| Speech by Governor Ted Kulongoski |
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| October 21, 2005 |
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Remarks - Cultural Summit 2005
Thank you Chris for your very generous introduction.
Chris is a great example of someone in public service who is mostly unknown to the public – but whose hard work and dedication brings a better quality of life to every citizen of Oregon.
I know that Oregon is not the state with the best funding for art and culture. But I am convinced we have the best leadership.
Not only Chris and her staff – but everyone here.
On the state level: Christopher Zinn, Jim Scheppke, John Pierce, James Hamrick, Kyle Jansson, and my good friend Marty Brantley.
Great legislators and supporters of culture like Senators Kate Brown, Betsy Johnson, and Ben Westlund; and Representatives Greg Smith, Scott Brunn and Brad Avakian among many others.
I want to give a special acknowledgement to Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams for all that he is doing for art and culture in Portland.
Cynthia Adams and the members of the Oregon Arts Commission, Charlie Walker and the board of the Oregon Cultural Trust, and David Ellis and the Heritage Commission – all provide policy direction and oversight for art and culture, so we make the best use of limited public funding.
Oregon also has many generous private sector supporters of culture.
If I start naming them – we’ll be here for a long time. But I do want to recognize two people: John and Lucy Buchanan.
Earlier this month, this Mark wing of the Portland Art Museum opened to the public.
Turning the old Masonic Temple into a major new exhibition space for art took energy, imagination, and a lot of hard work.
John and Lucy certainly had help from individual and corporate donors. But the expansion of this great cultural institution would not have happened without them.
What they’ve created is more than a Portland treasure – it is a treasure that every citizen of Oregon can call their own.
While the state and the private sector both play a major supporting role for culture in Oregon – lead billing belongs to our counties, cities, towns and tribes.
That’s why my most important thank you goes to everyone in this room who has come to this summit after working in your communities as fundraisers, members of cultural coalitions, and employees – or volunteers – at local cultural organizations.
You are the indispensable leaders and voices of culture in Oregon.
* * *
Art and culture are the counterpoint to Oregon’s mountains, forests and rivers. One is nature’s gift to us. The other is our gift to future generations.
That’s why keeping Oregon’s cultural life healthy is as important to me as keeping our environment healthy. Both define who we are – and where we’re headed. I wouldn’t want to see Oregon become a cultural wasteland anymore than I would want to see it become a physical wasteland.
But that is the risk all of us take if we fail to nurture art and culture in Oregon. It is not enough that we want culture in this state to thrive. We have to be willing to make it so.
That’s been the purpose of this summit, . . .
. . . to share ideas; to learn from one another; to find new energy and imagination – and to bring that energy and imagination back to the theaters, museums, classrooms, libraries, festivals and heritage parks that are the lifeblood of culture in communities across Oregon.
Our coming together for this summit symbolizes the much larger role that culture plays in Oregon. Culture brings us together as citizens. By making or preserving unique cultural works in unique places – we uncover our common humanity and strengthen our bonds as Oregonians.
That is why culture is so critical to Oregon’s quality of life – it creates shared experiences, identifies shared values, and instills a shared belief that Oregon’s great past can best be honored by building an even better future.
I know that some people believe that public support for art, culture and preservation is a frill we can do without in tough economic times. I couldn’t disagree more.
Culture is not a frill. As I already pointed out – culture is essential to strengthening our social fabric and maintaining our quality of life. It is also important to my education agenda. We know that children who are exposed to art and culture do better in school – and have fewer disciplinary problems. But what I want to focus on today is the importance of culture to Oregon’s economy.
My number one goal since becoming Governor has been to create jobs and grow Oregon’s economy.
This is the only way we will have the resources we need to fund education, health care, environmental protection and restoration, and all of the other services that Oregonians expect – and have a right to expect, . . .. . . including culture.
My point is this: Investing in culture is not just the right thing for Oregon – it’s the smart thing for Oregon.
I mentioned the expanded Portland Art Museum. But that is just one of many cultural institutions in Oregon that attracts tourists, provides jobs, and stimulates other economic activity. A conservative estimate of the total economic impact of spending by non-profit arts organizations in Oregon is – 250-million dollars annually.
