Arts in Education Week Celebration and Proclamation Reading

The Portland Art Museum, in partnership with Portland Public Schools and the Office of Arts & Culture, is celebrating Arts in Education Week, recognized nationally, September 13–19. Please join us on Tuesday, September 15 at 1 p.m. in the Silver Family Youth and Community Gallery at the Portland Art Museum for a City of Portland proclamation reading. 

The gallery hosts the extraordinary work of student artists in the HeART of Portland Visual Art Exhibition. This exhibition features over 100 works that highlight the diversity of arts offerings across Portland Public Schools. As part of the proclamation reading, elementary students will share their artwork.

Admission is free. Registration requested.

Arts in Education Week, September 13–19, is a national celebration that lifts up the enduring power of an arts education. Arts education allows students to develop artistic disciplines, learn about and understand multiple perspectives, build connections with others, and find their voice in the world. Engagement in the arts fosters durable skills such as creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, resiliency, and critical thinking. These durable skills will be used by students throughout their lives.  

The arts are not extra; they are an essential part of a well-rounded education. Portland guarantees all 28,000 public elementary students access to an arts education through the Arts Access Fund, powered by the Arts Education Tax. The Arts Access Fund also provides grants for arts organizations that provide arts experiences for K-12 students and people in underserved communities. Last year, local arts organizations recorded a combined 143,525 arts experiences for K-12 students in Portland.   

We are proud to celebrate a 100+ year partnership with Portland Public Schools, and each year the Portland Art Museum serves 30,000 students through school tours and community access programs. Children 17 and under are always free.