The dream of the 90s is still alive in Portland, but it has been updated and improved on the cusp…read moreof 2020. In the 90s there was cheap warehouse space for arts and music projects. Today, creative space is scarce.
The Bodecker Foundation is a unique nonprofit creative incubator. It's an epic creative clubhouse!
Their mission is to create an ever evolving creative community of artists, illustrators, writers, comic makers, musicians, audio recordists, game designers, skaters, graphic designers, filmmakers, animators; and sneaker, apparel, and accessories designers.
The main floor is the kitchen, lounge, graphics workshop, and a place for musicians to play. And The Skate Bowl.
If you ever saw the film Dogtown and the Z-Boys, this is a pool like that. You can skate from the street, up the entry ramp, into the multipurpose entry space, down a ramp by the DJ booth and into the bowl.
Upstairs they have a recording studio among the top handful of Portland's best. And there is also a residence there, so events end at 9PM in this residential neighborhood.
They have a program with local high schools. Want to make music? Want to make graphic tees, posters or comics? They have the professional tools for you.
It is a space for other nonprofits to work in too.
And they have artist residencies.
I went to the artist residency readout by Myles de Bastion at Boedecker. It was a low key event to try on the artist's new project. They really put the effort into the event, with many more ASL-fluent participants than not.
The building was designed by Skylab, also a Portland World Class architecture firm. https://skylabarchitecture.com/work/boedecker-foundation/
The Boedecker Foundation is a Portland-special-beautiful project to feed our creative community.