The Arts Education and Access Fund has raised more than $124 million since Portland voters approved the $35-per-year income tax in 2012, with more than $77 million going to Portland-area school districts, reaching approximately 30,000 children per year through arts and music education in every K-5 public school. More than $30 million has also been awarded to local arts organizations.
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Payment for the 2023 tax year is due April 15, 2024 and can be made online.
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Celebrating ten years of arts education in Portland with student art exhibits
Portland Building student art exhibit runs through June 2024
The City Arts Program celebrates student art with an exhibit at the Portland Building, featuring collaboration between Rieke Elementary students and Cleveland High School sculpture students.
The Arts Education and Access Fund began funding arts education in Portland’s elementary schools during the 2013-14 school year. Current 10th Graders were in kindergarten when the fund began, and this spring the City Arts Program is celebrating the decade-long impact access to the arts has had on Portland schoolkids.
A collaboration between Rieke Elementary 5th graders and Cleveland High School sculpture students is on exhibit on the second floor of the Portland Building, hosted by the City Arts Program.
The collaboration is based on the “Exquisite Corpse” drawing game created by the Surrealist artists of the early 1900’s. One artist begins the drawing with the head, then folds it over passes to the next artist to draw the torso. The paper is then folded over and passed to a third artist who completes the drawing with legs. Rieke Elementary students added a new dimension to the game by passing their drawings to Cleveland High School sculpture students who turned the drawings into sculptures.
Plan your visit
The exhibit, on the Portland Building's second floor, opened earlier this month and runs through June. The Portland Building is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 1120 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97204.
The HeART of Portland at the Portland Art Museum April 16-28
Students who took their first steps into kindergarten classrooms in the 2013-14 school year, are now thriving tenth graders. Through challenges and budget constraints, Portland taxpayer support has been an illuminating light—one that nurtures curiosity, inspires wonder, and encourages self-discovery in young artists.
On April 16, 2024, Portland Public Schools (PPS) and the Portland Art Museum (PAM) unite for the 2024 HeART of Portland—a celebration of a decade marked by excellence, wonder, and curiosity of student artists whose talents have been cultivated by the generous support of Portland taxpayers. The performing arts showcase kicks off a two-week visual arts exhibition full of student work from across the district.
This year's theme, "Lighting the Way: A Decade of Excellence, Wonder, and Curiosity," underscores the transformative power of equity in arts education—a force that lights the path for every student artist to blossom and thrive.
“For the past ten years, The Arts Education Access Fund, commonly referred to as the Arts Tax, has provided a bright light, showing the way for students in our district to grow as artists”, says PPS Director of Visual & Performing Arts Kristen Brayson. “With gratitude, we invite all Portlanders to come and enjoy student learning on display as a result of their investment in art education.”
The exhibit kicks off with an evening showcase on April 16 at 6:30 p.m., featuring captivating performances—dance, music, theater—by PPS student artists, including the district-wide PPS Elementary Honor Choir.
Visitors will see Over 100 visual artworks showcasing the rich diversity of creativity in PPS arts classrooms. This includes the highly anticipated PPS collaborative art exhibit Artistic Alchemy: Transformative Art Making, which will be displayed for two weeks, alongside the current Portland Art Museum exhibition Throughlines: Connections in the Collection.
Audiences can enjoy free admission to Throughlines as well as PAM’s new special exhibition Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks on April 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. before the opening reception.
The showcase also features personal stories shared by tenth graders from across the district, offering a glimpse into the value of a community-supported public arts education.
The Portland Art Museum exhibit runs through April 28, concluding with the Miller Family Free Day, a full-day event featuring art-making activities and student performances in the museum galleries, with free admission all day for the community to enjoy both Throughlines and Future Now.
Don’t miss the chance to celebrate student artists and the community of educators and supporters who help them grow.
Plan your visit
The exhibit kicks off with an evening showcase on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. and ends with a full-day event on April 28. The Portland Art Museum is located at 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205.
More information about the HeART of Portland can be found here.