Andy Verzosa at Creative Portland Meeting Today

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 1,433)

This Friday, June 7th marks the twelfth year of the First Friday Art Walk which is under the umbrella of Creative Portland.  To commerate that, gallery owner Andy Verzosa who founded First Friday Art Walk, attended the meeting.  It was decided to form an ad hoc committee of public volunteers to offer administrative guidance to the event.  “We have no resources to invest now, but we need a group to stay with it,” he said.

Among those issues to be considered in the future is the matter of closing a section of the Congress Street during the monthly event to vehicular traffic. Tim Honey, who has taken the lead on the issue with the city, said city manager Mark Rees nixed the idea. Some neighborhood groups are against the idea as well as several city councilors including Councilor David Marshall. Honey said that to make the idea work, more political support from the council is necessary.  (Please see Post # 1,237, dated 4/3/13 for more background on this.)

Because of a budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, all eighteen members of the Committee were asked to commit $500. to the “CP” budget by the end of the year.  Furthermore, it was decided that another source of fund raising could be through the resurrection of the Black Frame Art Sale. Last year the Bayside Neighborhood Associaton reluctantly gave up this successful fundraiser according to Tom Blackburn to focus on other priorities.  It would be an appropriate fundraiser for CP.

The next meeting of Creative Portland will be held in August.