When the going gets tough,the tough get going.

September Greetings fromExecutive Director Dinah Minot

Back to school but hardly back to normal.

How will we adapt to this new world of physical distancing? How can we share the art

that's being created every day? What's the protocol for working in the office vs staying at

home? If our kids are sick, should we stay home too? All of these questions are being

addressed by human resource departments, PTAs and schools everywhere.

The elections are around the corner and many of us are on the edge of our seats. We

yearn for days when we can convene in peace and safety again - not just virtually - but in

warm, wrapped hugs of laughter and meaningful embraces. Thank God for the arts which

keep us connected and inspired. Creativity is at the core of our happiness. Nobody can

take that away. At any given moment, we have the ability to write, read, think, imagine,

sing, create. Each month we will spotlight local arts & cultural organizations so that you

can stay up to speed on what's happening NOW in Portland.

Creative Portland is excited to celebrate the stunning installations of local public art on

Metro’s bus shelters, as part of a grant supported by the National Endowment for the

Arts. We are also looking forward to the Arts & Culture Webinar on Tuesday September

22, from 2-4pm. We’ll gather together in a community cultural discussion via Zoom to

discuss the state of the local arts community and Portland’s arts ecosystem. We’ll learn

what organizations are open, partially opened and/or closed. We’ll reflect on each of our

accomplishments and our abilities to transition to digital conversations that inspire and

ignite reflections relevant to what’s happening locally and globally. And we’ll discover

grant opportunities and micro-grants that the State will disburse to nonprofits and sole

proprietors, who continue to lose revenue during the pandemic.

At the end of the month, we will roll out the Portland Artist Relief Fund’s second round

of grant awards for artists in the gig economy who are facing a potentially lonely and

economically challenging winter ahead. Meanwhile, we look forward to sharing news with

you of the new cultural app that we are developing with fellow community stakeholders,

under the expertise of Yarn Corporation, local app developers, who create tools using

innovative augmented reality features. We can’t wait to share with you the possibilities.

Register for the Arts & Culture Webinar on September 22 at 2-4pm. See you then!

DONATE TO CREATIVE PORTLAND

SAVE THE DATE!Register today for the 2020 Arts & Culture Webinar!

2020 STEERING COMMITTEE:Kate Anker, Founder, Running with Scissors Studios

Lisa Bloss, Creative Portland Board Member

Caitlin Cameron, Urban Designer, City of Portland

Christine Grimando, Director of Planning & Urban Development, City of Portland

Kelsey Halliday Johnson, Executive Director, SPACE Gallery

Leah Igo Brooks, Director of Marketing and Communications, MECA

Graeme Kennedy, Director of Communications, Portland Museum of Art

Julia Kirby, Development Director, St. Lawrence Arts

Daniel Minter, Co-Founder, Indigo Arts Alliance

Jeff Shaw, Executive Director, Maine Academy for Modern Music

Julia Trujillo, Office of Economic Opportunity, City of Portland

Beth Wilbur Van Mierlo, Executive Director, Side X Side

ARTS & CULTURE WEBINAR REGISTRATION

ARTISTS & ARTS PATRONS:

CONTRIBUTE OR APPLY TO THE

PORTLAND ARTISTRELIEF FUND

Rolling Applications open September 22

LEARN MORE

DONATE TO PORTLAND ARTIST RELIEF

Creative Portland, Greater Portland Metro (METRO) and Greater Portland Council of Governments

(GPCOG) joined forces in 2018 to implement an arts-based community initiative to strengthen

communities and spotlight public transit through the arts. Two out of three of the 2020 art installations on

the bus shelters are by immigrants, and all three celebrate the unique diversity of Portland’s social,

economic and physical environments. Artists were selected by a curatorial team including representatives

from Portland Museum of Art, Maine College of Art, Indigo Arts Alliance, METRO and GPCOG.

Sponsors Rock Row, Designtex, American Steel & Aluminum, and Portland Industrial Coatings

championed the project with in-kind services and donations. This project was made possible in part by an

Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Design by Ryan Wallace, our Summer Intern

Hope & Friendship designed by Portland artist and Ghana Native, Ebenezer Akakpo.

Ebenezer AkakpoHope & Unity

518 Congress Street, in front of Mechanics Hall

Using the Adinkra symbols of Hope and Friendship from his native Ghana, Portland artist Ebenezer

Akakpo creates intricate pattern designs to instill community, casting shadows of hope on people walking

by or waiting for the bus. Ebenezer Akakpo received his BFA from Maine College of Art (MECA ‘01), and

his masters degree in Industrial Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. His artwork, jewelry and

home good products are represented at Maine Craft Portland (behind this bus shelter), PMA Store at the

Portland Museum of Art, or online at www.akakpo.com.

Justin Levesque's Glacial Retreat

Justin LevesqueGlacial Retreat

88 Bedford Street, USM Muskie Line

Circular shapes carved out of glacial imagery are pulled from data points showing the mortality rate of cod

in relation to unprecedented high temperatures of ocean waters off the Maine coast. Arrow shapes

reference the unique ocean currents of the Gulf of Maine, one of the most rapidly warming bodies of

water in the world. They also signify potential paths of human movements necessitated by climate

migration. Portland-based Justin Levesque is an interdisciplinary artist. He earned his BFA in

Photography from the University of Southern Maine and has exhibited throughout the United States,

and internationally in the United Kingdom and Iceland.

Pigeon's shelter design, The Mainer Project

The portraits that compose Pigeon's design

Pigeon

The Mainer Project

325 St. John Street, Near Dunkin' Donuts

These portraits from The Mainer Project represent Pigeon’s personal connections and friendships. Some

of the subjects have resided here their entire lives, others arrived recently from abroad, and some have

left after being subjected to overwhelming xenophobic speech and actions. The artist’s hope is to incite

community building by inspiring discourse on identity and by confronting the attitudes that prevent us from

feeling at home in the place we live. Pigeon, aka Orson Horchler, is a French street artist based in

Portland who cares about belonging and sharing an intercultural space.

BLACK IS BEAUTIFULIndigo Arts Alliance

60 Cove Street, Portland

In celebration of Blackness and Maine Author/

Illustrator, Ashley Bryan, Indigo Arts Alliance

created a large scale mural to remind us that

"Black is Beautiful" - a refrain from Mr. Bryan's

book "Beautiful Blackbird." Photo is by Janet

Fader for Amjambo Africa.

WELCOME MURALMayo Street Arts

10 Mayo Street

This mural by artist Alexis Iammarino is

effervescent reminder that Mayo Street Arts is an

accessible and nurturing space for the arts in

Portland. Pictured: artist Alexis Iammarino and

local dancer Veeva Banga.

LET EQUALITY SHINEArtists Kerrin Parkinson, Candice

Gosta, & Cindy Sanchez

The Alley behind 50 Monument St.

A burst of vibrant colors directly across the alley

from Ryan Adam's George Floyd Memorial on

the backside of Aura. "Let Equality Shine" is a

joyful articulation of the diversity of our city. Learn

more about the project in Steve Craig's Portland

Press Herald Article.

GATHERING STONESTEMPOart

Fish Point, Eastern Promenade Trail

Gathering Stones was conceived as "an

arrangement of large stones magically appearing

on the Eastern Promenade." This Gatherine Place

was carved by Maine Artist Jesse Salisbury. To

learn more about this mystical rocks that weigh

from 4,000-12,000 pounds click here.

With First Friday Art Walk on hold, visit our Community Arts Events Calendar to stay socially

connected while physically apart. Please note that certain organizations are

re-opening with public-facing programs, while others remain virtual.

Arts organizations, artists of all genres, and music venues promoting virtual and in-person happenings,

please send us your listings! We encourage everyone to self-upload on the Creative Portland website or

send us an email.

Gail Skudera, Tell it To The Trees, Woven Mixed Media, 30" x 24" | $1,200

2020 VISION: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURECreative Portland

Browse and buy local art in Creative Portland's 6th juried art exhibition, "2020 Vision," viewable online

only. Artists responded to an Open Call for the Bicentennial-themed show by sharing

a personal interpretation of a moment in Maine’s history. Each artist reflected on how we are changing,

where have we come from, and where do we want to go?

NIGHT OF THE LIVING POETSIndigo Arts Alliance & PMA

Wednesday, September 2 | 7 p.m.

Save the date for a live conversation with Mr.

SOUL! filmmaker Melissa Haizlip and

musician/writer/storyteller Samuel James with

special guests Sonia Sanchez, Felipe Luciano,

and Abiodun Oyewole. Rent the film here.

ALMOST GHOSTLANDState Theater

Thurs. September 3 - Sat. September 5

A 3-day, 4-show virtual concert experience

streaming live from The State Theatre, Portland,

Maine 9/3-9/5 on nugs.net. Each show will be

totally unique. Tickets are $15/show, $45/4-show

bundle. A portion of proceeds will go to the State

Theatre to help them out during this difficult time.

DEBRA SPARK & BONNIEFRIEDMAN ON WRITING

Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance

Thursday, September 17 | 7:00 p.m.

Join MWPA and PRINT: A Bookstore for a

conversation between Debra Spark and Bonnie

Friedman on the art and craft of writing. The

authors will discuss the recent releases via zoom.

RSVP Here!

SINGULAR AND SERIALCove Street Arts

Through September 19

This online and in-person exhibit brings prints

from Catherine Kernan's book "Singular and

Serial" to the gallery. Two dozen artist's prints are

exhibited in the show co-curated by Chris

Beneman, Catherine Kernan, and Jane Goldman.

Pictured: Peggy Badenhausen, Autumn Air #3.

THE TASTE OF A CINDERBLOCK IS NOT A CINDERBLOCK OR AN ORDINARYKIND OF MAGICAble Baker Contemporary

September 4 - October 3

An exhibition curated by Aaron T Stephan,

featuring installations and sculpture by Jenny

Brillhart, Kim Faler, and Zoe Sheehan Saldana.

NIYAT CATERED DINNERFork Food Lab

Saturday, September 5 | 5:30 p.m.

