CALL FOR PHOTOS!
Hello Community! Yes, we know we all wish we were packing for SOAK right this very second, and sadly we are not. But the sparkly light at the end of the tunnel is very real!
To give us a little more light this weekend, we are looking for SOAK PHOTOS! Send us your SOAK and BurnOut images for our archives and so that we have great images to use on blog and social media posts. Your art will be credited when used, of course!
Photos we can use should not identify participants, so they might be of art, or fire, or dancing crowds, or other cool things (no close-up faces). Please include your preferred name for image credit.
Send photos to communications@precipitationnw.org.
(Above photo credit: TJ Baxter, SOAK 2019).
Precipitation Northwest's Code of Conduct
To support PNW's efforts in fostering a safe and diverse community, PNW has introduced a code of conduct that applies to events (on and offline) as well as other general community interactions. We believe that fostering an open community starts with setting the right boundaries and expectations. We all play a role in building a welcoming space.
Click here to read our Code of Conduct.
Please take a moment to review what we expect from our community members and feel free to reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. You can reach out generally to us at info@precipitationnw.org or if you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, we ask that you report it by emailing conduct@precipitationnw.org.
Photo: Alexander LaVake
Town Hall 2021: Video Recording, Slides, Closed Captions
For those of you who missed it (we sure missed you!), we have recorded the 2021 Town Hall webinar, slides, and closed caption transcript. This year, we brought you several panelists including SOAK Temple Project Lead Pope Tart, new Board Member Michelle David, and Barn Manager Kosher Bacon.
Highlights of the Town Hall also included:
SOAK Temple design specs and message submission process
an update on the decision to "go / no-go" for Black Rock City in 2021
questions from the community including one for artists who received Honoraria Grants
an update on new and exiting board members
COVID-19 safety updates from the Burner Barn
updates from the Learner Barn and how to submit program proposals
an update from the Program Committee
and a check-in with SOAK* Producers
An "afterparty" Zoom room
Watch it here:
Burning Man Portland Town Hall Recording.mp4
And again, we wish to extend our gratitude to Simran for letting us use his incredible SOAK potty art for the branding for this year's event. THANK YOU SIMRAN!
To view the Town Hall video recording, please open the embedded Google Drive file link. Please note that you may need to submit a Request for Access which will be granted immediately.
If you any have trouble viewing these files, please feel free to let us know by contacting Portland@Burningman.org.
Image description: Dome assembled by Burners Without Borders. This winter, BWB is assembling domes at several houseless camps throughout the city to help provide a safe place for residents to gather.
Call for Programs - 2021!
Precipitation Northwest has Opened its 2021 Call for Programs. Apply Today!
Due to the ongoing pandemic, many of our usual Precipitation Northwest programs are dormant for another year. As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, we invite all community members to consider what types of programs they might want to share during this unusual time.
What are programs?
Programs are activities that center the Mission, Vision, and Values of Precipitation Northwest.
Examples include:
SOAK, our regional Burn
BurnOut, our decompression event
Virtual Woosday, an online weekly social event
Learner Barn, an online/in person opportunity to discover new skills
The Temple of Distancing, a virtual/in person sculpture burn
No program is too large or too small to be considered for support!
What Precipitation Northwest can offer you:
Promotion of your event, activity or creation to the greater Pacific Northwest Burner community and beyond
Advice and guidance on creating a fun and effective program
Logistical assistance with technology and event production
Financial assistance for materials and supplies (in selected cases)
Introductions to similar artists, makers, or organizations in the region
All applications will be initially reviewed by the Precipitation Northwest Programs Committee within 21 business days of receipt.
Photo: Alexander LaVake (2008)
Woosday Returns!
Precipitation Northwest is thrilled to share, from our Woosday Friends:
Woosday has returned! Not in meatspace but online (for now).
Still the same awesome Tuesday post-happy hour 7-10pm time.
This upcoming February 9th is the next episode. Bring yourself and household to your screens! We haven’t seen your faces in a long long time!
Why the delay? Well....nothing else has captured our imaginations as an enduring replacement and why not? Cucumber, starfish and TomCat were doing recon in March 2020 for a new place to host and then LOCKDOWN happened. So here we are, almost a year later. We are starved for a common tribe space to commiserate and collaborate. Community is important. Let’s rekindle that Woosday vibe online while we can.
Join us here:
This is an official Portland Burners and is a recurring event. Current online service is Google Meet. It’s as inclusive as we can possibly make it, limited to the technology and social/legal issues we have to currently contend with.
Some are pre-bonked; Be good or be gone! This can grow only with your participation and good faith.
Photo: Molly Harpel
Announcing New Board Members for 2021
We are pleased to announce three new members of Precipitation Northwest's Board of Directors. We are excited to have such qualified and enthusiastic individuals joining the PNW team!
