Staff members Betsy Hatton and Shelly Williams along with CSO Board Member Katherin Poitras attended the Gresham Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit on Friday, October 17. The theme was "The Arts are Good for Business." The Chamber honored our friend and colleague, Tobias Andersen for his contribution to the arts in Gresham through his work at Mt. Hood Repertory Theatre. Other inspiring artistic moments throughout the day came from musicians Michael Allen Harrison and Juliann Johnson, comedic writer Marc Acito, acrobat performers Do Jump!, and well-known national actors Fankie Faison and Roscoe Orman.
One of the highlights of the summit was the 3-D presentation of the new Center for the Arts Plaza, which is on its way to being completed by early December. Included in the design are four pillars of public art, a spectacular vertical fountain, and LED ground lights. We applaud the leadership in Gresham for their commitment to making the arts a priority in their city with the development of the new Center for the Arts. www.gcfta.org
Another exciting project getting underway in the Portland Metro area is The Right Brain Iniative, which seeks to collaborate with artists, businesses and schools to get art back into the curriculum. http://www.therightbraininitiative.org/images/RightBrainFactSheet.pdf