Join Niyat Catering at Fork Food Lab for a

traditional Ethiopian dinner to learn more about the

region and the history of the dishes. Beer and wine

available for purchase. Vegetarian entrees are also

available. Buy tickets here!

POP-UP EXHIBITMaine Jewish Museum

Through September 12

Visit the Maine Jewish Museum's pop-up space

before it closes! Located at 67 Washington

Avenue, Portland, the exhibit features artists Ted

Arnold, Carol Eisenberg, and Lin Lisberger whose

sculpture "Bagel Breakfast Sandwich" is pictured.

Hours: Tue - Fri: 11am -5pm; Sat:11am - 6pm

EAST END VENDMaine Craft Portland

Fridays & Sundays through September

Picture (mask wearing) residents and visitors

shopping for handmade items, dinner ingredients

or brunch additions (think bagels or maple syrup!),

fresh flowers and other good stuff from Maine.

Hours of East End Vend: Fridays from 3pm-7pm &

Sundays from 9am - 1pm.

FREE PPE SUPPLIESfor Portland public-facing

Businesses & Cultural Organizations attracting patronsCity of Portland

Rolling

The City of Portland is pleased to offer free personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to small

Portland businesses and cultural organizations with 30 employees or less that physically interact with the

public on a daily basis.

For as long as they last, the PPE available to each business includes:

Four boxes of disposable masks (50 masks/box), One hands-free dispenser for hand sanitizer (requires 4 C batteries),One gallon of hand sanitizer gel for filling and refilling the dispenser,Three quarts of high quality surface disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide based, which kills the COVID-19 virus on surfaces in 45 seconds).

To inquire about availability of the PPE package, made possible by a Keep Maine Healthy grant award,

please send an email right away with your business’ name, address and number of employees to the

City’s Economic Development Department at edd@portlandmaine.gov. Subject line: PPE.

ECONOMIC RECOVERYGRANT PROGRAMThe State of Maine

Deadline: September 9

This program provides grants for businesses

and non-profit organizations that demonstrate a

need for financial relief based on lost revenues or

expenses related to the disruption of business

operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CALL FOR 2021 EXHIBITPROPOSALSUMVA

Deadline: September 30

The UMVA Gallery at Portland Media Center

invites artists, curators, and exhibitors to submit

proposals for their 2021 exhibition calendar.

The UMVA Gallery is located in the Portland

Media Center, 516 Congress St, Portland, ME.

DAILY ARTIST SPOTLIGHTCreative Portland

Ongoing

We want to promote your work! Everyday,

Creative Portland is highlighting a local artist on

social media. If you are a local artist, maker,

musician, or dancer who wants to be featured on

our Instagram, email info@creativeportland.com

and we'll see if we can fit you in!

One of the important ways Creative Portland serves the creative community is as the fiscal

sponsor for creative individuals, enterprises, and initiatives that require a 501(c)(3)

organization to accept donations and to apply for grants as long as they align with our

mission to promote and sustain local arts.

We are proud to announce our newfiscal sponsorships with:

Black Owned MaineAn online directory for independent, Black-owned businesses in Maine, including

visual artists, performing artists, makers and artisans.

Maine Music AllianceAims to increase awareness and support the sustainability of the extraordinary live music venues of

Portland Maine while highlighting the tremendous impact they have on our local economy

MORE ABOUT FISCAL SPONSORSHIPS

Gerard SalvoCreative Portland Board Member

Human Resources guru and ukuleleist extraordinaire Gerard Salvo is a devoted and

enthusiastic member of our Board. Although we were all worried to hear that Gerard

suffered through COVID-19 in April, we are immensely grateful for Gerard’s recovery

from COVID-19 in May, as reported on NewsCenter Maine. Now fit as a fiddle, we are

convinced nothing [not even a global pandemic] can bring Gerard's cheerful spirit down.

With thirty years of human resources experience at TideSmart Global, Coastal Enterprises

Inc. (CEI), The Foreside Company, and G.H. Bass and Co., Gerard's wisdom,

compassion, music appreciation and networking capabilities are all wonderful assets.

Versatile and kind, you may have seen Gerard playing with his grandkids or performing in

years past at Casco Bay UKEfest as part of his band FLUKES (Falmouth Library

Ukulele Society). Here at Creative Portland, we are eager to see Gerard's smiling face at

our first in-person outdoor board meeting this month, and we are eager to celebrate with

him at a future FLUKES concert. Thank you Gerard for your ongoing service. We look

forward to many more years of your involvement with Creative Portland!

THANK YOU GERARD!

CREATIVE PORTLAND 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Kate Anker (President), Nicole Barna, Peter Bass, Lisa Bloss, David Brenerman

(Secretary), Tae Chong (ex officio), Gib Foltz (Treasurer), Eliza Ginn,

Dinah Minot (Assistant Secretary) Daniel Minter, Greg Mitchell (ex officio), Gerard Salvo

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Creative Portland has a variety of part-time volunteer and internship opportunities. Send

inquiries to programassistant@creativeportland.com.

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