The Regional Arts and Culture Council just announced they’ll be awarding $412,895 for 92 artistic projects in 2010. (That’s slightly down from the $458,676 awarded for 102 projects last year.)
Here’s what jumps out at me (mostly theater, ’cause that’s how I swing):
BaseRoots is a new African American theater company; they secured $3,935 for their first show, an original production. (I wish that production wasn’t called Cosmic Traveler, but there you have it.)
Carlos Alexis Cruz received $4,463 to further develop his acrobatic theater piece A Suicide Note from a Cockroach, which I regret missing when it premiered earlier this year.
defunkt‘s A Country Doctor was an unexpected highlight of this season so far—they received $4,445 for a played called 4:48 Psychosis, written by playwright Sarah Kane shortly before her death at age 28.
Disjecta received $4,240 for a new biennial exhibition they’re launching in March, curated by Cris Moss, called Portland 2010. (Portland has been without a biennial art show since the Portland Art Museum replaced the Oregon Biennial with the broader-focused Contemporary Northwest Art Awards.)
Hand2Mouth received $4,800 for a new show “inspired by science fiction writers of the NW (Ernest Callenbach, Ursula LeGuin, Octavia Butler) and the urban back-to-the-land/homesteading movements.” (Let’s all reread Kindred in anticipation, okay?)
It feels like forever since Sojourn’s had a show in Portland. Just over a year, in fact—TBA:08’s tremendous Built, which explored the problems facing Portland as its population increases. Sojourn received $4800 for their new show On the Table, which further explores themes of urban and rural life, and resource allocation and land use: The show, according to Sojourn’s artistic director Michael Rohd, “will happen Summer 2010 simultaneously in PDX and a small town 50 miles from PDX, and explores the urban/rural conversation in OR, culminating with a bus trip for both audiences and a final act at an in-between site.”
Opera Theater Oregon WILL win you over. How? Hercules Vs. Vampires, a live soundtrack to which they’ll be providing in collaboration with Filmusik.
I was also pleased to see that Jessica Wallenfells (of Many Hats), Angelle Hebert (of tEEth) and Tahni Holt each received grants—three choreopraphers whose work is reliably intelligent and provocative. I’m particularly interested in Wallenfells’ project: She’s directing and choreographing an adaptation of Astral Weeks as a “two-act rock opera.”
Here’s the complete list of award recipients: 2010ProjectGrants.pdf