Salem, Oregon – Jason Holland, the executive director of the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, and Jenny R. Stadler, the executive director of PHAME Academy, have been appointed to the Oregon Arts Commission by Governor Tina Kotek.
“Jenny and Jason are community-centered arts advocates who tirelessly work to elevate the arts in Oregon,” said Commission Chair Subashini Ganesan-Forbes. “The Arts Commission will gain tremendously from these two remarkable organizational leaders because they are also deeply committed to their own individual artistic practices. As the Commission continues to fine tune how we serve artists, arts organizations and all Oregonians, having artists at the leadership table is vital.”
At Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, Holland works to celebrate, develop and promote community arts in addition to managing and operating the Newport Performing Arts and Visual Arts Centers. He has worked in the arts nonprofit sector for 20 years with broad-based operational and programmatic leadership at both large and small arts organizations. Holland currently sits on the boards of the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County, Pride Newport and the Lincoln County Cultural Coalition. His artistic background is in instrumental and vocal music, as well as in theater – where he has directed plays and musicals for many years.
“Being appointed by Governor Kotek as an Oregon Arts Commissioner brings with it a profound responsibility –,” said Holland, “to nurture the creative soul of Oregon, to help Oregonians weave the vibrant tapestry of our cultural heritage throughout this beautiful state, and to advocate tirelessly for the transformative power of the arts in all of our communities. Serving Oregon in this capacity is truly an honor.”
Stadler has been the executive director of PHAME Academy since 2017, working to create more equitable arts opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through PHAME's school, performances and outreach programs. After receiving her Ph.D. in psychology, she left academia to work in the nonprofit sector, running a start-up education organization and later fundraising, developing curricula and supporting organizations in long-range planning. As a long-time choral singer and theater fan, Stadler’s heart has always been in the arts, and when an opportunity arose to move into arts administration in 2013, she “jumped and hasn't looked back,” she said. Jenny lives with chronic illness and is also a singer and board member for the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland.
“I’m deeply honored to be appointed to the Oregon Arts Commission and thrilled to serve alongside this group of dedicated and thoughtful leaders,” said Stadler. “While we’ve come so far in our state in bringing equity, diversity and inclusion into the arts conversation; disability still is so often left behind, and I am overjoyed to see the state choosing to center disability within its arts work. I’m looking forward to elevating the voices of our community—and of communities statewide—because everyone deserves access to the arts, at every level.”
Holland and Stadler begin their four-year terms immediately.
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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at artscommission.oregon.gov.