THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 7
talent
Factor: Artists need community support
“If you have a
community that is
unaffordable for
artists to live, you can’t
expect to have an art
community. Because
that’s not how it
works. (Bend) is
already such an
expensive, growing —
by leaps and bounds —
community that is
already unaffordable
for the average artist.”
BY DAVID JASPER
The Bulletin
A
community like Central
Oregon must care for its
artists, says fine artist Ian
Factor.
The Bulletin
Especially now, said Factor, who excels in
and Scalehouse,
portraiture and teaches art at Central Or-
a collaborative for the arts, have
egon Community College, as well as Bend
joined together to raise donations to
Academy of Art, which he founded.
help Central Oregon’s creative artists —
“The more help that artists can get in this
musicians, visual artists, performers and
really difficult time, in this really difficult
creative workers — by offering grants
community for artists, the better,” said Fac-
and a platform to bring attention to local
tor, the second artist to be featured in The
amazing talent. This is a crowdfunding
Bulletin’s Central Oregon Creative Artists
effort with a first-round fundraising goal
Relief Effort, or CO CARES. (To make a do-
of $40,000. To make a tax-deductible
nation or apply for a grant, visit bendbulle-
donation or apply for a grant, go to
bendbulletin.com/talent.
tin.com/talent/.)
He also believes that the pandemic brings
into sharp relief the need for community
support of artists even when a pandemic has of growing costs of living and COVID-19,
not impacted incomes for a year. As the cost Bend risks losing the artistic community it
of living increases in Bend, it pushes out art- has to more affordable places, Factor said.
ists who help create the town’s culture.
“What happens is you get more and more
“If you have a community that is unaf-
money moving in, and the artists get pushed
fordable for artists to live, you can’t expect
out, further and further and further away
to have an art community.
from these areas that they
Because that’s not how it
themselves made interest-
works,” he said. “(Bend) is
ing and desirable,” he said.
already such an expensive,
“The artists are there. Then
growing — by leaps and
they have little cafes open
bounds — community that
up, before you know it,
is already unaffordable for
there are little shows and
the average artist.”
galleries. ”
Whereas trendy, expen-
Factor gets it. “They’re
sive places such as Wil-
like, ‘This is really cool.’
liamsburg, a neighborhood
People are drawn to that
in the New York borough
kind of energy, that life,”
of Brooklyn, already had a
he said.
strong art foundation prior
He’s seen the gentrifica-
to gentrification, Bend has
tion process firsthand in
always been more about
many of the cities in which
the mountains, outdoor
he’s lived, worked and
activities and beer, in terms
taught.
of its draw.
“I saw it in New York
Courtesy Ian Factor City, I saw it in Portland,
“There’s no core, real
Bend artist Ian Factor in a 40-by-30- Maine … all these places
tight community” of art-
ists here, he said. “I mean, inch self-portrait in oil.
I’ve lived. San Francisco,”
there are tons of artists,
he said. “The same pattern
but everybody’s dispersed,
happens: The artists move
doing their own thing and just struggling
in because it’s an affordable place and they
to survive. And this was (true) even before
can get big space for cheap, and they create
COVID.”
energy. They’re creating life. And that life —
Ideally, he would love to see subsidized
that’s the life force. That’s the magnetic life
live-work spaces, designed and engineered
force that draws people to that community.”
ý David Jasper: 541-383-0349,
specifically for artists of all disciplines.
djasper@bendbulletin.com
And right now, with the double whammy
Submitted photo
Ian Factor, artist, teacher