An interesting conversation

I had the opportunity (thanks to the work and charm of Renee) to meet with one of Portland's most important cultural organization's Artistic Directors last week.
With far more experience than I in the field and the weight of a storied and well-funded organization behind him, it was a great pleasure to meet and talk with him about some of the common challenges we face, and a surprise to find we shared some of the same frustrations.
Of course his challenges are on a much larger scale than mine, but the difficulty of funding what we do (Art in general) and what we want (our personal vision for our organizations) was similar.

One thing that was clear after our meeting and several others I've had recently is that there are many, many people in Portland that love and support the Arts. But many don't do so on a regular basis. "Begging for money" a crude but fair characterization of what an Arts organization must do to keep it's budget current, can be exhausting when so many love to watch the arts, but are unwilling to make sure they have the privilege by donating or supporting said arts. Ticket sales are a very small part of an organizations funding, and without the support of the private and individual public, it can be impossible to maintain adequate, interesting and dynamic programming.

So if you belong to the large group of people that watch and appreciate what we, the Arts organizations here in Portland, consider donating a bit...even $10.00 will help, especially if 500 of you do it at a time!
In return we will fill your evenings/matinee's with light, sound, music, dance and theater, teach your children, gladden your heart, feed your soul and challenge your senses...

Thanks