Urban Honking

Friday, December 3

7:00pm Opening Reception @ Project Grow

A Radical New Gallery Celebrates Art, Community, Growth, and Possibilities with ‘OPEN’

PORTLAND, OREGON- Project Grow, a progressive group in North Portland, has tackled many challenges since its establishment in January of 2009. Project Grow is a program of Port City Development (PCD), a non-profit vocational training center for adults with developmental disabilities. PCD, like hundreds of other such facilities, has been tasked by the state for many decades to focus on the common practice of employing adults with developmental disabilities in sheltered workshops, where they perform contract work for outside businesses working for far below minimum wage. In sheltered workshops people are segregated from the rest of the community and are subjected to under-stimulating tasks not rewarded by fair wage. Unfortunately, this is part of the social landscape of even progressive cities such as Portland.

Project Grow was established to provide an alternative to the social inequity found in sheltered workshops, and to create an environment that celebrates diversity and recognizes possibilities instead of problems. The program is comprised of a thriving art studio and three lots where urban farming has been revolutionized and made accessible for everyone and anyone interested. Within a year’s time, the studio grew from 7 artists to 44 individuals who have the opportunity to choose how they use the space each day.

The once-mysterious and sometimes-feared warehouse on this quaint Eliot neighborhood corner (neighbors have expressed misconceptions that Port City is a rehabilitation center for convicts) is now a space that invites the community to collaborate daily. The 3/4 acre farm serves a bike-delivered CSA, sell its produces to local markets and restaurants, serves as a resource for neighbors who are interested in building their own gardens, and provides internship opportunities for interested members of the community. Inside the studio, artists from all corners of Portland interact, engage, and inspire one another’s incredible creations.

On the evenings and weekends, Project Grow hosts a variety of inclusive gatherings such as lectures, workshops, performances, film screenings, and some of the best parties in town. By far the largest of these celebrations will take place this December.

As a celebration of Project Grow’s first art gallery, ‘OPEN’ will be held on Friday, December 3rd, from 7 pm till 10 pm at the new gallery on 2156 N. Williams in inner North Portland. To find out about this event and other events happening at Project Grow, go to www.growinginalldirections.org

Compelling art from the artists that use the Project Grow studio will adorn the walls of the new space; libations will flow from local wineries and breweries; and the iconic musician, producer, songwriter, and disc jockey Calvin Johnson will perform.

Not only is this a celebration of a space that will no doubt be the site of many creative revolutions, this is also a celebration of the community of the Pacific Northwest that believes in possibilities.

In less than two years Project Grow has come a long way. Far from the sheltered workshop model prescribed by the state, this urban farm and thriving creative space is redefining what it means to be part of a neighborhood. With an OPEN mind and the celebration of the OPEN road staying OPEN to possibilities, anything could happen, such as a cultural revolution that will shift what it means to celebrate diversity.