Creativity is a critical component in helping young people learn and think and yet arts education is often squeezed by tight budgets. This series spotlights programs that are filling that gap. How are they working? How are they sustainable? How are they adapting to a diverse population? What can we learn from them and how can they be replicated?
This series is supported in part by a generous grant from the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation.
Musician/educator Mary-Sue Tobin premieres new music based on classroom experiences as she joins musicians Alan Jones, Darrell Grant, Domo Branch, and others at the 10th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival.
The McMinnville plumber taught himself to paint by watching YouTube tutorials during the pandemic. This fall, he’s teaching classes at Back Door Studio.
The Portland academy’s live multimedia performance tribute to the Talking Heads film incorporates original work by students with disabilities.
The Oregon Bach Festival’s choral education program, now in its 25th year, celebrated last week with a performance of Penderecki’s “Credo.”
In “Pacific Waters” at the Corvallis Arts Center, students composed works for strings to go with Mary Frisbee Johnson’s water sketches.
The pandemic gave the 53-year-old coastal center opportunities to “look at things in fresh ways,” including youth programs, residencies, and Indigenous fellowships.
PSU Opera produces an “enchanting” version of the beloved Mozart fantasy, with vibrant singing and some kids who almost steal the scene.
After a 3-year pandemic hiatus, the event for writers of all levels returns April 29. Festival participants Emily Grosvenor and Lisa Weidman talk about what to expect.
The performances, April 20-22 at the Newmark Theatre, showcase the resilience and versatility of this nationally acclaimed high school dance company.
Portland music ensemble’s unique education initiative celebrates its 25th anniversary with a concert on April 17 featuring new compositions by program alumni.
Oregon’s youth choirs raise their voices in this year’s Music In Our Schools Month theme, “Music is all of us.”
In a new anthology from Portland’s MediaRites, young authors come to grips with living in a challenging and rapidly changing world.
The Reser hosted a nearly sold-out multimedia Valentine’s Day presentation with scientist Larry Sherman, singer Naomi LaViolette, and Portland Chamber Orchestra.
Faculty transitions open up a new position and the opportunity to transform how the department teaches dance at the intersection of social, political, and creative movements.
The Eugene orchestra, which accompanies Eugene Ballet’s “Nutcracker” performances again this month, mixes seasoned professionals with aspiring orchestral musicians.
With an emphasis on technique and also inclusion, new director Katarina Svetlova is leading Oregon Ballet Theatre School in a fresh direction.
Two of Oregon’s premier theater schools, Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre and The Actors Conservatory, are sharing space in the historic Tiffany Center.
With the aid of major grants, Indigenous Oregonians are reviving knowledge and traditions via videos, apps, and radio waves.
The nonprofit offers two-week immersive classes in everything from print-making to Ghanian drumming to performing in a Shakespearean play.
The 23-year-old cellist’s recent visit to Oregon for Chamber Music Northwest included concerts, a master class, an afternoon with four cellists even younger than him, and “one of the best string recitals” Soovin Kim has ever heard.
The mural, created with the help of the Oregon Coast Children’s Theatre & Center for the Arts, offers a positive message about coming together after the pandemic.
Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble’s education program helps young musicians create new music.
Legendary but long dormant Oregon music showcase returns with a new vision and a new venue.
Through a lifelong study of the Japanese tea ceremony, Oregon’s Margie Yap learned how to brew an intentional life.
Esteemed Morehouse Glee Club director teaches local choral students at three-day event in Portland.
An interview with the founder and creatives behind the non-profit PlayWrite
The Art of Learning: PYJO celebrates its third decade and return to the stage with a March 14 concert at Portland’s Alberta Rose Theatre.
Trayshun Holmes-Gournaris of the Oregon School for the Deaf wins the Poetry Out Loud state title; new at the art museum; downtown art space trashed.
Two potters have turned an abandoned middle school into a center for art classes serving adults and Reedsport School District students.
Students are using non-recyclable debris to create a tidal-rock sculpture that will grace the new Lincoln City Cultural Center Plaza.
The bill, which would redress decades of inequality in arts access, has broad support but faces a long journey in Congress.
The Oregon Coast Council for the Arts’ repurposed school bus will bring activities to children in rural areas.
Tualatin Valley Creates’ Arts & Leadership Incubator helps artists connect their work to the community.
Portland’s All Classical Radio moves to bring more diverse music to more diverse audiences.
The Oregon affiliate of Venezuela’s famed El Sistema education system gives diverse students access to music education
Luiza Lukova interviews the artist and educator about claiming space, engaging students, and creating “social forms.”
The Hoff Online program celebrates Manzanita Day with a talk by Ketzel Levine.
Portland writer Kathleen Lane and her smart new novel for middle schoolers turn the table on anxiety and spark creativity.
Put together a composer with a post-Halloween idea, a passel of puppets, and the Portland Columbia Symphony. Add YouTube and instruments. Voila!
Lincoln City students blend art with technology to create self-portraits during a year of virtual learning.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School Museum of Contemporary Art has faced a difficult year, but it has adapted to the pandemic and kept its students engaged.
Portland’s I Am MORE helps traumatized young people heal by sharing their stories
A grant will help a Lincoln County arts activist spread happiness, one ukulele at a time.
Band students at Toledo Jr/Sr High School have their choice of instruments, but a tuba remains out of reach.
An arts education nonprofit set out to film demonstrations in grade-school classrooms. Then came the pandemic.
Artists Rep and The Actors Conservatory join to create a new teaching and performing dynamic.
The Portland choral director and educator leaves a rich legacy in sounds and singers.
From pets to the pandemic, a Sitka Center project spurs discussion among second-graders about the year’s events.
Pandemic inspires youth orchestra to create a new music festival and commissioning program featuring new music by diverse voices Art is all about creativity, so when the pandemic struck, Portland Youth Philharmonic, facing cancellation of in-person classes and concerts, got creative. The
Sitka Center brings a Native American tradition to elementary students.
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