Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

HARTS Fund

HARTS Fund Big Give Day Event

The PCC Big Give Day is coming up on October 8 and 9, 2024, and HARTS is celebrating with a fundraising gala from 6–8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Migration Brewing. There will be live music, poetry readings, and art for auction. The gala will also been a fun opportunity to get to know other people in the PCC community with a passion for the arts and humanities.

If you’re interested in attending, you can reserve your spot on Eventbrite. Tickets are free with a suggested donation of $10–$25. To make a donation, visit this PCC Foundation donation page and choose “Humanities and Arts (HARTS)” in the Designation drop-down menu.

We hope to see you there!

The HARTS Fund

Since 2019, the HARTS Fund has supported students pursuing the humanities and arts at PCC. Thanks to the fund, students who show promise in the humanities and arts as well as students seeking degrees in humanities and arts have the opportunity to apply for scholarships. The HARTS Fund also supports a diverse range of cultural activities and programming designed to give more students access to the arts and humanities on PCC campuses and beyond.

What We’ve Funded

For the past five years, the HARTS Fund has made a big impact on the lives of students at PCC. What follows is just a sampling of the projects that have been funded.

Scholarships

PCC students have received $13,000 in scholarships from the HARTS Fund since its inception. This money allows them to expand their knowledge and prepare for exciting careers in the arts and humanities.

Here are just a few testimonials from students who have received HARTS scholarships:

• “Ultimately with my education, I hope to become a high school history teacher. History and related humanitarian topics have piqued my interest since a very young age; I recall that the majority of my passion in junior high and high school was invoked by many of my history teachers. I hope to be able to inspire students in a similar manner.”
• “I am beyond grateful to receive this award! This award will greatly help me to continue my studies in Music & Sonic Arts and Creative Coding & Immersive Technology and weave knowledge from my humanities classes into my future work.”
• “I’m a queer and trans artist who grew up here in Oregon. Continuing my arts and humanities education has really helped me grow as a person and learn more about myself and my community. Neither of my parents are college graduates, so pursuing secondary education has been exciting, challenging, and full of surprises.”
• “As a recent immigrant to Portland and the US during an ongoing
 pandemic, receiving this scholarship helps me keep a positive
 perspective rather than focus on the obstacles I find on my way.”

Student Artists

We’ve also used the HARTS Fund to provide more than $3000 in awards for student-artists. This prize money is a way to recognize the incredible talent shown by students sharing their work in shows at PCC’s art galleries.

A few exhibitions featuring prizes from the HARTS Fund are:

• Making Our Mark, which features student work from the the 2023–2024 academic year
• Where We Are Now, which features student work from the 2022–2023 academic year

Visiting Artists, Writers, Performers, and Speakers

Thanks to the HARTS Fund, accomplished lecturers, artists, writers and performers  in the humanities and arts have the opportunity to visit PCC classes and enrich students’ learning in intimate and meaningful ways.  These guests provide invaluable perspectives on how the arts and humanities can impact their lives outside the classroom and, critically, help prepare students to make meaningful contributions to these fields upon graduation.

A sampling of the visitors supported by the HARTS Fund include:

• Flamenco dancer Elena Villa discussed the cultural significance and history of flamenco with a Humanities 100 class. After her visit, student Min Thet said, “When I watched the video of the woman performing flamenco in front of Picasso’s painting, I felt as if it was more than just a woman performing with a backdrop of beautiful painting. It was the amalgamation of art from two different dimensions coming together in order to create a brand-new form of creative performance where the two not only complement each other but also recognize and inspire one another.” Read more about her visit here.
• Local writer and educator Emilly Prado visited an IRW 115 class to discuss her award-winning memoir Funeral for Flaca. She also participated in a literary reading for the PCC community.

• Ibrahim Bàbátúndé Anọ́ba, an African affairs analyst and fellow of the Center for African Prosperity at the Atlas Network, gave a talk for the PCC community called “The African Imagination of Freedom” in November 2022.
• Local musician and recording engineer Larry Crane shared his insight into the music industry with students in both Music as a Career and PCC Recording Technology classes. Read more about his visits here and here.
• PCC alumnus and Jobs with Justice organizer Tyler Fellini visited an ENG 237, Working CLass Literature class to give students concrete examples of the connections between labor and literature. Read more about their visit here.

Class Trips to Humanities and Arts Events

The HARTS Fund has made it possible for PCC students to attend local events focused on the arts and humanities. These class trips give students a closer look at how the humanities and arts already show up in their community.

One notable class trip sponsored by the HARTS Fund took place in November 2023, when seven students from ENG 104, Introduction to Literature: Fiction were able to attend the Portland Book Festival. While they were there, students saw author Tommy Orange in conversation with author and memoirist Viet Than Nguyen. For some ENG 104 students, this was their first time at a big literary event. You can read more about their experience here.

Give to the HARTS Fund

If you’re passionate about the arts and humanities and believe they should be an essential component of a 21st-century education, consider donating to the HARTS Fund. We rely on generous donors like you to help grant PCC students greater access to these important subjects.

Big Give Day

One way to contribute to the HARTS Fund is to participate in the PCC Big Give Day on October 8 and 9, 2024. During this 36-hour fundraising event, your donation can make a significant impact on PCC students’ pursuit of knowledge in the arts and humanities.

In 2024, members of the HARTS Initiative are aiming to raise at least $7,000 for the HARTS Fund, and you have the power to help us reach that goal. To make a donation on Big Give Day, visit this PCC Foundation donation page and choose “Humanities and Arts (HARTS)” in the Designation drop-down menu.

Regular Donations

To give to the HARTS Fund, visit the PCC Foundation Donation page, mark “Other” in the Designation drop-down menu, and write “HARTS” in the box that appears. Members of the HARTS Initiative and students at PCC are incredibly grateful for your support!