Above: COURTESY PHOTO. Subashini Ganesan, Portland’s Creative Laureate, has helped start PDX Artist Relief.


Many fundraising efforts for artists have already begun, and one of them involves Subashini Ganesan, Portland’s Creative Laureate, and Kim Stafford, Oregon’s Poet Laureate.

It’s called the PDX Artist Relief and it establishes a relief fund to meet the growing needs for artists in the Portland area because of ongoing health and economic crisis.

COURTESY PHOTO: BOB REYNOLDS - KIM STAFFORD

COURTESY PHOTO: Bob Reynolds, Kim Stafford.

It benefits artists residing in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas, and donations can be made at www.pdxartistrelief.com.

The campaign received $55,000 in initial donations, including a lead gift by Ronni Lacroute, a sponsorship grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, funding from the Beaverton Arts Foundation and donations from 25 community members (including SE Uplift).

“We need a lot more dollars to meet the devastating essential needs of our artistic community, so we ask everyone who is able to visit the website and donate generously,” a statement read.

Also supporting the campaign are New Expressive Works, Dance Wire, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Shaking the Tree, Third Angle New Music and Young Audiences of Oregon and Washington.

One artist wrote on Ganesan’s Facebook page that “coronavirus is beginning to deeply impact my life as a musician who offers regular community events to the public. All of my seasonally themed events — I was supposed to have five this month — that were dreamed up, planned, advertised, rehearsed and ready to be offered to the public are now being cancelled, and refunds are being processed.”

More about the arts rescue effort

 

Source:  Pamplin Media 3.28.20