The Oregon Community Foundation Is Seeking a New Owner for the Albina Arts Center

The historic cultural hub could finally have a new steward later this year.

AlbinaMusicTrust-Shades-Of-Brown-1969-Albina-Arts-Center-Courtesy-Of-Ken-Berry Shades Of Brown. IMAGE: Courtesy of Ken Berry.
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson

The Oregon Community Foundation is seeking a new owner for the Albina Arts Center, which brought arts programs to the historically Black Albina neighborhood starting in the 1960s. It’s been in limbo since 2015, when the Oregon Department of Justice took control of the brick building, which is located on the corner Northeast Killingsworth Street and North Williams Avenue.

“This is an opportunity for philanthropy to do things differently, to employ an intentional, community-led process that will center Black voices,” stated Marcy Bradley, vice president for equity and culture at OCF, in a press release. “This is a potential model for others who own buildings in this city to also acknowledge that Portland’s Black community deserves to reclaim spaces they were forced out of by displacement. We need more of this type of purposeful approach because it can finally contribute to the community’s long-overdue healing and restoration.”

The search for a new owner is being facilitated by Try Excellence, a Black-owned consulting company. Ericka Warren is leading the search team, which is aiming for “a community-centered, strategic visioning and planning effort to promote a collective vision for the future of the Albina Arts Center building,” according to the press release.

“This process has to be inclusive and equitable,” Warren said. “There are so many Black community-based organizations doing good work. And all of us should have an opportunity to say how this building is best served. My hope is that the community would feel empowered and valued in a space where everyone can have a voice. It is our collaborative work now that will lead the way for generations afterward.”

Try Excellence intends to work with 20 to 30 community members who will join the Albina Arts Center Visioning Committee, which will create the process to identify and recommend a nonprofit organization to become the new steward of the building. The search is expected to be completed this year.

The Albina Arts Center has a tumultuous history. In the late 1960s, the building was acquired by the Albina Women’s League Foundation. But in 2015, one of the foundation’s leaders was accused of misappropriating funds, which led the Oregon Department of Justice to take control of the building.

Don’t Shoot Portland attempted to acquire the Albina Arts Center in 2019, according to the group’s attorney, Kristen Chambers, who spoke to OPB about the matter earlier this year. However, Chambers says that the Oregon Department of Justice rejected Don’t Shoot Portland’s offer.

Related: Soul Restoration Project Residency Extends Black Artist Salon at Albina Arts Center Through January

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