Our Mission

to use circus arts as a catalyst for personal and collective transformation

 

Our Vision

We create circus art that:
Explores creative, physical, and personal limits; is multidisciplinary; inspires connection

We strive to create artists who are:
Skilled; authentic: collaborative

We strive to create a community in which everyone feels:
Respected: accepted as they are; supported to grow

Our Values

Diversity, equity, and inclusion


We continually work to:
• Increase pathways to participation
• Acknowledge and dismantle inequities inherent in our organization and culture
• Foster an atmosphere of physical, emotional, and cultural safety in which people take personal and creative risks.

Communication

We strive to communicate in ways that are:
• Responsive
• Genuine
• Transparent

Artistic Growth


Among students and professionals, we further:
• Technical skill
• Creativity
• Authenticity

Personal Growth


We facilitate physical, emotional, and social growth by cultivating qualities of:
• Courage
• Openness
• Perseverance – try, fail, and try again

Community growth


We strive to develop relationships within our organization and extended community that:
• Build connections between people with diverse lived experiences
• Foster a sense of belonging
• Provide opportunities for collaboration

Read the rest of our Guiding Principles here:

 

Join the Equity Team! The Equity Team will assist The Circus Project in developing a comprehensive strategic equity plan, including setting budget priorities, establishing project goals and assembling project teams. Learn more about the Equity Team here.

 

Equity Statement

We recognize that The Circus Project has benefited from and contributes to past and existing societal, cultural and structural norms, values, and practices that prioritize and benefit white, cis, heteronormative, wealthy, non-disabled people. Advancing equity, for us, is about seeing, naming, and understanding how this reality shows up in ourselves, in our organization and in circus arts, and then consistently working to create an organization and community that more equitably benefits and includes people of all identities. The work we are doing is described below.

What does it mean to apply an equity lens at The Circus Project?


To consider what equity means in an actionable way, we believe that we must take the time to critically think about what is and is not working in our organization. Each decision and action is a use of power that either can further alienate or can include and elevate people with marginalized identities. We ask ourselves and each other these questions when making choices as we go about our work:

  1. How is this process/project/problem/decision being conceptualized? 

  2. Is there any aspect of this conceptualization that creates an ‘us/them,’ or otherwise binary definition of the people who can or “should” be included?

  3. What are some implicit biases that I or the organizational culture holds that are affecting this process, etc.?

  4. Who does this process, etc. impact?

  5. Who does this process, etc. benefit? 

  6. Who was involved in the planning and decision-making process and how?

  7. How does this process, etc. increase access and benefits?

  8. Is there transparency around power and resources regarding this process/project/problem/decision? 

 What steps are we taking to advance equity at The Circus Project? 


We invite you to read our Equity Actions Log by clicking the link below. We consider this a living record, and will continue to update as we move forward.

Land Acknowledgement

 

The Circus Project recognizes that we are all here on the stolen land of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Cowlitz bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla and the many other tribes who have stewarded this land, caring for the mountains of the Cascades, the deep running rivers, and the green valleys of the Portland and SW Washington area. We thank them for their stewardship of this land. We respect and honor the many lives lost, exploited, and otherwise harmed by the colonization of this land, and we recognize the intergenerational trauma passed down through the families of these indigenous peoples. The Circus Project is committed to including the experiences and perspectives of indigenous peoples as we continue on our equity journey.