Milagro Hosts Conversation #3 on Future of Arts in the CEID Today

Today, September 29th, Milagro will be hosting Conversation #3 of its Community Engagement Series with creative residents and workers in the Central Eastside Industrial District. The Community Engagement Series, supported by SE Uplift and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, aims at providing the CEID Creatives with a platform to discuss community development opportunities.

The Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID) is known for its unique mix of arts and industry, home to hundreds of artists and creative businesses, and the neighborhood where Milagro has operated since 1995. A 31-year-old institution whose mission is "to provide extraordinary Latino theatre, culture and arts education experiences for the enrichment of all communities," Milagro wants to ensure that arts, culture, and civic spaces are given attention in the city and planning commission's upcoming development plans. To accomplish this, Milagro has invited residents, businesses, artists, city officials, and press to convene in their community space, El Zócalo, for the last of a series of three conversations.

Conversation #3 is the culmination of months of research, discussion and inquiry. In this meeting, the Central Eastside Creatives will convene to discuss the process of becoming an official subcommittee in the Central Eastside Industrial Council. Items in the agenda include:

- Discussing the application process for becoming a Central Eastside Industrial Council subcommittee.

- Determining a mission statement and membership requirements.

- Establishing a steering committee and organizational structure.

- Presentation by Peter Schoonmaker and Amanda Wright about creative local mapping findings.

The CEID Community Engagement Series is supported by SE Uplift (www.seuplift.org) and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/).

For those new to the #CEIDCreatives, please, join us! Here's what you need to know:

Over the past several months, Milagro has invited our neighbors to join us for a series of conversations to make sure the needs of artists and creative makers are being addressed in the city's development plans. We have had two gatherings and have established ourselves as the #CEIDCreatives. (Join the Facebook group here.)

We have defined some bullet points of concern and presented at City Council, making our presence known. We are also collaborating with PNCA on making a digital map to reveal the presence of artists and creatives in the CEID.

Now, we are inviting you to join us for the third and final conversation in the series, open to all interested in the future of the Central Eastside -- creative workers, social organizations, residents, government officials, businesses, and community leaders -- with the intention of solidifying our next step: becoming a committee of the CEIC.

Please make sure to attend if you are interested in contributing your voice to the future of the #CEIDCreatives. Call 503-236-7253 or e-mail Emile Dultra at emile@milagro.org to RSVP by Monday, September 28th or if you have questions, comments, or would like to sponsor this event. For the latest information, you may also request to join the Central Eastside Creatives Facebook group.

For more than 30 years, Milagro has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community. In addition to its national tours, Milagro provides a home for Spanish and Latin American arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. For more information about Milagro, visit www.milagro.org, or call 503-236-7253.

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