual (online) forum for artists and creatives more broadly. Friday, March 24, from 3:00 – 4:30 on Zoom. Please RSVP at this link.
If you are unable to attend, you can also watch our website, in the “get involved” section, for more opportunities to participate in the weeks and months ahead. For more information regarding MusicPortland’s participation, please reach out to meara@musicportland.org
Remember, change comes for those who show up!
Thank you for your interest, passion, and support. We are looking forward to hearing from you!