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SPRING 2020 // 11 Jarrett: There was a quote that came up from one of your collaborators, Alexander Gedeon, who said, “We’re unflinchingly calling it an opera. People will have to unpack their resistance to this.” What was it about the form of opera that made “Sanctuaries” manifest in that way? Grant: The idea that opera is a medium for storytelling writ large. It’s these huge, human themes of tragedy and the essential mythos of humanity. Oftentimes, those stories are told in the operatic genre because it combines in real time drama, literature, music, stagecraft and art. It’s the medium that ties all these things together. What was daunting was that most of the time the stories that it’s applied to are based in Western European cultural his- tory. More recently, contemporary opera has started to deal with stories that don’t come from that lens. This idea that opera is becoming a medium through which other cultures can tell their own authentic stories was really interesting to me. Jarrett: What potential do you think “Sanctuaries” has to more deeply connect us as African Americans? Grant: In looking at the impact of gentri- fication on the black community, what’s happening now when you go to Mississippi Avenue or Williams Avenue is just the tip of an iceberg of systemic discrimination and disinvestment that goes way, way, way down. You trace it back through the Eman- uel Hospital expansion, the construction of I-5 and the Minnesota Freeway and the demolishing of the black community with that. Then you look to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and why we needed it, and you realize that African Americans could not get FHA loans, or VA loans. I have this opportunity here to tell this story. A quote that I’ve been circulating in my mind a lot is “Art does not change the world, but art is able to give people a perspective that allows them to change the world.” So, when I think about my art informing that new perspective, one of the ways I can do that is to try and teach mem- bers of the population who are in positions of power and privilege. But then the other possibility is not to do that with the art. And that’s where I feel like “Sanctuaries” has landed. How do I tell this story not as a teaching thing for white communities, but as an empowering narrative of resil- ience for the black community? I’m going to use the fact that I’m a classically trained musician, but what if I invest all that education and energy into musical themes that come from the black vernacular? What would it take for me to create a piece that the African American community—which inspired this piece, which it is about, which it’s for—feels such ownership of it that it’s like this is our opera. That’s as much of a challenge as writing the opera. In doing that and in seeing it witnessed—that’s liberating. The process of holding onto oppression, of keeping the privilege in place, it’s draining so much energy from everybody in the community. Even though it’s scary to let go of some of the privilege, the energy released from it, from not having to protect it, and in seeing others thrive, is a greater victory. Jarrett: In the process of making the work, what kind of dialogues did you find yourself having with Portland? Grant: Part of doing this in Portland is that it’s about the city and it’s for the city, so it gives us an opportunity to amplify con- versations that are already going on about how to make this city something different than it is becoming. If we don’t want gentrification, what are the alternatives? Transportation, housing, racial equity—how might we do things differently in order to come to something different than what is the inevitable result of this gentrification in every city in America? We’re devaluing cultures, displacing people, erasing communities. We have to be able to do something better than that. Many PSU events and performances have been canceled or delayed because of coronavirus health and safety measures. Please check websites for the latest updates. SCHOOL OF ART + DESIGN SHOW & TELL LECTURE SERIES THURSDAYS AT NOON THROUGH MAY 28 PSU.GD/SHOW-AND-TELL/ Graphic design pros share their wisdom during these lunchtime Zoom lectures. Spring term’s lineup features designers from Columbia Sportswear, Nike, POW Interactive and more. SCHOOL OF FILM PORTFOLIO SHOW AND SHOWCASE JUNE 5, 3:30-6:30 P.M. PDX.EDU/FILM Celebrate the talent of PSU’s film students with a portfolio show, film showcase, reception and awards ceremony. Though planned for Lincoln Hall, this event might be moved online. ASSEMBLY 2020 JUNE 5-7 PSUSOCIALPRACTICE.ORG/ASSEMBLY Join us for a free, thought-provoking weekend of discussions, activities, participatory projects, meals and workshops. Assembly is a co-authored social practice conference organized by the Art + Social Practice MFA program. This event might be moved online. DESIGN PORTLAND OPEN HOUSES AUGUST 1-8 PDX.EDU/ARCHITECTURE Learn how the School of Architecture uses research, design and innovation to address building performance issues in real-world projects and about the Center for Public Interest’s Small Backyard Homes Initiative, making accessory dwelling units (ADUs) more affordable. This event might be moved online. EVENTS Watch professors Lisa Jarrett and Darrell Grant discuss Grant’s new opera at pdx.edu/magazine