PICA, The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art just got THREE whopping new grants totalling $225,000! I’m happy - I do love TBA, and PICA, dearly. I am also little jealous, and I wish that PDX was slightly closer. I’m not the only one. The Stranger’s Brendan Kiley laments Seattle’s need for a contemporary art festival, too. Here’s the skinny on PICA/TBA’s new cash, from their press release:

PICA is proud to be the recipient of three major grants totaling $225,00 that acknowledge and expand the growth of visual and performing arts through PICA and the Time-Based Art Festival.

The first is a two-year grant totaling $80,000 from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in recognition of PICA’s artistic excellence. Building upon the cultural and critical success of the TBA Festival, The Warhol Foundation grant goes directly into supporting artists in the creation of visual art and cross-disciplinary programming both within the 2007 Time-Based Art Festival (TBA:07) and throughout the year. Following a grant to the American Civil Liberties Union, PICA’s grant is second in size only to the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

The second is a $75,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The Allen Family Foundation, a long-time supporter of PICA, made the award in support and recognition of excellent artistic programming for PICA’s 2007 Time-Based Art Festival. Already recognized as a solid artistic voice in the Portland community, The Allen Family Foundation pointed to PICA’s role as a leader in the national and international artistic landscape.

The third, from The Collins Foundation, is a two-year matching challenge grant of $70,000. With in-depth knowledge of PICA’s artistic innovation and integrity, The Collins Foundation awarded this grant to help PICA thrive, grow, and expand its new and increased individual contributions with their help.

All three grants received coverage in the Portland press and blogosphere (D.K. Row’s Oregonlive Blog, PORT, and The Willamette Week)