ECA receives grant from WLS Spencer Foundation

ECA's new location at 245 8th Ave in Eugene
ECA’s new location at 245 8th Ave in Eugene

We are excited to announce the next phase of Eugene Contemporary Art. To accomplish our goals in the coming year we’ve teamed up with our friends at Lane Arts Council for fiscal sponsorship. This means you can support our work with a tax deductible donation by going here. Read on to learn more about our goals.

Grant provides seed fund for new space

In September we were awarded a grant to seed the foundation of a contemporary arts center in Eugene. This has been a long-standing goal of ours, since we closed our first location back in 2014. Thanks to the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation, we’ve been able to once again secure a publicly accessible space in Eugene that supports emerging and existing contemporary artists, and provide education opportunities for the public.

As of November 14th, 2019, we will begin operating at 245 8th Avenue in Eugene, Oregon. We have some work to do in order to get the space ready to open to the public, so watch for news here, or sign up to our newsletter for upcoming announcements.

Sponsorship & Goals

In order to qualify for our grant we needed 501(c)(3) status via a fiscal sponsor, and this year Lane Arts Council is providing that support. While this recent grant is a great start, the growth of a healthy arts scene requires help from those who benefit the most. If you are looking for a way to get involved – whether you are an artist, an arts advocate, or just a follower of the arts in Eugene – we invite you to be a part of what we are doing.

What does supporting ECA mean? With your donation, we will be able to:

  1. Support the development of emerging and existing arts practices and production by providing resources and opportunities for regional artists.
  2. Grow an informed audience by creating educational opportunities for artists and community-members alike.
  3. Help secure a healthy arts culture in Eugene for years to come by committing to pay artists and educators for their time and labor.

Art organizations cannot survive by depending on the very artists they are meant to serve for financial support. This means we are looking for sustainable ways to avoid things like charging application fees to exhibit, or expecting our artist members to carry the burden of covering basic operating costs with membership fees. Whether or not we can pull this off remains to be seen. But it’s important to make an effort.

We look forward to your financial contributions and sustaining sponsorships so that we can continue to support local artists by growing the audience for contemporary art here in Eugene and regionally!