PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION ANNOUNCES ETHOS, INC. TO MANAGE PROGRAMMING AT INTERSTATE FIREHOUSE CULTURAL CENTER IN NORTH PORTLAND
Posted: July 9th, 2010 10:15 AM
(Portland, OR) – Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) today announced an agreement has been reached with Ethos, Inc., to occupy and manage the historic Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC), located at 5340 N. Interstate Avenue.
A contract with the non-profit arts organization will go to Portland City Council next Wednesday, July 14. Ethos Music Center is an award-winning nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of music and music-based education for youth in underserved communities.
"This is an excellent fit for the IFCC and for the residents of north and northeast Portland," said Parks Commissioner Nick Fish. "Ethos has a long history of fostering multi-ethnic, multi-cultural programs, education, and performances, which is exactly what we hoped to be able to continue at IFCC."
The firehouse building is owned by Portland Parks & Recreation, who had conducted a search this spring after the former tenant of the building, IFCC, Inc, ceased programming. Proposals were submitted by four organizations and reviewed by a committee of both members of the public and PP&R staff.
The agreement with Ethos includes working with community partners to incorporate all of the arts into the IFCC building. Central to Ethos' new role as manager will be establishing community-based panels who will select two resident theater groups a year, visual artists, dance instructors, and music instructors. Applications for serving on these community panels will be available on Ethos' web site (www.ethos.org) after the contract is formerly approved.
The initial term for the contract is for a two-year period, and includes shifting direct costs once covered by the City, including those for utilities and day-to-day maintenance, to Ethos. However, PP&R will still maintain the exterior of the building and the grounds, which are adjacent to Patton Square Park.
"Ethos is looking forward to reinvigorating the arts in the IFCC building," said Charles Lewis, Ethos' Founder and Executive Director. "As neighbors in North Portland, both Ethos and the IFCC have brought the arts to underrepresented and underserved populations. With this building, Ethos will build off of IFCC's 28 years of successful programming to strengthen diverse art offerings for the benefit of residents in North Portland and beyond."
Working with community partners, Ethos will follow IFCC's past mission to continue programming in theater, visual arts, music, dance and literary arts. In addition to maintaining a similar programmatic focus the building's past tenant, Ethos plans on continuing to rent out space to smaller community-based theater groups and organizations looking for exposure.
- About Ethos, Inc. -
Founded in 1998, Ethos brings music education back to several thousand students every year. Ethos currently operates on a $1 million annual budget, with nine full-time staff members, eight full-time AmeriCorps members, and 47 part-time instructors.
Ethos is experiencing record enrollment and an overwhelming demand for its services, and currently serves over 700 students a week in its North Portland buildings and an additional 1,300 students in schools and community centers throughout Oregon. In addition, Ethos has a strong financial foundation. Within the past month, Ethos has received over $300,000 in support from national foundations, including The Bill Healy Foundation, Herbert A. Templeton Foundation, Kresge Foundation, the National Corporation for Service (AmeriCorps), and Portland Development Commission.
- About IFCC -
Founded in 1982 under the leadership of then Portland Parks Commissioner Charles Jordan, IFCC quickly became an important multicultural arts organization in Portland and fixture in the north and northeast Portland communities. During its 28-year history, IFCC has served as an arts and cultural center, a fully-producing theatre, an event space, a summer camp, a community center, an after-school program, a gallery space, a dance studio, a venue for performing artists, a mentoring organization, and an educational facility for the arts.
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