Featured Member Profile

Randall Stuart has a vision: the creation of an artistic “harbor”. A collaborative space that will serve a community appreciative of both the arts and humanities. A space that is at once a stage, a town hall, a schoolhouse and a sanctuary. Randall’s vision is underway in Portland, Oregon, as Cerimon House — named for the healer in Shakespeare’s Pericles — and is in the active planning stage, both for its architecture and its programming.

Randall, please tell us more about the mission of Cerimon House.

We see ourselves as a sanctuary for the humanities, a practically-sized arts organization which hopes to rattle the paradigm of how things are “usually done” or “have been done” …and certainly a great portion of that focus will be presenting the arts (theatre, song, dance, poetry, guests of national note) free of charge and/or on a donation system, while finding ways to properly fund the artisans through means other than ticket-sales. We want guests to cross our threshold in wonder and anticipation.

On a parallel track, we are accomplished in producing and creating ceremonies (nuptials, memorials, welcoming events, goodbyes) and trust that those happenings will be our bread and butter. Naming ourselves after Cerimon, the healer in Shakespeare’s play Pericles, is tantamount to our mission.

On your website, under “Currently“, I read your updates and plans for a new, green space. Can you tell us about that?

We are inspired by a particular edifice on the market here in Portland: an empty church and schoolhouse. We don’t have that building yet, but it captivates us because the sanctuary itself is old and would be great for sacred (non-denominational) presentation. Ceremony is really our uniting factor. That which is ceremonial interests us, whether it’s a nuptial rite being performed in the space, a lecture, a candidates’ event, or a theatrical presentation. Any new construction we embark on will embrace a totally green approach. Portland leads the way nationally in green building and we hope to follow every avenue available, and within our means, to create a provocative “recycling” of a building which has some present challenges. Our dreams and plans include full accessibility, roof gardens with water collection, solar panels, state-of-the-art heating & cooling and other future-forward measures.

Can you put Cerimon House into context for us: what is the arts scene like in Portland at the current moment?

Our culture here on the Willamette River is a fascinating one. We are perched between two vital arts scenes — Seattle and Ashland — and we’re surrounded by an abounding outdoor beauty where so many activities are linked to nature: bicycling, running, skiing, river paddling, rafting, and weekend trips to the dramatic Oregon coastline. The arts scene is strong, but modest compared to the vibrancy of the Bay Area, Chicago, Philadelphia or New York. Our First Thursday Arts Walk is a feast of riches, with so many artisans “living their craft” and creating a high level of output, and the theatre work is pleasing, with a devoted but modestly-sized subscription base. Museums and galleries are reporting a serious down-tick during this recession. It’s mellow here…and an artful dreamer really can, when all the stars align in the bracing sky, create something out of thin air, and still experience a remarkably sustainable lifestyle.

Are there spaces in other cities that you have been inspired by?

The Circuit Chautauqua (1870s-1920s) is a grand example of what we hope to emulate. The wood-constructed domes and mighty tents erected for that particular educational movement were like theatrical planetariums! No matter where we end up, be it an available town hall or a formerly religious edifice, our intention is to help create a culture where the cross-pollination of ceremony and art harks back to the holy days of Greek theatre.

What motivated you to become a member of Fractured Atlas? How has your Fractured Atlas membership been beneficial to Cerimon House?

We were seeking fiscal sponsorship on the inevitable road to becoming our own 501(c)3 non-profit. We had folks who wanted to give to our vision, but only if they could receive the advantages for doing so at the end of the tax year. Interesting that… We see folks throwing outrageous amounts of money at a “family fun” sporting event, or dropping an easy forty bucks at a movie without a fleeting thought of getting a write-off for that seductive popcorn…but as for the living arts, well, we shall plead the fifth (for the nonce) about how tiny this big country can be. We thank Fractured Atlas for its foresight of the need of a proper “hat rack” for organizations like ours to have a place to hang our dream on. And “organization” is one of its finest strengths. We feel safe in Fractured Atlas’s capable hands, and its example is helping us to stay on track.

What are some of the plans for events, activities and/or collaborations in the new Cerimon House? What do you envision or imagine happening there?

Our website paints that picture for your viewing pleasure… but suffice it to say that within our events “artistic, educational, civic and ceremonial” we are open to the widest array of lectures, peace circles, new-play readings, music and chorus events, art shows, chamber concerts and educational classes of all feather. We crave that diversity.

What has been your greatest success to date?

Assembling a Board that continues to believe in the vision. Articulating the concept before there is a “there there”. Appealing to folks of all ages and stratum.

What’s the next step for Cerimon House?

Believing that the vision has a practical application, a deeper national meaning, and taps into both a structure and a whimsy to bring it about.

How can we find out more about Cerimon House, its progress and plans?

We’d be honored if your readers would check in often at our website, and/or become our fan on Facebook for updates. We want to build this House and then welcome you into it with open and artful arms.

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Title quote: Shel Silverstein, excerpt from “Invitation”, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Images (top to bottom):
1) Masked members of Upon These Boards (Cerimon Consortium member) in rehearsal (2007) for “A Lovely Day”.
2) A collection of some of the Cerimon House Board members.
3) Randall Stuart (founder) and Sharron Bower (artist and activist) at a Cerimon presentation.
4) Students from Pacific University in the Cerimon performance (2009) of “A Lovely Day”.