The beautiful Milepost 5 campus, located in the Montavilla neighborhood, houses professional artists in diverse fields. Photo by Milepost 5.
Milepost 5 is a community for local artists in Portland that provides both affordable housing and opportunities for residents to thrive in their creative pursuits. Milepost 5 offers two visual art galleries, event and performance spaces, and events such as grant-writing workshops and drawing nights.
Located on a beautiful two-acre campus in the Montavilla neighborhood, Milepost 5 lodges a community of people in diverse fields of art. A building like this comes into play since Portland is buzzing and full of construction like never before, with new buildings and people flooding into the city on the daily. The rates for living at Milepost 5 are at “60% of the median family income for Portland,” shares Julie Thomson, the building manager of Milepost 5.
Becoming a resident of Milepost 5 requires a unique application process to assess if an applicant is a working artist and would benefit from living at their location. Both living and work space is offered, as well as only work space that can be used commercially or as rental space. The first step to applying is signing up for the waitlist, which is located on their website. The next step is sending a statement of interest, a short personal biography, and 4-8 examples of work. The artwork is not judged on style or limited to any type of art for admission. Then, if the application is accepted, the final step is signing a lease with a minimum of one month’s rent. Rental price depends on the studio or work space.
An important part of Milepost 5 is the nonprofit operated by residents of the building, known as the Artists’ Milepost. The nonprofit participants coordinate several spaces on campus, including the cafe/event space, the gallery, and the chapel/theater. This nonprofit strives to support local artists in East Portland and Montavilla while also showing a tremendous support for the arts in a wider sense. Milepost 5 is a community that thrives on passionate artists and community outreach projects that include art shows in various mediums.
Milepost 5 is a supportive community that offers open arms to Portland’s working artists. Franklin is home to many amazing art students interested in careers in various fields of art. All artistic students should be aware of a community designed for serious creators like themselves. Milepost 5 is a fantastic community to consider joining for an environment suitable for serious artists in the professional world.
