December 16, 2011

Dear PWNW friends and supporters,

DEVOTION: As 2011 began, I chose Devotion as a theme that I hoped would imbue my actions during the year. This was a way to re-commit to my own dance-making and to find the emotional, material and logistical support to make my work the best it can be. Welcome reinforcement came recently, when I, along with 23 other Portland artists, was blessed with much needed inspiration and tools in a Creative Capital Professional Development weekend. Thank you PICA and Creative Capital!

Little did I know when I set this intent, how thoroughly, during the whole of 2011, the theme of Devotion would be threaded through the personal and familial, as well as the creative. My family and I experienced deep, life-marking losses this year, events which instilled a renewed appreciation for the support of and devotion for each other, our friends and our communities. Creatively, I have been processing these impressions and changes while bringing to life—with the greatest group of performers imaginable—my latest group work A head of time, a dance dedicated to my sister Kathy Austin (1957-2011) and her son Connor (1992-2011).

A HEAD OF TIME: The structure and imagery of A head of time suggest the infinite layers of time, the vast landscapes of memory, and continuous flickering of perceptual experience jostling in each of our minds. Many thanks to Terri Hopkins and The Art Gym for an early installed version and to the Regional Arts & Culture Council for much needed financial support. I dearly want you all to see this work, so please SAVE THESE DATES: March 23-25 at Imago Theatre.

THANK YOU: As we move on into 2012, I want to say how proud I am of all the work that has rocked my world and rocked the house here at PWNW since we opened our doors back in 2000. We are wowed by all the artists, Portland-based and visiting, who have performed at Holy Goats, the Cabarets, the Foreman Fests, the guest-curated Alembic Series, our special projects—all the artists and their works have left their traces in the very bones of the PWNW space. I feel privileged to have helped it all happen and to be here every day absorbing the lingering vibrations. Thank you, people of the Portland area, for coming out and for lending moral and financial support!

This is also the time to thank Emily Stone, Fawn Williams, Kaj-anne Pepper, Leah Wilmoth, Grace Nowakoski, and Noelle Stiles, who have helped with admin and design stuff throughout  the years. A deep bow also to former and present Board Members Linda K. Johnson, Tim DuRoche, Anne Furfey, Lois Leveen and Meg McHutchison. And let us not forgot the tireless and patient and talented tech genius I am married to: Jeff Forbes! Throw some imaginary roses or kisses at them, please!

WE NURTURE ARTISTS: While I am shifting gears from a focus on programming to cultivating my own work, PWNW will continue to nourish the Portland arts scene. One of our dear friends, Leo Daedalus, who some of you will remember as the maniacally witty MC for last October’s Foreman Fest, will soon be stepping into the breach here at PWNW with his brainchild The Late Now, a “recurring, thinking-person’s late-night live variety hour/cabaret/talk show for the avant set.” Also stay tuned for news of our Alembic Artist in Residence Program, to be inaugurated this year!

CONNECTION: Which brings me to my theme for 2012: Connection. Without allowing the attitude Devotion to dissipate, I want to focus on getting the work out, bringing all of you in, connecting creative ideas here in Portland with ideas in the larger world, connecting PWNW with local artists, and connecting artists here with artists from out of town.

SUPPORT: You can make all this happen with your tax-deductible donation which will support

• artist fees for dancers in Linda Austin Dance and A head of time
• maintaining our low space rental rates, among the lowest in town
• space and overhead costs for artist-initiated projects such as The Late Now
• the inauguration of our Artist-in-Residence Program in 2012

Donate online by clicking HERE

Or Send a check to
Performance Works NW * 4625 SE 67th Ave. * Portland, OR  97206

And don’t forget—make a matching contribution to the Oregon Cultural Trust  and subtract that amount directly from the state taxes you owe. What an easy way to support Oregon culture!

All of us at PWNW—Linda, Jeff, Delaney & Delilah—wish a happy and healthy and art-filled 2012 to you and your loved ones.