Who Will Be The Next Portland Creative Laureate?

For the current Portland Creative Laureate, Subashini Ganesan, time is up and the search for the next Laureate begins! The Creative Laureate position was created by Mayor Sam Adams in 2012. The idea is for Laureates to be an intentional link between the creatives in the city and the policymakers.

A great Laureate would be active in the community and thus know first-hand the challenges that need to be communicated to the City Council, the City Arts Manager, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and more. Current issues include the struggle with racial issues, being priced out of living and art space, improving community relationships with BIPOC and LGBTQ+, and others.

Mona Schwartz, a policy advisor to Commissioner Carmen Rubio, will lead the search for candidates. It’s a two-year term. The City is looking for creatives who may not have thought of themselves as an advisor to government. The current Laureate has open office hours throughout April for people who what to know more. Send an email to Mona to reserve a time.

Applications, available online here, must be received in April. The Council is hoping to select the new Laureate in May or June and work starts on the first of July.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash