Oregon: Arts and Culture Caucus

Oregon Arts and Culture Caucus kickoff event. Photo courtesy of Oregon Arts Commission

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Oregon Arts Commission was developing its new strategic plan, the agency heard a recurring refrain from artists, arts organizations, civic leaders and elected officials across the state: strengthen and secure dependable funding for the creative sector. This became the first goal of the agency’s new Strategic Plan 2023-2027.

To help realize this goal, the Arts Commission worked in partnership with its commissioners, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon and other allies to establish a new Arts and Culture Caucus for the state in 2023. The caucus is a bicameral, bipartisan group that provides legislative leadership for the arts and increases awareness among Oregon policymakers of the impact of the creative sector. It serves as a forum for sharing research and data on arts and culture and highlights policy issues, community needs and trends affecting the arts field. It also sets a legislative agenda by identifying policy priorities, including the need to develop new recurring funding mechanisms to ensure that all communities across the state have access to robust arts support.

More than 350 arts and culture supporters attended the caucus kickoff event, which was sponsored by the Western States Arts Federation. Inspired by show-stopping performances at Salem’s Elsinore Theatre, along with high levels of community and legislative involvement, membership in the caucus more than doubled in the days following the event. The Arts and Culture Caucus is now the largest bipartisan caucus in the Oregon legislature. “The interest in this caucus, and its rapid growth, just show how much people value the arts and culture organizations in Oregon and how important it is that we support this sector,” said Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland), caucus coordinator.

To find out more about the caucus, contact Oregon Arts Commission Executive Director Brian Rogers.