WHAT WE DO

The Douglas County Cultural Coalition is committed to the purpose of preserving, protecting and developing arts, heritage and humanities in Douglas County through grants to qualified applicants funded through the generous support of the Oregon Cultural Trust (OCT).

Contributions to the OCT are eligible for a tax credit and will ensure the continued growth of the Trust. Learn more about how you can receive a tax credit by supporting the arts and culture at Culturaltrust.org.

why the arts matter

"The arts matter because they are local and relevant to the needs and wishes of local people. They help citizens to express their needs and to clothe them in memorable forms. They offer a way of expressing ideas and wishes that ordinary politics do not allow. The arts regenerate the rundown and rehabilitate the neglected. Arts buildings lift the spirits, create symbols that people identify with, and give identity to places that may not have one. Where the arts start, jobs follow. Anywhere that neglects the arts short-changes its people." John Tusa

"Fiction builds empathy. Fiction is something you build up from twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world, and people it and look out through other eyes. You're being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you're going to be slightly changed." Neil Gaiman

"Creativity is a function of being human ... unused creativity is not benign. It does not dissipate. It metastasizes. Unused creativity turns into rage, grief, shame, and judgement." Brene Brown

"Art matters because it is a hate-killer. Art matters because it is the one true great connector in a world that seems to be very unconnected, and it's important now more than ever to shine a huge light on that connectivity that we have, that we often forget." Josh Groban