Art and Culture Team

 Diane Freaney, Collector of Visual and Performing Arts, and Cultural Artifacts

Sharon Koskoff, Mural Artist, and Founder of the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches

Public Art & Installations, Designer,  Preservationist, Author, Community Activist,  Lecturer ... with Enthusiasm!

Sharon Koskoff visited the Emerson Street House for my birthday (9/15/2016). A whirlwind visit - Sharon documented Art Deco Portland, Murals on Alberta Street, gave a lecture on Art Deco Cuba at the Steel Door Gallery, the first Visual Art Exhibit at the Emerson Street House and so much more.

Check out Sharon’s web page bysharon.com for videos, slideshows and lectures on the history of Art Deco in Palm Beach County, South Florida and the places Sharon has visited.

Enjoy a Musical Journey with Sharon Koskoff's murals from her book Murals of the Palm Beaches, Arcadia Publishing. Koskoff is a public mural artist living in Delray Beach, FL. Music by International Reggae Star Chucka Riddim.

 Mr. Bobby Fouther, Visual and Performance Artist

Bobby Fouther is a second-generation artist and a second generation Oregonian, born on Labor Day and raised in a house full of creativity. Bobby strives to use his gifts on a daily basis to improve his community. 

Visual
After 20 years of live performance work Mr. Fouther has revived his visual art projects as a way of continuing to dance on the page and as a source of fundraising for his creative work with children. Based at a local school in his community Mister Bobby, as his students fondly call him, teaches through a creative process that allows the student to become successful as well as understand the entrepreneurial aspects of the art world. Currently Mr. Fouther, a 2009 “Spirit of Portland” award winner has shown artwork in city hall and continually has featured work with “ColoredPencils:Arts & Culture Night” a New Portland project sponsored by the City of Portland’s Office of Human Relations as well as locations and events throughout the metropolitan area. 

Performance
Bobby Fouther's career in the Northwest spans over forty years of artistic expression.
Of primary focus is his lifelong goal of bringing communities together through the arts. Having filled the rolls of producer, director, performer, designer, exhibitor and teacher, his work has influenced thousands of students, peers and audiences in communities throughout the United States. For many years, this former Portland State University faculty member and current instructor for Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Outreach Programs has served as an artist-in-education for statewide artist residency programs sponsored by the Oregon, Washington and Idaho Arts Commissions and the National Endowment for the Arts. Mr. Fouther has also served on curriculum development committees for the Children’s Museum, The World Affair’s Council of Oregon, Portland Public Schools and White Bird Dance.

 Liz Fouther-Branch, Educator and Community Volunteer

Liz became an Encore Fellow in the Fall of 2014 as an open candidate and served as an Expansion Representative for an organization called Playworks. Her job was to collect and collate data, reach out to schools, districts, and communities, both rural and urban, and to expand the organizations reach beyond Portland and SW Washington. Playworks NW has now become a regional hub serving Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Her fellowship extended into a second year, she then moved to the board, and she continues to advise as needed, supporting the Playworks mission.

Liz has volunteered on SVP’s Equity Committee since 2015 and was asked to join the Encore Fellow team during a surge of Intel retirements, interviewing Fellows and Hosts in 2016. Prior to her retirement she worked for more than 30years in retail sales, banking, and education. She holds a Bachelor’s (U of O) and Master’s (PSU) of Science in Education with a focus on communication disorders and sciences, early-childhood, and special education.

Liz grew up in Portland and attended Portland Public Schools, she is widowed and has two children (well, adults now) and two grandchildren. In her spare time, you can find her taking or co-facilitating classes or workshops around the city, creating organic skin and haircare products, crocheting, researching and writing about family history, or collaborating on projects with community artists. She has served on numerous committees and boards in both Portland and Eugene over the years.