Friends of Scalehouse, 

 

We are proud that our work does not reflect the priorities of the president.

 

On Friday evening, as I got home from my day of work, I checked my email one last time and, like many Arts Organizations across the country, received the following message: 

 

Scalehouse’s National Endowment for the Arts Grant has been withdrawn by the agency. Our project does not “reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president.” The letter continues: “funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the administration's agenda.”

 

And, while the news of these funds being withdrawn is challenging and disappointing, and will impact the financial health of many Arts organizations, including Scalehouse, we feel it would be worse if Scalehouse were to be identified as aligning with the president's priorities.

 

Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts is the only nonprofit with a focus on Contemporary Art in our region, and over the last 13 years, we have hosted nearly 50 exhibitions, bringing works never before seen in our area, increasing accessibility to the Arts. Through our Bend Design Conference, we have hosted creatives from across the globe, who have united to ask: how can design make our world a better place? We have established our Annex program, located in the Franklin Crossing building lobby, which is dedicated to the display of local emerging Artists. Our Patricia Clark Studio has provided free studio space for 10 Artists and served as a gathering place for many more to grow and share ideas. Since the recent launching of our Art Lab Educational program, we have served more than 400 local K-12 and College Students through hands-on field trips, and facilitated and supported their work.

 

We have partnered with unhoused neighbors on a mural project which portrayed their first-hand stories. We have partnered with local BIPOC community groups to collaborate and support their work. Queer organizations prominently display their magazines on our tables. And our ongoing partnership with the Warm Springs Community Action Team has created numerous opportunities for our Warm Springs neighbors to share their stories through public art, exhibitions and other programming. Our exhibition committee is proudly dedicated to featuring at least 50% of our annual Gallery Artists as Queer, BIPOC and underrepresented identities in Art. 

 

This only scratches the surface of the work we have done and is a launching point for the work we will continue to do. At Scalehouse, we know that Art shapes community identity, sparks civic engagement, and drives meaningful benefits across every sector—from boosting mental health and enriching education to strengthening workforce readiness and beyond.

 

To be my most earnest with you, reading that email was devastating. The application process for NEA grants is highly rigorous, with many steps, and this award was the result of five years of hard work by many. Cutbacks to the NEA are harmful to communities across the country; the NEA is a vital part of our cultural vibrancy and national economy. The news is beyond disappointing, and will have a significant impact on our programming and Arts programs across the nation. 

 

In my disappointment, there is also hope. Because I know that together, with all of you, we are imagining a future where Contemporary Art is an integral and celebrated part of everyday lives of everyone in Central Oregon and the country.

 

We know that Art is our story: it is pictures, writing, sculptures and films that inform us about our past, understand our present,  and help us to imagine the future.

 

We know that Art is a universal language: uniting communities from all walks of life, and with the power to unlock connectedness and empathy, because we might not always be able to understand each other, but we can all, in some way, understand the mark of a hand, a gesture or a landscape.

 

We know that Art is looking without turning away: it is getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, and looking both up close and from afar in order to see the complexities of a thing, to begin to get to know something fully.

 

Art is sharing our humanity, and at Scalehouse, we do just that. By inviting people into our spaces, we open up opportunities for deep, complex conversations, all ignited through the display and discussion of Contemporary Art. 

 

At Scalehouse, we are cultivating an accessible Arts space where we bring Artists and Communities together. 

 

In this time of uncertainty we invite you to our spaces, to experience the power of Art and its many, many forms. Whether you are making Art or seeing Art, know that you are engaging with a rich cultural history that can not be defined by one person or one administration. Our collective history, present and future is something that can only begin to be understood when we unite to practice Artistic freedom.

 

We know that Art is Power. 

 

I hope to see you soon,

Marley Weedman Lorish

Executive Director

​

If you would like to make a donation to Scalehouse, click here.

​