Welcome to the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s Annual Report for 2012. It has been a remarkable year with challenges and opportunities large and small, and these pages document our many accomplishments in helping the arts thrive in our region.

This was a year of intense advocacy work with our colleagues in the Portland Mayor’s office, the Creative Advocacy Network and thousands of volunteers. More than 62% of Portland voters approved a new Arts Education and Access Fund that will ensure certified art and music teachers for every elementary school student in Portland schools, strengthen arts organizations, and provide new grants to help schools and nonprofits serve new populations. RACC stands ready to help other municipalities in the region achieve similar groundbreaking progress.

As our population becomes increasingly diverse, bringing cultural and artistic richness from many corners of the globe, RACC is committed to celebrating this growth and making the arts accessible to all citizens. We have been diversifying our board, staff, panels and presenters, and we urge the arts organizations we fund to plot their own course of progress reaching new audiences. The entire region will benefit from our collective efforts. On behalf of the staff and board, thank you everyone who contributed to the vitality, creativity and livability of the Portland region in 2012. We look forward to advancing all of this work in 2013, and we feel very fortunate to live in this extraordinary time and place!