Category — Community Happenings

September 17, 2009 – The Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance (PACA) announced today awards of $26,000 in grants for the last fiscal year, as well as the appointment of four new board members.

In the 2008-09 fiscal year, PACA received $10,000 from the Maine Arts Commission for building capacity in Maine’s cultural communities and $4,000 for the Public Art Lecture Series. The Davis Family Foundation granted PACA $7,500 for the First Friday Art Walk, and the City of Portland contributed $5,000 for general operating support.

Board president Alice Kornhauser commented, “We are deeply gratified to have such substantial support from public, private and non-profit sectors for programs like First Friday Art Walk that contribute so much to the quality of life in Portland, not to mention over $250,000 a year to the local economy.”

PACA’s four newly-appointed board members include: Peter Bass (President of Random Orbit, Inc. a progressive real estate development company and member of the Developers Collaborative), Ezekiel Callanan (co-founder and Executive Director of Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts), Amanda Flanagan (Account Executive, gBritt PR), and Marty Pottenger (Director, Arts & Equity Initiative, City of Portland and Executive Director, Terra Moto Inc.).

About Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance (PACA):
Founded in 1985 and designated as the City of Portland, Maine’s local arts agency in 1997, PACA’s core programs include First Friday Art Walk and Creative Conversations. PACA also provides support to the City of Portland’s Public Art Committee as well as the newly established Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. PACA was the facilitating agency for Portland’s participation in the Maine Arts Commission’s Discovery Research and “Arts and Economic Prosperity” national survey through Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.

Get out on the town this Friday for April’s First Friday Art Walk -  with over 70 venues exhibiting this month, there is sure to be something for everyone!  Pick up a free brochure at any participating venue or download the PDF on the website, www.firstfridayartwalk.com

The Arts & Equity Initiative of the City of Portland will host “Thin Blue Lines: Police Photography Exhibit and Community Dialogue” on April 3rd.  The exhibition will be in Portland’s City Hall Chambers Gallery on the 2nd Floor, and will be on view from 4:30 to 6 pm, followed by Community Dialogue from 6 to 7 pm.  The exhibit includes the photos from the Arts & Equity Initiative Police Poetry and Photo Calendar.  Photographers include David Wade, Jeff Swanson, Kate Philbrick, Rose Morasco, Rachel Morales, and police officers Off. Chris Mitchell, Off. Gayle Petty, Det. Mary Sauschuck, Off. Karl Geib and Off. Victor Cote.  For more information see www.artsandequity.us

Another fun and free art walk is happening in Portland this Friday, February 6, from 5 to 8 pm.  Please see the FFAW link for more information about venues and exhibiting artists.

Record an album in month just because you can! Creative music challenge turned international music phenomenon begins February 1.

The RPM Challenge is simple: Record an album in 28 days, 10 songs or 35 minutes of original material, written and recorded during the month of February.

Such a simple challenge, with such electrifying results! More than 5,000 bands from all seven continents have participated since 2006, resulting in the creation of an astonishing 16,000+ new songs, all available for streaming in an enormous online jukebox.

The fourth annual RPM (Record Production Month) returns on Feb. 1, 2009, and sign-ups are now open online at the community web site, www.rpmchallenge.com.

This is not a contest and there are no winners or prizes or entry fees. The only reward the RPM Challenge promises is that it will leave you a better musician than it found you.

Bands must postmark their RPM 2009 CDs by March 1 to the RPM Headquarters at 10 Vaughan Mall, Suite 1, Portsmouth, N.H. 03801. RPM Challenge began in the musical enclave of Portsmouth, N.H., where 500 local musicians participated in 2006 before opening it up to the global music community. For more information, to see the participating bands, or to read the whole text of the challenge, go to www.rpmchallenge.com.