Equity Statement, Values and Strategic Plan

June 12, 2020: Black Lives More Than Matter – The IPRC marches in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as our Black family members, partners, collaborators, leaders, writers, & artists; and in solidarity we say the names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery.

The IPRC calls on our community to act in solidarity with Don’t Shoot PDX, PAALF and Unite Oregon— and all organizations actively working to defund the police. The time is past due for resources to shift away from police militarization and back to the community. We stand in solidarity with BIPoc leaders calling for abolition and transformative justice (BIPoc defined as Black Indigenous, people of color & all diasporas displaced by colonialism).

We take it to heart that we each have a role to play, and we’re learning the ways that we can support this movement as an organization, not just now but for the long-run. In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, we are offering our print services to BIPoc individuals and BIPoc-led organizations for free as they mobilize and organize. Please reach out to us at info@iprc.org.

We strive to consistently act in alignment with our statements.

 

Equity Statement

The IPRC has benefitted from and contributed to the centering of whiteness within the Portland arts community. It is with this understanding that we now strive to create policies and programming, and a creative environment that is attuned to the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BI/POC) communities. We wish to empower BI/POC artists to make the IPRC space their own. We commit to building a staff, board, and community driven by social justice through art. We commit to equity and inclusion as central motivators for our work. We strive to be a collaborative resource for groups who wish to join us in transforming the Portland community into the most equitable version of itself. The IPRC welcomes people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, sizes, ages, gender identities, sexualities, and citizenship statuses.

Values Statement

The IPRC exists to be an equalizer and to provide opportunities, tools, and resources for everyone. The belief perpetuates in the Literary, Publishing, and Visual Art worlds that the “best” art rises to the top. But we know that we don’t live in a meritocracy but a competitive capitalist system, and people don’t “make it” without a lot of resources and support. We know that talent and skill are created through practice and that talent and skill don’t discriminate. We also know that access to art-making is critical to the well-being of communities and people. This vision of a healthier Portland is what the IPRC strives to be a part of and contribute to.

Strategic Plan 2019-2021

The IPRC embarked on a process to create a strategic plan for 2019-2021 that we wanted to be exciting, usable, relevant, and give us a road-map for the present and near future. In order to create this document, we:

  • Sought community feedback through 6 months of digital and written surveys
  • Conducted visioning sessions as a staff and board
  • Consulted with George Thorn
  • Sought community feedback on early drafts
  • Worked with letterpress steward, Courtney DeKorte on her gorgeous design

Much thanks to the growing IPRC community for their interest and support, and specifically to Harper Quinn, John Akira Harrold, Kawana Bullock Clayton, A’misa Chiu, Carrie Clore, Eve Connell, Niko Courtelis, Stacey Daley, Melissa Favara, Catie Hannigan, Anna Knecht Schwarzer, Kathy Kniep, Lauren Mariko Waude, Ashley Sloan, Andrew Stern, George Thorn, and community members who took the 2018 feedback survey for invaluable contributions, copy-editing, and feedback.