CULTURE ASSET MAPPING

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SpaceFinder for Portland 

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In April 2016, Teresa recognized a need for an online inventory of arts and cultural spaces in Portland, and reached out to Fractured Atlas to learn how to launch its SpaceFinder program for the region.  Soon after, she joined forces with Kate Rafter and Emily Running of Dance Wire and began conversations with the Regional Arts and Cultural Council (RACC) and Oregon Arts Commission to assess feasibility for its launch.  Fractured Atlas agreed to launch SpaceFinder as a pro-bono project, and Portland’s Creative Laureate Subashini Ganesan provided input for creating a robust community engagement program around the SpaceFinder Launch.  On May 31, 2018, Teresa and Kate presented SpaceFinder at RACC’s ArtsSpark event, generating much interest and excitement from the arts community. 

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CHALLENGE   Kate and Teresa relied on their collective inventory lists to populate SpaceFinder, but the real challenge was in encouraging users to manage their venues on an ongoing basis.   

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RECOMMENDATIONS    Through consistent outreach efforts over the years, the team was able to triple the number of arts and cultural space listings since the initial import. However, in October of 2020, Fractured ended the SpaceFinder program across the country, and the tool is no longer available in Portland. RACC is currently evaluating its capacity to build a tool from within its organization.