Better Together: Highlighting Community-First Organizations
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
PRIDE NORTHWEST
Pride NW’s Debra Porta with Resonance Ensemble’s Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon
Resonance and Pride Northwest first collaborated in 2018 on a concert called “Bodies,” which was part of the Pride Northwest Festival. It turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful multi-year partnership that has been one of Resonance’s cherished relationships.
Pride Northwest’s mission is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities.
When we first reached out to Debra Porta, she was immediately supportive of the idea of our partnering around a concert celebrating the artistic works and accomplishments of the LGBTQIA+ communities. “I heard about the equity and inclusion work that Resonance was doing, and my ears perked,” Porta said in 2018. “It was easy to see the value in partnering with Resonance. Our missions beautifully interweave, and I look forward to where we grow from here.”
Donna Dermond with a poster from our collaboration with Pride NW, “Bodies'“
Indeed, we have grown together from there, with many additional collaborations and mutual support, including the Commissions for Now world premiere in 2021 in which we unveiled the premiere video of Mari Esabel Valverde’s “We Hold Your Names Sacred.” Valverde’s work set the words of Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi to memorialize trans women of color. The work premiered virtually, followed by a live conversation among Valverde, Edidi, Portland-based photographer Raven Ellaine, and Resonance’s Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, all as part of the Pride Festival.
“We love the work and vision of Debra Porta and Pride Northwest,” says FitzGibbon. “Resonance’s long-term relationship with Pride Northwest has generated multiple exciting creative collaborations, and we admire so deeply the myriad initiatives they lead in the LGBTQIA+ communities in our region.”
We are better together with Pride Northwest, and we look forward to our next collaboration with Debra and the rest of the Pride Northwest team.
Check out this review from a past collaboration | Learn more about Pride NW
Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2
Image features Byrd, co-founder of EDPA2, speaks to her experience as part of the Under the Overpass series music video.
The Resonance team first got to know the leadership of EDPA2 in 2021, when we worked together on a video release focusing on the destruction of the historic Albina neighborhood, a hub of Black businesses and creative spaces. The video, part of our Under the Overpass series around Portland during the initial stages of the pandemic, shared a round table conversation with EDPA2, poetry by Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, and the premiere of a work by composer Darrell Grant by Damien Geter with Grant at the keyboard. The video included transparent photos of the neighborhood when it was a vibrant center for the Black community, juxtaposed against the vacant lots now.
“Resonance continues to support the work of EDPA2. They are advocating for the city to live up to their agreements to compensate for the destruction of housing and generational wealth.”
The Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2, EDPA2, is an ad hoc, community-based social justice organization consisting of survivors and descendants whose family homes and businesses were demolished. They are fighting to make the City of Portland, Prosper Portland, Home Forward and Emanuel Hospital live up to their responsibilities and fulfill the Relocation Housing Policy and Cooperative Agreement which they adopted in response to findings of a federal complaint handed down by HUD in 1971.
"This battle has been going on since it started, since the '60s and '70s. I'm just the latest iteration," the co-founder of the organization, Byrd, said recently. "My grandmother's house and my granddaddy's tavern were just down there, across the street. It was demolished and they were not compensated."
EDPA2 has met with Mayor Wheeler for more than 3 years and recently presented a plan to the Mayor for current appropriate restitution under the Agreement, including long-term economic development of the vacant lot at the corner of N. Williams and Russell. As of now, the city has indicated a total lack of willingness to consider the proposals of the survivors and descendants or to work with EDPA2 in any constructive way. EDPA2 is asking for community support.
Historic Alberta House (cerimon house)
Resonance Ensemble commissioned three artist pairs to write work in response to the Pander paintings on display at Alberta House. Pictured here are a few of those artists (L to R): Judy A. Rose, Shohei Kobayashi, Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Alberta House Director Vin Shambry.
Resonance Ensemble has enjoyed a deep and meaningful relationship with Alberta House for many years. First known to us as Cerimon House, this beautiful event space is nestled in the heart of the Alberta Arts District and has been home to classes and celebrations, local artists and arts organizations, deep conversations, and community gatherings. Much of Resonance Ensemble’s programming over the last decade has taken place within its walls—from live performances and premieres, artist gatherings and fundraisers, to video productions and photoshoots.
Vin Shambry performs his powerful work Brother Man at the 2017 Resonance Ensemble concert …Only in Falling.
In 2022, Alberta House named Vin Shambry as its Artistic Director. As Vin transitioned into his new role with Alberta House, he has continued to be a featured performer, composer, and poet on Resonance Ensemble programming—alongside his continued work as artist, filmmaker, and administrator. In 2023 of this year, we commissioned three artist pairings to write new works in response to the Henk Pander paintings on display at Alberta House—including original poetry by Shambry (set by composer Judy A. Rose).
The beautiful Historic Alberta House building
Resonance Ensemble was named an Arts-Organization-in-Residence by board chair Will Patton, whose tireless support and palpable enthusiasm for Resonance Ensemble have been an inspirational light throughout our seasons. Resonance concertgoers have been greeted for many years by longtime staff member Jo Pierce, whose deep love of, advocacy for, and dedication to Resonance Ensemble’s programming and mission have made her as much a part of the Resonance Ensemble family as Alberta House’s. We are proud to be able to provide mutual support through our season partnership program, even as our own organization continues to venture out into other spaces in Portland and beyond.
The support we have received from Alberta House staff, board, and leadership has been invaluable in helping Resonance Ensemble grow into the organization we are today—providing a safe and stable place for our growth and community connection, along with the growth of many other local arts organizations.
See our partnership in action | Learn more about Alberta House
UP NEXT: We next highlight our radical collaborations with photographer Rachel Hadiashar and with Oh! Creative productions.
