Arts and Culture

Regional Arts & Culture Council: Arts and Culture Issues

1.    Arts and culture activities add measurable value of our region and quality of life, but the Portland metropolitan area lags behind the national average in public funding of the arts per capita.  How much public funding do you believe is appropriate for arts and culture in the region, and what steps will you take to ensure increased public investment in the City of Portland.

I believe arts and culture are a "core value," part of the City's basic infrastructure.  Arts and culture are essential pieces to our quality of life, enriching our lives and contributing significantly to the local economy. I am fully committed to RACC's vision of creating "an environment in which the arts and culture of the region flourish and prosper."

I support the goal, established by RACC and its governmental partners, to provide 5% of arts organization's operating budgets by 2011.  Currently, the figure is 2.1%, with a goal of 2.3% in FY 08-09.  I support RACC's budget request for fiscal year 2008-2009 of $3,427,498, as well as substantial additional funding toward each of its supplemental arts access packages, designed to develop capacity, restore arts education in our public schools and expand access to the arts for all Portland citizens.

I commit to continuing to take a leadership role to ensure increased public and private investment in arts and culture.  As a member of the board of directors of the Oregon Cultural Trust, I will continue to advocate for increased investment in arts, culture and heritage in the region. 

As City Commissioner, I will be a strong advocate for RACC, and will partner with Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts (NWBCA) and RACC to advocate for increased public and private support for arts and culture.  I will encourage employees to participate in the Work for Art program, and private donors to support Arts Partners.  As the City's Housing Commissioner, I will advocate for additional investment in housing to support artists, including live/work spaces, building on the innovative land trust model.  And I will use my platform as a public official to advocate for arts and culture. 

Finally, as a private citizen, my family and I will continue to support local arts organizations with our own resources.

2.    A coalition of arts organizations, school districts, governments and private funders are working together to achieve a measurable impact on learning by integrating the community's arts and culture resources into the education of every K-8 student in the region's school districts.  If elected, what resources could you bring to this "Arts Partners" collaboration?   

Our children deserve high quality arts education; the Arts Partners collaboration is a promising vehicle for delivering on that goal. The Arts Partners initiative, modeled after a program in Dallas, Texas, is an innovative collaboration between arts organizations, government, the private sector, and our public schools.  Building on this model, we have a unique opportunity to build a regional initiative, covering Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah Counties, focusing on K-8. 

I support RACC's proposed FY 08-09 funding for a pilot program, in 20 schools, designed to serve 8,000 students.  This includes the $470,000 request in one-time funds for the "Arts Access Package," and $430,000 in on-going funds for the "Sustained Arts Access Package."

3.    In what specific ways have you supported arts and culture - as a private citizen, as a public or private employee, and/or as an elected official?

I am passionate about arts and culture. 

I serve on the board of directors of the Oregon Cultural Trust, working to increase funding for innovative arts, culture and heritage programs state-wide.  Contributions to the trust increased by 20% in 2007.  Our long-term goal is to create a $200 million endowment for arts, culture and heritage.

I was an early advocate for increasing the "Percent for Arts" program to 2%.  I am committed to restoring arts education in our schools, and to making arts and culture accessible to all Portland citizens.

I previously served as the president of the St. Mark's Historic Landmark Fund in New York City, which provides financial support to St. Mark's Church and the arts project affiliated with the church.  The arts projects include Poetry Project, Danspace Project, and Ontological-Hysteric Theater. 

Finally, my family supports many arts and cultural organizations in our community, including Pacific Northwest College of Arts, KMHD radio, the Portland Art Museum, the Hollywood Theater, and Portland Public Schools.

I am proud that my record of support for arts and culture has earned me the endorsements of Eloise Damrosch, Virginia Willard, Mike Lindberg, Heidi McBride, Peg Malloy, David Bragdon, and many others.  www.Nickfish2008.com