Community Provides Input

Throughout the fall, a series of community meetings were conducted across the tri-county area as part of the planning process for Arts Partners, a new vision for integrating arts and culture into every classroom in the Portland metropolitan area.

Over 200 area residents attended a series of community conversations held in Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro, Milwaukie and Portland which were designed to identify their values and educational priorities. Read the Sellwood Bee article here for a report on the October 29 meeting at the Community Music Center.

Simultaneously, school district leaders were interviewed and arts providers participated in a special session to identify their organizational goals and needs. The results, available in the Stakeholder Feedback Report (pdf), provide the information needed to further define the scope and direction of this initiative.

On November 27th, consultants from Big Thought presented the report and facilitated discussions with partnering school districts and the arts and culture community. Based on these conversations, the Arts Partners Visioning Committee expects to solicit input on a recommended purpose statement by January.

City of Hillsboro Contributes

Following this evening’s community conversation at the Walters Arts and Culture Center, it was announced that the City of Hillsboro has committed $10,000 to Arts Partners. Hillsboro joins the list of public contributors including the City of Portland, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties, and the Oregon Arts Commission in supporting the initial planning of the project.