"Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

Martin Luther King Jr., excerpt from "I Have a Dream."

HAPPY FEBRUARY FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DINAH MINOT

Creative Portland is thrilled to be celebrating our 15th Anniversary of nurturing the local arts ecosystem and supporting our city’s creative economy! Incorporated by the City of Portland in 2008, Creative Portland has proudly served for the past 15 years as the City’s official arts agency, promoting Portland's artistic talents and cultural assets, and embracing Portland as the innovative, art-filled place we know and love. We are honored to provide space for relevant community discussions and to convene the community on a regular basis.

If you have yet to contribute to Creative Portland in fiscal year 2024 (July 2023 through June 2024), please contribute what you can to sustain our efforts and to keep our momentum going.

WE COUNT ON YOU TO CHIP IN!

DONATE HERE

As a refresher, our top ten accomplishments to date include:

The management and promotion of First Friday Art Walk, every month from 5-8pm.
The creation of the program 2 Degrees, a social networking program designed to welcome artists and creatives, has since been absorbed into all of Creative Portland’s programs, art openings, open houses, and cultural events.
The establishment of a community space and art gallery featuring local artists at 84 Free Street
The completion of a cultural planning process and delivering A Cultural Plan Update of 2018, a living action plan and strategic plan, as a carve out of the City’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan and adopted by City Council in 2019, with new focused attention on nurturing the local arts ecosystem.
The creation of a Monthly Arts Update newsletter, free of charge and delivered on the 1st of the month to highlight events, grant opportunities, and arts community news.
The launch of the Creative Portland app and website, as a portal to increase access to the arts, 24/7, via a digital tool with comprehensive arts listings and GPS locators.
A focus on sustainability by hiring local artists through various program initiatives including Summer Stage Series, Hear Here!, CP Art Gallery and the Creative Bus Shelter Initiative.
A bi-annual Arts & Culture Summit for cultural leaders and artists to address and update the Cultural Plan of 2018. The 5th Summit will be in September 2024.
The establishment of a community space for convening featuring a targeted open house coffee hour called Monday Morning Drop By held on the first Monday of each month at 84 Free Street.
Representation on Capitol Hill and an active participant in Arts Advocacy FLY-INS, hosted by Americans for the Arts (Dinah is the Federal Captain representing Maine, in collaboration with Ekhlas Ahmed of the Cultural Alliance of Maine), as well as spearheading Portland's participation in AFTA's Arts & Economic Prosperity Survey 6 illuminating the massive impact the arts industry has on our local economy.

In honor of Creative Portland’s 15th Anniversary milestone, we’re kicking off a month of giving this February to celebrate our achievements and secure our foundation for the years ahead. We hope we can count on you to help celebrate the milestone - by making a gift to support our work.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

It’s Black History Month, and the theme for 2024 is “African Americans and the Arts”. We’ll be focusing on Maine’s Black artists and African American initiatives throughout the month. Please send us notes and/or highlights of anything relevant for us to post on our social media platforms. email info@creativeportland.com.

The Haystack Book by David C Driskell

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK 2.2.24

Photos of the Year 2023

Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library

Haitian Metal Art: Beauty in Adversity

Coffee By Design

Ice Age: Davis H. Moore

33 By Hand

Download the FFAW Map HERE

or pick up a copy of MAINE TODAY or one of The Forecasters, brought to you by

Maine Trust for Local News.

For a full list of FFAW events: download the Creative Portland App

or visit our website!

MONDAY MORNING DROP BY

Monday | Feb. 5th | 8:30 - 9:30AM

Join us with Special Guest

Eli Cabañas, Grants Manager,

Maine Arts Commission

Come learn from Eli Cabañas, Grants and Website Manager at Maine Arts Commission, about upcoming grant opportunities and deadlines for artists and organizations!

FEBRUARY EVENTS

The Play That Goes Wrong

Portland Stage | Jan 31 - Feb 25

Martha Redbone Roots Project

First Parish | Jan 1

Carry the Light

Classical Uprising | Feb 4

PMA Films: Origin

Portland Museum of Art | Feb 4

Making My Way

Over Here Arts | Feb 9 - 12

Conversation with Ryan Adams

USM | Feb 15

Killer Comfort

The Hill Arts | Feb 16-18

MeSSeS

SPACE | Feb 17

PLAYFIGHT

Mayo Street Arts | Feb 17

Download the Creative Portland App and follow our instagram for more!

OPPORTUNITIES

Join our team! Creative Portland is seeking a part-time Outreach Coordinator

Fenix Theater Company

Love's Labor Lost Auditions | Feb 10-11

Fiscal Sponsorship Workshop for Nonprofits and Funders

Maine Philanthropy | Feb 7

Open Call for Creative Portland's 7th Juried Art Exhibition | Mar 27

Sonic Visions Grant 2024

SPACE | Deadline Feb 4

Bates Dance Festival Professional Training Program Auditions | Deadline May 6

COMMUNITY NEWS

Microenterprise grants still available to small businesses from City of Portland

New platform METransArt launches to support trans artists in Maine

NEFA Begins Strategic Planning process

BOARD SPOTLIGHT

Creative Portland welcomes two new Directors to our Board!

Lucy Comaskey

We welcome Lucy Comaskey, a long-time Portland resident, by way of Brunswick. She is a restaurant operations manager by night and a writer by day, having grown up in San Francisco surrounded by musicians, artists, and restaurateurs. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature and a Philosophy Minor from University of Maine. We are thrilled and honored to embrace Lucy's positive energy and advocacy for the arts.

Dawn Reshen-Doty

We welcome Dawn Reshen-Doty, the CEO of Benay Enterprises, a 37-year-old national bookkeeping, business accounting and financial services outsourcing firm with offices in Maine and Connecticut, as our treasurer! Dawn is the recipient of the 2016 CT SBA Minority Business of the Year award; Sage software’s 2019 Bookkeeper of the Year award and her company has 3 times been voted CT Law Tribune’s “Best General & Administrative Outsourcing.” Dawn holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

The Creative Portland Board of Directors:

Kate Anker (Immediate Past President), Kirstie Archambault, David Brenerman (Secretary), City Councilor Anna Bullett (ex officio), Maile Buker, Tae Chong, Lucy Comaskey, Gib Foltz, Eliza Ginn (Co-President), Lindsay Hancock, Clare E. Hannan, Herb Ivy (Co-President), Dinah Minot (Assistant Secretary), Daniel Minter, Dawn Reshen-Doty (Treasurer), Matt Schwach, and Greg Watson (ex officio)

CREATIVE PORTLAND APP

Have you downloaded the app yet?

The Creative Portland App keeps you up to date on all the Portland

creative community has to offer. Don't sleep on this all-in-one

planning tool for IOS users. Over 2000 users are now enjoying this customized cultural app for Portland!

Want your events and opportunities listed?

to start the self-uploading process!

For more information, contact cpapp@creativeportland.com

DONATE HERE

STAY CONNECTED

You can now create your own account to self-upload events to both our website and the Creative Portland app. Arts organizations, artists of all genres, and music venues promoting virtual and in-person happenings, please create an account and sign in on our homepage. Contact Holly@creativeportland.com if you have further questions.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Email us at info@creativeportland.com. We love to hear from you!

Monthly Arts Update logo by Pat Corrigan.

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