Some say you can gauge the health of a city by how well
its arts scene is doing. If so, the capital campaign that
the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art kicked off
a few weeks ago is the equivalent of a booster shot. That
PICA still has a slice of pie to aim its fork at--on the
heels of a huge fund-raising drive launched by the Portland
Art Museum last year--is a testament to this city's artistic
vigor.
PICA's move to a new, organic space--integrated with
both its host, Wieden & Kennedy, and its street
environs--is likely to radically change the way we view
the Pearl District and the relationship between the
arts and business in this city. Likewise, PAM's successful
expansion efforts have altered Portland's philanthropic
sensibility. It's a tale of two distinct arts capital
campaigns that speaks volumes about the changing worldview
of the city.
| PICA |
|
PAM |
NAME
OF THE CAMPAIGN
|
| Campaign for PICA |
| |
Project for the Millennium |
SUPERHEROES
|
| Kristy
Edmunds, PICA's executive director and curator,
puts the art in smart. Admits she is supplied with
superhuman "antennae" that pick up on the social
and business zeitgeist of the world at large. The
growing membership of the cult of Kristy attests
to this former punk-rock musician's power to demonstrate
the medicinal value of the avant-garde. Convinced
the construction crew on the new building not only
to cut its fee, but to help her persuade the subcontractors
to do the same. Played volleyball in college. |
|
John Buchanan Jr., PAM's executive
director, turned Portland on its ears when he and
his wife, Lucy, moved to town four years ago from
Memphis with a firm plan to put this city's art
museum on the map. Able to mount huge blockbusters
like Imperial Tombs of China in a single
bound. Has a knack for sporting shagalicious suits
and convincing Portland's old-money stalwarts to
cough up more cash than this little city thought
possible. Before Buchanan, $125,000 would get your
name on a gallery--now, you have to add a zero.
Runs on treadmill regularly. |
FINANCIAL
GOAL |
| $4 million |
|
$30 million |
PROJECT
GOAL |
| Leasing and outfitting
an 8,000-square-foot space at new W&K headquarters,
expanding programs and creating an endowment and
cash reserve. |
|
Donations will finance
a 60,000-square-foot expansion and add to the current
endowment. |
AMAZING
NEW STRUCTURAL FEATURE |
| Movable walls control
the amount of light entering the gallery and allow
for display art facing the street. |
|
A skylit indoor sculpture
court. |
THE
ICING |
| Galleries to house visual
arts--doubling the number of exhibitions--and a
new 2,000-square-foot multimedia resource room with
its own curator. |
|
New special-exhibition
galleries will allow the permanent collection to
remain in place when visiting shows hit town. |
TOP
CHANGE DROPPERS |
| Local philanthropist
Leslie B. Durst plunked down $250,000. |
|
Mary and Melvin "Pete"
Mark Jr. duke it out with Harold and Arlene Schnitzer
at $2 million per couple. |
TOP
CORPORATE DADDIES |
| $1 million in lease
overhead from W&K and Gerding/Edlen Development. |
|
Meyer Memorial Trust
makes the list with $2 million. |
BIG
CHEESE CAMPAIGN CHAIRPEOPLE |
| Dan Wieden and Bob Gerding |
|
Mary and Pete Mark Jr. |
CAMPAIGN
BOOKLETS |
| Utilitarian gray cover
with neo-scenic inside design by Portland's Plazm
Media and question-laden copy by W&K's Steve
Sandoz. PICA time line at the bottom. |
|
Oversized, shimmering,
putty-colored beauty, with design by Susan Brown
and Associates and copy by in-house team. PAM time
line at the bottom. |
HOLDING
HANDS WITH THE MAN
|
| Shacking
up with the ad agency that wants you to drink cheap
beer. |
|
Opening an
education center funded and named after PGE-Enron. |
