As my term comes to an end, I am humbled by all that I have learned in my time here and proud of the things that my office accomplished over the past four years. This job has been the honor of my life. commrubio.substack.com/p/we-…

I want to recognize NAYA, the Native Arts and Culture Foundation, and Indigenous and Native artists for their cultural, economic, and social contributions to the richness of our city. These installations are a key piece of strengthening Portland by building belonging together.

For millenia, the arts have helped us grieve, heal, and celebrate together. I hope this installation will incubate new ideas, opportunities, and frames for cultural expression so future generations will continue to experience the energy and enrichment that comes from the arts.

I’m incredibly proud that the City invested $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to commission and install new public artworks that celebrate Indigenous and Native cultures and community.

It was an honor to join the Native American Youth and Family Center last weekend for the unveiling of Terresa White’s Mamook Tokatee Raven Sculpture in the Cully neighborhood.

These actions represent an incredible amount of work from @PortlandBPS, @PBOTinfo, and @PDXStreetcar as well as community members who have been tracking this work for years. We are setting the stage for the transformation of yet another area of Portland! kgw.com/article/news/local/p…

This is what true healing looks like, and we need more experiences like these – and leaders like Dana. I thank her for the vision of hope and connection she brings to our city.

Dana's compassionate, community-centered, and transformative leadership creates safe, loving, and welcoming spaces while respecting the innate wisdom of participants. She believes that everyone is entitled to dignity and belonging no matter where they live or what their story.

This morning City Council presented the 2024 Steve Lowenstein Trust Award to Dana Lynn Louis, who founded Gather:Make:Shelter in 2017 to empower people experiencing houselessness and poverty through creative opportunities including pottery painting, drawing, and printmaking.

For the past four decades, Literary Arts has engaged readers, supported writers, and inspired the next generation with great literature. Its programs include Portland Arts & Lectures, Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, Portland Book Festival, and Writers in the Schools.

The center features a bookstore with sections specializing in design, architecture, poetry, and writing craft; space for author readings and community events; classrooms for in-person workshops; offices for staff; and a recording studio for radio shows and podcasts.

Originally built in 1904, the four-story building began as Strowbridge Hardware. During the 1970s, the façade was covered with concrete and it became a furniture store; in 2018, new owners renovated the space. The building then sat empty until Literary Arts purchased it in 2022.

Congratulations to Literary Arts on today’s opening of the largest literary center on the West Coast! The center is named for Susan Hammer, a powerful advocate for arts and culture in Portland.

Mark your calendar: In partnership with @prosperportland’s @PDXFilmOffice, @thesquarepdx will present 2 drone light shows to ring in the new year!  portland.gov/wheeler/news/20…

“Hopefully folks can see themselves in this data,” says @PortlandBPS policy analyst Kyle Diesner, “and hopefully they can see opportunities within their own life where they can implement changes to reduce these emissions by putting the data out here.” opb.org/article/2024/12/02/p…

Today is Small Business Saturday, so please support our amazing small businesses in your holiday shopping plans. Learn more at ShopSmallPDX.com.