Performing Arts + Culture Center PDX

09/02/2026

Tomorrow, the Portland City Council will vote on the resolution supporting the Performing Arts + Culture Center at PSU.

This is an important moment for Portland — and there’s still time to make your voice heard. Whether you’ve already taken action or this is your first time getting involved, your message to City Council can help demonstrate the broad community support for this project.

See how you can take action today.

Submit written testimony: https://lnkd.in/gfvGhjSW

Email City Council: https://lnkd.in/gq2Uy2y4

08/28/2026

Recently, the City Life Committee advanced a resolution to the full City Council that would move forward planning for a city-owned Broadway theater at the proposed Performing Arts + Culture Center, including refining cost estimates and identifying funding options.

Now, City Council will consider the resolution on Sept. 3 — and your voice can help make a difference.

Here’s how you can take action:

📧 Contact City Council and urge councilors to vote YES on the resolution.

📝 Submit written testimony — sharing why a new performing arts center matters to you, Portland and our region.

📣 Share this post and encourage others to make their voices heard.

It only takes a few minutes to help show City Council that Portlanders support investing in a vibrant future for the arts.

📣Add your voice today: https://paccpdx.org/Act-Now

08/27/2026

What does a thriving arts and culture scene mean to you? 🎭

Hear from community members who believe the Performing Arts + Culture Center can help shape Portland’s future — and add your voice to the conversation.

https://paccpdx.org/Act-Now

08/12/2026

Special thanks to everyone who took action, submitted written testimony, or testified in person on behalf of the Performing Arts + Culture Center in recent weeks as an important resolution related to the City-owned Broadway theater came before the City Life Committee.

City Life councilors heard powerful verbal and written testimony from students, artists, arts organizations, educators, civic leaders and neighbors in support of the resolution. Councilors also received more than 1,200 emails from supportive community members. Thank you!

In part because of these actions, the City Life Committee voted yesterday to advance to the full City Council a resolution supporting moving forward with planning for a City-owned Broadway theater at the Center. The resolution also supports launching a planning process to determine Keller Auditorium's future.

This is an important next step after three years of public process, including market and economic analyses and recommendations from independent advisory groups, all of which have underscored the benefits of building at PSU.

The resolution instructs City staff to work with Portland State on more detailed cost estimating and to determine a realistic target for the City’s initial financial commitment – taking the project from conceptual planning to the fuller project definition needed for key funding decisions to be made.

Thank you!

08/07/2026

On July 28, City Council's City Life Committee heard powerful testimony from our community about the Performing Arts + Culture Center’s many benefits to audiences, to Portland’s overall arts ecosystem, to PSU students and to our recovering downtown. A huge thank you to everyone who spoke, submitted written comments, or took action last month to support this project!

Due to the high volume of in-person testimony on July 28, deliberations were carried over to the August 11 City Life committee meeting. At that meeting, committee members will vote to advance to the full City Council a resolution to build the City’s Broadway-capable venue at PSU, and to initiate planning for the future of Keller Auditorium.

We need you to contact committee members TODAY and urge them to vote YES on the recommendation.

It takes less than a minute to make your voice heard. With just a few clicks, you can send a message directly to council members before this crucial vote takes place.

We cannot afford to miss this moment—join us right now in telling the committee how vital this project is for Portland and our entire region!

It takes less than a minute to make your voice heard. With just a few clicks, you can send a message directly to City Life councilors before this crucial vote takes place.

We cannot afford to miss this moment—join us right now in telling the committee how vital this project is for audiences, artists, art organizations, students, and downtown Portland!

https://paccpdx.org/Act-Now

07/24/2026

On July 28, 2026, Portland City Council’s Committee on City Life is expected to consider a resolution to move forward with a new Broadway-capable venue as part of the Performing Arts + Culture Center proposed for Portland State University . Committee members will decide whether to advance to the full City Council the recommendation to move the City-owned Broadway venue to PSU and to initiate planning for the future of Keller Auditorium.

We need your support. Please contact committee members today to urge their support for the project. It only takes a minute to make a difference. You can send an email to council members with just a few clicks!

https://paccpdx.org/Act-Now

It only takes a minute to make a difference. Contact Portland City Council City Life Committee members today and urge them to advance the PSU Performing Arts + Culture Center.

07/16/2026

Portland’s opportunity is bigger than any single venue. Let’s build an entire arts ecosystem where artists, students, audiences and cultural organizations can thrive together. Read the op-ed published in Oregon ArtsWatch on July 16, 2026.

Learn More: https://paccpdx.org/post/Strengthening-Portlands-Culture-Future

07/15/2026

The Performing Arts + Culture Center project has earned the formal endorsement of IATSE Local 28, the union representing Portland’s stagehands, technicians and production workers.

“Many of our members have built their careers around Portland’s stages,” said Rose Etta Venetucci, IATSE Local 28. “A purpose-built venue at PSU means more productions, more work for the people behind the curtain, more opportunity to grow the next generation of entertainment workers and more opportunity to serve the need of affordable spaces for the community we serve. IATSE Local 28 is proud to endorse this project. ”

Learn more: https://paccpdx.org/post/Stage-Employees-Union-Endorses-Center

07/09/2026

Portland State University and Prosper Portland – the City of Portland’s urban economic development agency – are taking a visible step forward in shaping the future of downtown, starting with new investments that seek to bring energy and activity to campus spaces.

A newly updated agreement between the two partners puts immediate focus on placemaking, with up to $300,000 in new funding committed by Prosper to support community-driven projects that activate PSU’s downtown campus and surrounding areas.

The placemaking funding is designed to help transform underutilized spaces into welcoming, vibrant destinations through art, programming and design. Projects could include improvements that celebrate local culture, invite public gathering or reflect the needs and aspirations of the community.

By investing in these efforts in coming years, PSU and Prosper Portland can create momentum on the ground before larger-scale development in the Performing Arts + Culture Center is complete. This early activation can be a welcome step in building the kind of lively, connected district envisioned for South Downtown.

Learn more: https://paccpdx.org/post/The-Power-of-Place

07/08/2026

The proposed Performing Arts + Culture Center is about more than a new venue — it's an investment in Oregon's future. Governor Tina Kotek's support reflects the growing momentum behind this transformative project. Together, we're building a future where the arts can thrive, artists can grow and Portland's economy can flourish.