A Brief History of the Dill Pickle Club
by Marc Moscato

The Dill Pickle Club was born, in part, out of fortuitous job circumstances. During the Winter of 2009, I was laid off my job at an art museum. Faced with the possibility of searching for another job in the nonprofit sector during an economic recession, I considered the options. The thought of starting an organization that I could have more say in weighed heavily.

Through a mutual friend, I met Lucy Rockwell and Kyle Von Hoetzendorff, a couple that at the time was thinking of starting a bar. We had many conversations about creating an intellectual space for Portland — a salon for artists to talk about their work — and wrestled with ideas about how to make civic involvement more engaging. We also talked about our varied backgrounds — the fact that none of us were from Portland and what that meant.

Early planning meetings took place over the kitchen table.

One thing that became apparent was that, between the three of us, we had no capital. Starting a bar was going to require a lot of money, not to mention the busy work required to start a small business. We decided instead to focus our energies on mobile events that would require little to no overhead.

First we needed a name. We tossed around at least a dozen possibilities, but none stuck. I was just finishing up a study on hobo culture in Chicago during the Jazz Age. In my research, I came across an unorthodox free speech forum named the Dill Pickle Club. The place seemed to defy categorization, but served as a meeting ground where anyone from university professors to panhandlers could give a presentation on something they believed in. It seemed in much the same spirit of our aspirations for an intellectual space for Portland, and, after much deliberation, we settled on reopening the Dill Pickle Club.

The Dill Pickle Club was a meeting ground for hobos and scholars. Image courtesy the Newberry Library.

We held an informational meeting to gather community input to developing our programs. We asked people to “tell us about an experience that changed your life” and “describe an ideal event.” We found most people appreciated small events in which they can interact and ask questions — important considerations in planning and conceiving our first programs.

Around this time Lucy was a part of a short-lived endeavor called the “How and Why Club” that toured the Leatherman factory. She suggested a tour-based format to engage people with the ideas we were interested in. We began planning our first tour — and conceived of it as a “field trip for grown-ups.”

It was 2009, and Barack Obama had just been sworn into office. There was a lot of excitement and speculation of a stimulus plan that would rejuvenate the economy through arts and culture. These ideas seemed similar to policies enacted by the Works Progress Administration under the New Deal. We decided this would be a perfect topic to explore through our first trip — combining our shared interests in art and civic engagement.

Our first event focused on artwork from the WPA, including a secret mural at Abernethy School.

In all, 50 people showed up on bikes eager to learn about federally funded art in Portland. People immediately asked if we would do the tour again. Then they asked what the next tour was. Suddenly, we realized we were doing a good thing for the community. We soon organized a few additional tours that grew in size and scope.

Around this time, the Dill Pickle Club acquired its first office space in the Everett Station art galleries. For a brief period we inhabited the building free of charge, thanks to a group of artists from Eugene that had extra space. Here, the organization held its first fundraiser and planned its first lecture series, on the history of independent music in Portland.

Northwest Passage, our first lecture series, at the Waypost.

Over the following two years, the organization has grown steadily. In 2010, we registered with the IRS — first as an LLC, then as a nonprofit corporation. We formally drafted a mission statement and developed a calendar year for our programs. We developed a theme of “Forgotten Histories,” which was explored through lectures, tours and publications. We also moved offices — to our new home in the Dekum Building.

Our first office in the Dekum Building...was very small.

2011 brought more change — the addition of new board members, staff and a growing membership base. Programming focused on “How Does The City Work,” exploring civic and municipal functions of the city. We received our official designation as a nonprofit organization. We also received our first two grants, thus officially becoming “legit.”

To see the community’s response to our programs has been remarkable. It has been truly amazing to see the thousands of people come together to participate in the Dill Pickle Club. We are indebted to all the people who have given shape to the organization during this critical time.

PDX Re-Print lecture in 2011 at YU Contemporary.

The Dill Pickle Club continues to exist within a small ecosystem of arts and cultural organizations in Portland, working to educate people about the city and provide opportunities to engage in civic dialogue. Such free spaces for open inquiry are rare but represent a real need — and are the kinds of spaces that are crucial to creating an informed and engaged citizenry. These spaces provide the kind of experiences that are vital to the health and well being of a democratic society — the spaces that we should never lose.

We wish to thank everyone for a great couple of years. We look forward to many more to come!