Metro received 59 applications from around the region for the 2018 cycle of Community Placemaking grants. Applications were reviewed in two rounds by an external advisory group who assessed alignment with the program's objectives, the involvement of and benefit to communities of color or other historically marginalized communities, meaningful community engagement, likely outcomes and impacts, and feasibility. Advisory group members have expertise in community development, social justice, public art and urban planning.
The winning projects support conventional and progressive placemaking projects that demonstrate a commitment to racial equity by both established and emerging organizations. They come from and support our Black, Native American, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, youth, Muslim, and immigrant and refugee communities.
Map of applications for 2018 cycle of Community Placemaking grants
Diversa Edu: Alberta Historical Art Markers and Augmented Reality Project, $20,000
Northeast Portland
In partnership with Alberta Main Street, Diversa Edu will create a smartphone and tablet augmented reality app. Through these devices, people will see a historic record of Alberta that tells stories of the African American community from the neighborhood.
Free Arts NW: Free Arts NW Mobile Art Studio, $8465
Fairview and Wood Village
A mobile art studio will provide arts programming to children who live in Section-8 housing in Fairview and Wood Village. These children will be able to make mini art installations for their neighborhood gardens, fences and doors.
Lan Su Chinese Garden: Autumn Moon Festival – Street Fair and Night Market, $20,000
Downtown Portland
The Autumn Moon Festival is the second most important festival in Chinese culture, symbolizing peace and abundance. Organizers will expand the size of the celebration and create more partnerships within local Asian communities.
Muslim Educational Trust: Silk Road Cultural Diplomacy Art Project, $25,000
Tigard and other locations in the Southwest Corridor
The Muslim Educational Trust will work with community members and local artists to create art murals. These murals will then become part of a mobile lecture series about Islamic art and culture.
New Year in the Park Planning Committee: New Year in the Park, $5,000
Northeast Portland
The Southeast Asian New Year at the end of April is the most important traditional cultural festival for the peoples of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma). The grant helps organizers hold this festival at Glenhaven Park in Northeast Portland.
Portland All Nations Canoe Family: Portland All Nations Canoe Family Dugout Canoe Project, $25,000
Lake Oswego
This all-nations tribal group will construct a 35-foot traditional dugout canoe. Over the course of three months the community will transform a cedar log into a canoe with the help of an Indigenous artist who teaches traditional carving.
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc.: King + Parks Community Art Project, $25,000
Northeast Portland
A community art project will be added to PCRI’s upcoming King + Parks affordable housing building. The art project will honor civil rights icons Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and incorporate the stories of the African American community in Portland.
Tongan‐American Resource Committee: Tonga Day 2018, $15,000
East Portland
The greater Portland Tongan community will share food, culture and crafts at the second annual Tonga Day celebration in August 2018. The event strengthens relationships both within the Tongan community and the rest of the region.
Verde: Living Cully Wayfinding Project, $25,000
Northeast Portland
Verde and partners will work with local artists and community members to create artwork for the Cully wayfinding system. This bilingual urban trail map connects neighbors to parks, finding safe routes to walk and bicycle.