Art. Community. Connection.

Connection: a word that carries a lot of weight in a year like 2020. It is one of Living Room Realty’s core values and I care deeply about seeking it out in my own life. Interpersonal connection with family and friends. Local connection to my neighborhood and community. Broad connection to the universality of the human experience.

The connection that the arts bring, for instance, is necessary. Art connects us to the past, to experiences and voices beyond our own, and to the shared experience of being an audience. Downtown Portland is home to some amazing arts organizations. We love the big names like the Portland Art Museum and the Portland’5. Still, the smaller but still mighty stages, like Portland Center Stage and the Artists Repertory Theater, need to survive too.

First, keep connected with Artists Rep with their new Art:Mercury Company. In June over 50 creatives worked collaboratively create theatre-inspired work that move beyond the traditional form in response to shelter-in-place orders and public assembly restrictions. The result is a collection of audio dramas, short films, and new plays (for post-pandemic production). The Mercury content will see release soon so keep an eye out.

Then,  keep connected with Portland Center Stage by listening to their Community Voices Project.  The project strives to deliver arresting, uplifting work straight from an artist’s home to yours. The first iteration of this monthly project centers on Black artistic voices from the Portland arts community.

I think about downtown Portland and find myself missing the booming sound of Timbers fans celebrating a goal, the tourist buzz around Powell’s, or the live music drifting through the park blocks. Supporting the artistic foundation of our city is one way to ensure its vibrant and energetic future.