But the importance of culture to the economy is not just dollars. When I’m trying to recruit new businesses to Oregon, the first question is: “Governor, how educated and skilled is your workforce?” The second question is: “Governor, how good is your quality of life?”
That second question is an especially easy one to answer because not only do we have abundance of nature – we have an abundance of culture.
From live theater and museums to public art created by the 1% For Art program – which I helped create when I was in the Legislature – culture in Oregon is not just alive and well, it is alive and growing.
That’s what I hope will follow from this summit: A sustained commitment to keep art and culture growing in Oregon.
That is certainly my commitment to you.
I fought to restore funding for the Oregon Arts Commission in 2003, and I will work in a bipartisan way to make sure that the Commission continues to fulfill its mission of supporting Oregon artists and cultural organizations.
I will also keep my focus on growing the creative economy in Oregon.
Three year ago we had no incentives programs to help us compete with Canada and other states in attracting major film and television projects to Oregon.
Today we have the Oregon Production Investment Fund for smaller budget films. For larger productions, Greenlight Oregon, offers a partial rebate on labor expenses, and products and services purchased in Oregon,
The Oregon Cultural Trust is also critical to building Oregon’s creative economy.
We can’t expect large increases in direct appropriations for art and culture. But if the Trust is successful, we can raise the overall level of funding for art and culture in Oregon.
This year, for example, the Trust increased funding to counties and tribes by 74-percent.
The more dollars we raise for culture through the Trust and pump back into local economies – the more tourism we will generate, jobs we will create, and revenues we will have for other vital government services.
In other words – if we grow the Trust, we’ll grow Oregon.
* * *
I have a responsibility to work with legislators to support culture and build a creative economy. But I think the most important thing I can do is remind all Oregonians that the future of culture in this state is in our collective hands.
We all have a stake in culture – and we all have a part to play in making sure that our cultural life is healthy and accessible. That means – get involved.
As many of you know my wife, Mary, is raising money for Kam Wah Chung in John Day – which was recently recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
There are many other cultural gems throughout Oregon that need the same kind of support Kam Wah Chung is now getting.
You can be the leading voices in your communities to raise funds for these gems – and to educate your neighbors about the importance of preserving our cultural legacy.
Which brings me back to the Oregon Cultural Trust.
This is the time of year when we really need to get the word out about the Trust – what it does and how Oregonians can contribute to it. The Trust was designed to be a partnership among the state cultural partners, counties and tribes, and individual artists and art institutions. Each receives one-third of the funding. But many Oregonians still don’t know how to contribute. It’s a two-step process.
First you make a contribution to one of over 1,000 non-profit artistic organizations in the state.
Then you make a matching contribution to the Trust and earn a dollar for dollar tax credit on your Oregon taxes up to 500-dollars for individuals and 1000-dollars for couples.
It’s the best cultural bargain anywhere. So I hope you’ll pass the word about the Trust to your network of friends who support and enjoy culture – and ask them to do the same.
There’s one more way you can get involved.
We have two big heritage celebrations coming up. The first is next month, when we commemorate the Corp of Discovery reaching the Pacific.
The second comes in 2009 when Oregon will be celebrating its 150th birthday. That may seem like a long time away. But it’s not. We’re already starting to plan for this celebration.
The state will help organize and raise funds for Oregon-150. But this should be a bottom-up not top-down celebration.
I want local communities to take the lead in determining how we remember Oregon’s past and imagine its future. As cultural leaders, you are in the best position to do that.
So I hope you will get involved early in thinking about and planning this great milestone in Oregon’s history. Our 150th birthday should be as diverse as the people and places it celebrates.
* * *
Not many people travel the Oregon Trail anymore. But Oregon’s cultural heritage still draws millions of visitors to our state every year. It also builds community pride and helps connect one generation of Oregonians to the next.
We cannot afford to lose that heritage. And because of the passion for culture that you practice where you live – and the tools for expanding culture you’ve learned at this summit – we won’t.
To each and every one of you: Thank you very much for a hard day’s work – and a lifetime’s dedication to art and culture in Oregon.
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