GMS is awarded a 2026 Community Cultural Participation Grant from the MCCC!

We are thrilled to announce that Gather:Make:Shelter has been awarded the Oregon Cultural Trust 2026 Community Cultural Participation Grant of $2,500 by the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition!

This grant will support our WeShine village workshops and will culminate in an exhibition this May. GMS offers free weekly arts workshops at 3 transitional shelter villages for people experiencing houselessness.

The exhibition will feature artwork by past and present guests at all 3 villages: Parkrose Community Village for LGBTQIA2S+ guests; Avalon Village in the Hosford-Abernathy neighborhood for female-identified guests; and St. Andrew’s Village in the Portsmouth neighborhood for older adults. All the villages prioritize guests who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA2S+ or who have disabilities.

In 2025 we launched a pilot project to offer regular art making workshops at several WeShine villages over multiple months. This project builds on the success of that pilot program and deepens our partnership with WeShine. Throughout 2026, we plan to rotate to each of the 3 WeShine villages every other week in order to provide 1-2 weekly workshops of 1.5 hours. The no-cost workshops provide art supplies, healthy snacks and instruction in a variety of disciplines for up to 30 residents.

Stay tuned for more updates!