Art and Conversation: the HeART of Portland

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This month, we are joined by artist and Visual Arts district leader for Portland Public Schools, Carolyn Drake, for a look into the formation of this year’s HeART of Portland, an annual showcase of the arts programs from across PPS. Our conversation will consider the ups, downs, and unexpected shifts in practice and pedagogy that have resulted from distance learning in this unprecedented last year.

Carolyn Hazel Drake is a third-generation Oregonian from a long line of craftswomen. Her creativity was cultivated early on in her mother’s quilt store, as was her appreciation for handwork and being a part of a community of makers. She is a textile artist and teaches workshops out of her studio and through Sitka Center for the arts.

Carolyn studied Literature & Architecture at Portland State University’s Honors College and spent a term as a curatorial research & writing intern for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with a particular focus on sculpture. She earned her M.Ed. from PSU and went on to teach visual arts, art history, and language arts for over a decade in Oregon public schools.

Carolyn is currently the Visual Arts district leader for Portland Public Schools, where she engages in advocacy and supports best practice and professional development for the nearly one hundred visual arts specialists serving close to 30,000 students in the district. Since 2018, she has been awarded a GLEAN residency, a Leland Ironworks residency, and a Suttle Lodge residency. Carolyn is currently a member of Waterstone Gallery, Wave Contemporary, and a standing member of the Portland Art Museum’s Teacher Advisory Council.

Art and Conversation is a free monthly program that occurs every third Tuesday, featuring a range of speakers from Museum curators and staff, artists and Portland-based arts organizations.