Laura Grimes

Laura Grimes has been the executive director of Oregon ArtsWatch since 2016. She worked as a journalist at The Oregonian for 24 years, where for most of that time she produced features sections, and as the marketing and public relations manager for The Portland Ballet for 7 years. Always a sucker for cute kids, she spent several years growing arts programs in schools and working to improve playgrounds.

NEA cancels Challenge America grant and changes its guidelines and deadlines

In a sign of how the Trump administration is changing the funding landscape for the arts, the National Endowment for the Arts has eliminated its grant aimed at underserved communities.

Photo essay: A juror’s-eye view of Portland that not many people get a chance to see

If the court system is a foundation for a civil society, it seems fitting to explore the building blocks and high-rise vistas of a city while serving as a juror.

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Read our beautiful annual report and marvel at what we accomplished last year

ArtsWatch is proud to lay out the numbers for 2023-24, but it’s people who are at the heart of everything we do.

OPINION: The arts community has a lot at stake in the election that will reshape Portland City Hall

With many new faces taking the helm, arts leaders make a case for why culture plays a significant role in the city's economy.

Opinion: Trying out new recipes for grant-making

Re-imagining cultural philanthropy will require innovative thinking if we really want to provide access, achieve equity, and create a diverse ecology.