A single piece of artwork — “Celebrate Oregon” — honors and respects the diverse people and cultures of Oregon.

It’s featured on the new cultural license plate and as murals that welcome passengers in airports across the state. Created by Eugene artist Liza Mana Burns, it’s a vibrant tapestry of Oregon landscapes featuring 127 cultural symbols of our arts, heritage, and humanities, funded for 20 years by the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Check out the plate design to find beer — representing the Beer Culture in Oregon lead by Baker City’s Barley Brown’s, a Wagon Wheel telling the story of the westward migration and other stories of Oregon’s past and bright future.

Participating in the tax credit is easy. First, make a donation to a cultural nonprofit that matters to you — your local library, a performing arts organization, a museum or any of the 1,500-plus organizations qualified by the Cultural Trust. Then make a contribution of equal or lesser value to the Trust to qualify for the tax credit.

By matching your cultural nonprofit donations with a gift to the Trust, you can leverage your support for culture. The Trust’s promise: a state tax credit for you and stable and accessible funding for everyone. This is a way to double your support as a cultural donor. The Cultural Tax Credit was described by The Oregonian as “a way to make paying state taxes satisfying.”

Here’s how you get your tax credit and fund Oregon arts, heritage and humanities: First, donate to your favorite cultural nonprofits before December 31. Then, also make a matching gift to the Cultural Trust by Dec. 31 (including gifts of stock or funds from your IRA). Finally, enter the amount you gave to the Cultural Trust as a tax credit on your 2022 state tax form. Watch your state tax bill decrease and know that those dollars will be used to fund cultural activities in the coming year.

Your tax credit equals the amount of your donation to the Cultural Trust, up to a limit of: $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly and $2,500 for C-class corporations.

The act of giving is more important than the amount you give to the Trust. Every donation to the Trust, and every tax credit claimed, is a vote in support of our arts, heritage and humanities. As Oregon’s communities recover from the pandemic’s effects, a bright future is dependent on our assistance.

Please visit the Cultural Trust at www.culturaltrust.org or call (503) 986-0088 today. Thank you for your support.

Ginger Savage

executive director, Crossroads Carnegie Art Center