With help from the Oregon Community Foundation and generous donors from around the country, the Lincoln City Cultural Center has established a special fund in response to the Echo Mountain Complex Fire. The new Echo Mountain Arts Fund will provide direct assistance to artists, musicians and other creatives who have been adversely affected by the fire. Online applications for the first round of support are due by Dec. 31.
In September, the fire and its community response forced the nonprofit LCCC to move its Culture, Of Course! drive-in fundraiser to an online auction event. Patrons who had already bought event tickets were asked if they would like to donate the price, and if so, if they would like to direct those donations to the victims of the fire. Nearly all said “yes,” and the Echo Mountain Arts Fund was created. It has continued to grow, fed by contributions from individuals as well as a large gift from a donor-advised fund of the Oregon Community Foundation in October. The fund is being administered by LCCC staff, with the guidance of the nonprofit’s board of directors.
The goal of the EMAF is to help the diverse population of artists, visual or performing, who have lost finished or partially completed work, as well as tools, supplies, instruments or other equipment. If you have lost the means to perform or produce your art, as a direct result of the Echo Mountain Fire, you are eligible to apply. Help is available as a one-time grant of up to $2000, and/or a non-housing studio residency at the Cultural Center in 2021, as the individual situation might require.
Applications received by Dec. 31 will be scored by an ad-hoc committee using pre-established criteria. Funding decisions will be made by Jan. 15. If monies remain, the EMAF will open for a second round of applications due on Feb. 15. For more information, write to project manager Colleen Hickey, events@lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, or call 541-994-9994. The direct link to the application is here: https://form.jotform.com/203048932290150
The Echo Mountain Arts Fund is also supporting:
A special exhibit of artifacts and stories from the Echo Mountain Complex Fire, which will be displayed in the PJ Chessman Gallery in April 2021. “From the Ashes” is being curated by LCCC Visual Arts Director Krista Eddy, in partnership with the North Lincoln County Historical Museum and the Oregon Coast TODAY. The planners for this project are actively seeking special, beautiful, poignant or otherwise important items that were left by the fire, and saved by the survivors of the disaster. Storage may be available, if necessary. To learn more about “From the Ashes”, call Eddy at 541-994-9994.
Creative Quarantine Art Kits for Children, creative and age-appropriate creativity packets, which have been provided to fire victim assistance stations since September. These are also available Thursday-Sunday at the LCCC, and can be packaged in any amount for larger groups or deliveries. To order or learn more, call Krista Eddy at the number listed above.
The LCCC is still accepting donations for the Echo Mountain Arts Fund. You can give online at http://lincolncity-culturalcenter.org/donate, using Visa, Mastercard or PayPal (type the words “Echo Mountain Arts Fund” in the “Why I Give” section). You may also mail a check to the following address: EMAF c/o The LCCC, PO Box 752, Lincoln City, OR 97367. Or, call 541-994-9994 and donate over the phone through a staff member. All donations will be tax deductible.