Arts@LC Advocacy Council

Lewis & Clark Arts@LC Initiative

Lewis & Clark College’s Arts@LC cultivates and supports the extraordinary arts programming at Lewis & Clark; publicize the remarkable quality of personalized arts instruction by world-class teacher/artists to prospective students; and build upon the relationships between the college and the community and region. Advocates for the arts in our community know the importance and possibilities of the arts. As Lewis & Clark works to foreground equity and justice, we recognize the arts as a powerful tool for fostering empathy, provoking thought, and catalyzing systemic change. We see every day how our students engage with creativity and community to work for the global good.

Strengths of Arts@LC

Students at Lewis & Clark, regardless of their majors, take an average of five courses in the arts before graduation, and rank achievement in the arts as one of their major priorities. Each year, Lewis & Clark students translate their creative passions into fulfilling career opportunities, building upon professional-caliber experiences they gain in the classrooms, studios, stages, internships, and through connections with the broader arts community. They enter top graduate programs in the arts, work for major arts organizations, and cultivate careers in the larger creative economy. Our faculty are nationally recognized in their fields with such honors as the National Book Award and the Guggenheim Fellowship, and they lead local nonprofit arts organizations including Resonance Ensemble and Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (PETE). The arts faculty values the close individualized instruction and supportive mentorship that allows Lewis & Clark students to flourish during and after their college years.

The Opportunity

Arts@LC seeks partners to help us celebrate campus arts activities, leverage our potential, and assist us in shaping the way forward. The Arts@LC Advocacy Council members will provide valuable support for and collaboration with this initiative in personally significant ways, which could include offering strategic advice, connecting students and faculty with community arts resources, enthusiastically promoting the Arts@LC mission within their own communities and networks, and/or providing financial support at a level that is meaningful to them. This council will represent a broad range of experience, expertise, geographical locations, and professional fields. The time commitment may vary depending on how you prefer to engage with this work, ranging from an annual meeting (in person or via remote access) to on-campus arts celebrations to monthly meetings with the co-directors.

How to Get Involved

We appreciate your interest and support for Lewis & Clark. To get involved, please contact Jess Perlitz (jperlitz@lclark.edu) or Rebecca Lingafelter (rlingafelter@lclark.edu), Co-Directors of the Arts@LC Initiative.

Council Members

  • Usman I. Ally ’04, Actor
  • Carla P. Cavenago-Salazar ’89, CFO, Pink Martini and Heinz Records
  • Carla McHattie ’06 Owner and founder, Almond Ave
  • John Aney ’88, Actor and Director
  • Dr. Jane Monnig Atkinson, Retired Provost, Lewis & Clark College
  • Erin Boberg Doughton, Artistic Director and Performance Curator, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art
  • David Ellis, Former Interim President and VP, Secretary and General Counsel, Lewis & Clark College
  • Evan Holt ’01, MFA
  • Paula N. Kessler P’24, Exhibition Curator & Media Producer, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
  • Ronni S. Lacroute, Retired Co-Founder & Co-Owner, Willakenzie Estate
  • Toni C. Lima
  • Lisa Occhipinti
  • Chris Roberts ’80, President & CEO, Robisong Consultants
  • Ted Sawyer ’92
  • Linda Twichell, Sr. Campaign Director, Beaverton Arts Foundation
  • Dr. Stephen H. Weeks, Retired Associate Professor of Theatre, Lewis & Clark College
  • Dr. Phyllis A. Yes, Professor Emerita of Art, Lewis & Clark College
  • Jackson Shea ’89, Sr. Technical Solution Architect, IBM
  • Renee Stewart 
  • Mary Dakin ’88, Violinist
  • Ariel Estrada