Every fall, the Precipitation NW board interviews interested applicants for open board member positions. Board member terms are typically three years.
Returning to the Precipitation Northwest board of directors are Danielle Parks, Dale Lucht, Molly Harpel, Kristin Stankiewicz, and Alexander LaVake. New to the board this year are Heather Back, Michelle David, and Dina Moy. We encourage you to read more about our board members! You can find their photos, bios, and committee involvement on our Board of Directors page.
We would like to thank Ariel Rigney, Harry Nedley, and Ryan Krellwitz, all who retired from the PNW board as of the end of 2020. Their hard work over the past several years built a strong foundation for Precipitation Northwest to continue to grow and thrive.
Photo: Adrian Thomas-Eikmann
SOAK*2021 Cancelled
Hello Community! We’d like to give you an update of what’s been going on with SOAK.
After much listening, many discussions, and careful consideration, we have made the painful, yet necessary decision to not build SOAK in 2021. We are sad to share this news as, now more than ever, human connection is really important. The disheartening reality of COVID-19 and a handful of factors went into making this difficult decision.
We’ve conferred with our Leads and Production Team, as well as the county, land owners and vendors, and have boiled it down to the following: we cannot apply for our Outdoor Mass Gathering (OMG) permit until Wasco County is in Phase 3 in which a vaccine or treatment is publicly available. In order for the county to have sufficient time to review and approve our permit before our event, as well as for us to have sufficient time to plan and coordinate SOAK, this would need to happen by January 1st, 2021. Of course planning and paperwork are not the only reasons for the months of lead time on the cut off date. It will take time for a vaccine/treatment to become widely available and for herd immunity to provide the level of protection needed to keep a couple thousand physically friendly people safe - and for us to learn the appropriate ways to handle creating a safe event in that environment. We were holding on to a strand of hope that the current circumstances would change by January. We know we’re still a few weeks away, but at this point in time, we can say with 99.99% certainty that Wasco County will not be in phase 3 in the beginning of the new year. The well-being of our participants, volunteers, our Wasco County neighbors, and public health and safety is our top priority. Safety remains in first place.
The following are some ways you can get involved and connect with our community:
Learner Barn Program: Sign up for a workshop to develop & foster your creative skills for use at festivals, events, and sharing with our communities. If you'd like to teach a class, help produce the Learner Barn program, or make a contribution to Precipitation Northwest, we'd love to hear from you! More information about the program can be found at www.learnerbarn.com.
Develop events with the help of PNW: If you have an idea for an event or program, this is a chance for you to partner with Precipitation Northwest and bring your idea to life! PNW can provide help and support for your event in a variety of ways. To submit an idea, fill out this form and the PNW Board will review your proposal and be in touch. Please feel free to contact PNW at any time at info@precipitationnw.org.
Who knows what the future holds? What we do know is that we are all SOAK - we are multifaceted, multi-talented, innovative, creative, adaptable, weirdos! Keep burning bright!
Much Love & Virtual Dancing Hugs,
SOAK Production Team & Precipitation Northwest Board of Directors
Photo: TJ Baxter 2019
Updates from Learn(Burn)er Barn
Thank you to all those who have participated and shared your skills for Precipitation Northwest's Learner Barn workshop series!
You may have caught the announcement a few weeks ago about Multnomah County's climbing Covid-19 infection rates. We cancelled in-person workshops from Nov 18th - Dec 18th to keep everyone safe, and will re-assess whether meeting up at the Burner Barn again soon is appropriate in accordance with all local guidelines. As a reminder, any workshops conducted in-person are limited to 10 people, and social distancing and masks are required.
Fortunately, we were prepared for this and are happy to continue the series virtually! Here are the details for our next workshops:
Beginning Sewing - Create Your Own Utility Belt
Date: December 3rd
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Your house! Streaming links will be provided to all those who sign up.
Signup Link: HERE.
Beginning in December, we'll be offering Materials Packs at cost for people who want to participate in workshops but are unable to physically acquire project supplies at retail stores. For more information on this, please contact our production team when they confirm your registration for each workshop.
Later this month, we have shifted the in-person CnC router workshop to take place online, so feel free to mark your calendar:
Intro to Maslow CnC Router
Date: December 17th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Your house!
Signup Link: Will be posted the week of the workshop on LearnerBarn.com and the Learner Barn Facebook Page
and to come…….
Intro to Woodworking
Date: December 30th
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: TBD (see covid spike announcement above)
Intro to Maslow CnC Router Part 2
Date: January 7th
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: TBD (see covid spike announcement above)
We are so glad to be able to continue to create with you. If you'd like to teach a class, help produce the Learner Barn program, or make a contribution to Precipitation Northwest, we'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us any time at board@precipitationnw.org.