URGENT CALL TO ACTION FOR MAC - Contact Portland City Council: Don't close MAC!

Dear Michael,

We need your help right away!

On Thursday, Councilor Steve Novick submitted amendment #45 to the City’s budget, to PERMANENTLY close the Multnomah Arts Center as of September 1, 2025.

We need to tell the Council to VOTE NO on Amendment #45 by tomorrow, May 21 –

DON’T CLOSE MAC!

Please let our councilors know by:

To submit written testimony, click here (easy, less effective)
To contact your City Councilor, click here (easy, more effective)
Sign up to testify virtually or in person by clicking here (best). It’s agenda item #16, time: 11:45 A.M.

Please be sure to include:

Your district
Importance of MAC to you
Don’t close MAC!

Link: City council districts and their elected representatives

In addition to classes, the Multnomah Arts Center:

Has fifteen partners throughout Portland, serving Parks' targeted communities at their sites including The Rosewood Initiative, Home Forward, and Y.O.U.th.
Houses several nonprofits including: Columbia Basin Basketry Guild, Neighborhood House, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Print Arts Northwest, Community Policing, and Northwest Woodturners.
Provides discounted space rentals to nonprofits.
Makes arts education programming accessible by eliminating financial barriers to access, through the Parks Levy and MACA scholarships.
Received roughly $1,000,000 in seismic and ADA facility upgrades from Parks in the past two years, surely not an indication of imminent building closure.
During summer months, MAC runs the Arts in the Parks program, providing free drop-in arts activities at parks (primarily in areas serving our targeted communities). Last year over 4,000 youth were provided activities through this program.
Produces Free First Friday Arts for All at MAC, which provides drop-in arts education experiences along with free food for the Portland community.
Staff works with Parks management and our partners to address long term facility needs.

If I can answer any questions, please let me know. We count on your support.

With regards,

Kathleen Madden, MACA President

The Multnomah Arts Center (MAC), a program of Portland Parks & Recreation, provides excellent arts education in the visual and performing arts at an affordable cost to students of all ages. We offer programs in music, movement, dance, theatre, woodshop, literary arts, metal arts, mixed media, printmaking, drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and more. Programs run year-round, and scholarships are available. Visit MultnomahArtsCenter.org to learn more about our programs.

The Multnomah Arts Center Association (MACA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which supports the vibrancy and health of the Multnomah Arts Center. Its mission is to advocate for equity and access to arts education.

The MAC Press is a publication of and made possible by the Multnomah Arts Center Association. MACA welcomes your tax-deductible cash contributions and in-kind donations to provide improvements to our facilities and programs. Thank you for your support.