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The City of Portland, Oregon

Nick Fish (In Memoriam)

City of Portland Commissioner

phone: 503-823-3589

Email: nick@portlandoregon.gov

1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland, OR 97204

Small Businesses shine in Historic Kenton

July 1, 2016

On Thursday, Nick toured three small businesses in the Kenton Business District. He was joined by Heather Hoell and Brad Forkner of Venture Portland.

First, he stopped to check on the construction of Integrate Architecture’s new office North Denver Avenue. Integrate owners Michelle Wood (Venture Portland’s new President) and her husband Phil Sydnor and their five employees are moving into their very first brick-and-mortar location after operating out of their home for the past several years. They’re in the process of renovating their new office space, which is located in a 100-year old former grocery store in the heart of Kenton.

Next, he visited Kenton Antiques, owned and operated by Maureen Bachmann, who also serves as President of the Kenton Business Association.

And finally, Nick met with Salvage Works co-owner Rachel Browning, where he got a tour of their showroom, their furniture building workshop, and their inventory of salvaged wood. Expect to see big things from Salvage Works as the City’s new deconstruction policy goes into effect later this fall.

Nick also learned of the neighborhood’s effort to restore the famous Kenton Paul Bunyan statue. If you’re interested in contributing, head to http://paintpaulpdx.org/ and donate! #paintpaulpdx

These are three stellar examples of neighborhood small businesses investing in their community.

Nick is honored to serve as Council liaison to Venture Portland. The City of Portland recently expanded its investment in Venture Portland’s East Portland Pilot Project. The project is growing to include a focus on historically underserved areas of North Portland. The Kenton Business Association will be one of the first North Portland districts to join the project.

The Weekly Catch

Nick Fish sees a more beneficial use for city property than Homer Williams’ homeless camp

Jon Bell in the Portland Business Journal

 

Nick Fish: City’s sale of T1 is about creating jobs

Nick Fish in the Portland Business Journal

 

City selling proposed homeless project property

Jim Redden in the Portland Tribune

 

Bullseye Glass fined for illegally dumping big glass shards in sewer

Rob Davis in The Oregonian

 

Council puts affordable housing measure on November ballot

Jim Redden in the Portland Tribune  

 

City: Proposed $258.4 Million Housing Bond Amounts to 1,300 Units

Dirk VanderHart in the Portland Mercury

 

Affordable housing? In Portland, there’s (another) tax for that

Brad Schmidt in The Oregonian

 

Portland City Council hears differing opinions on deconstruction

Talia Richman in The Oregonian

 

Portland's Permitting Software Project Mired in Uncertainty

Brad Schmidt in The Oregonian

 

Lead in Portland Public Schools: District Will Spend $1.2 Million on Water Tests and Emergency Contracts

Rachel Monahan in the Willamette Week

RACC Announces the Final Winners of their General Operating Support Grant for the Year!

July 6, 2016

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has awarded its final round of General Operating Support grants to 22 local arts organizations and non-profits in Portland.

The General Operating Support grants, funded by the City of Portland General Fund and the Arts Education & Access Fund, is awarded to arts organizations and non-profits demonstrating artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility in Clackamas, Multnomah, or Washington County.

As council Liaison to RACC, funding and access to the arts is a top priority for Nick.

Grant winners include: Portland Art Museum/Northwest Film Center, Oregon Symphony Association, Artist Repertory Theatre, Northwest Children's Theatre, and Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and many others.

Along with these 22 organizations, RACC has awarded this grant to 48 different arts organizations and non-profits in the 2015-2016 fiscal year – a total of $2,933,855.

Check out RACC’s website for a full list of awardees and information.

Photo courtesy of Bodyvox Chamber Music.

The World of Visual Sound is brought to the Portland Building

July 8, 2016

The Portland Building’s July art installation, Visual Sound, takes a multimedia approach, representing sound visually through ceramic sculpture.

Artist Yelena Roslaya used her unique experience with hearing-motion synthesia to create large-scale ceramic sculptures that draw on Udu drum forms.

Hearing-motion synthesia is when one sense triggers another — in her case, she experiences implied motion or sound as a visual image. Her work is inspired by the way people perceive and understand sound.

Roslaya’s process began by recording everyday sounds throughout the Portland Building. She then used FL Studio software to translate the recordings into graphic wave images, which she attached to the walls of the installation space. Underneath these prints are her “sound wave sculptures,” whose glaze colors were determined by the color that corresponded to the sound on the “color-noise” spectrum. To complete this sensory experience, Yelena included mp3 devices that play back the original sounds for visitors to hear. 

Each year, the Regional Arts & Culture Council reserves several exhibition opportunities, like this one, for university-level students pursuing the arts. Selected through a jury process, each installation brings something unique and thought-provoking to the art space.

Roslaya’s sensorial and distinctive exhibition is available to view in the Portland Building lobby July 5 through August 5, 2016.

Visit the RACC’s website for more information on the installation space and exhibit.

Portland Building Installation Art Series

1120 SW 5th Avenue

8 am – 5 pm