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Explore hands-on art experiences, meet local artists, and celebrate creativity
Published
(Portland, Oregon) –
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)'s Multnomah Arts Center (MAC) throws open its doors to Arts for All, a free community open house event on Friday, October 16, 2026. Guests can explore more than a dozen interactive art experiences, meet instructors, and discover the creativity happening daily at Multnomah Arts Center.
Admission is free. The event is presented with support from the Multnomah Arts Center Association (MACA), the nonprofit organization that advocates for equity and access to arts education at MAC.
What: Arts for All – MAC Community Open House
When: Friday, October 16, 2026, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Where: Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR
"Choose your art adventure" across MAC's studios and classrooms with approximately 15 hands-on activities led by artists and educators.
Held in conjunction with the regional art and design festival ADX Fest, the evening highlights the people, programs, and partnerships that make MAC one of Portland's largest community arts hubs.
Pre-event activities:
- Guided Multnomah Village mural walk
- Area businesses have been invited to offer specials, extended hours and other activities throughout the day and evening
All kinds of art!
Ceramics, metalsmithing, printmaking, woodworking, textiles, and more. Visitors can step inside working studios, watch artists at work, and try creative activities designed for all ages.
"Arts for All is about opening our doors and inviting the community to experience the creativity that happens here every day," said Lisa Doslu, President of the nonprofit Multnomah Arts Center Association. "Whether you're taking your first class, returning after many years, or simply curious about making art, we want everyone to feel welcome."
Throughout the evening, attendees will also discover the broader impact of community arts programs through partnerships with organizations including Portland Parks & Recreation's Community Music Center, ADX, Art Here, Arts in the Village, and other local collaborators. Interactive storytelling, community art experiences, and opportunities to explore public art throughout Multnomah Village will highlight how creativity connects neighborhoods across Portland.
The event is part of MACA's broader Arts for All effort, celebrating how accessible arts education strengthens communities, preserves culture, and supports lifelong learning.
About the Multnomah Arts Center
The Multnomah Arts Center (MAC) is part of Portland Parks & Recreation and provides excellent arts education in the visual, performing and literary arts at an affordable cost to students of all ages. The arts and cultural centerhas served Portland's creative community for more than 50 years. With one of the largest comprehensive community arts education programs in the United States, MAC provides affordable opportunities to learn, make and experience art across a wide range of disciplines, serving thousands of students and community members each year.
Through classes, exhibitions, performances, community partnerships and programs such as Arts in the Parks, MAC's reach extends beyond its Southwest Portland home and into communities across the city. Together with the Multnomah Arts Center Association and a growing network of community partners, MAC continues to advance a simple belief: Arts for All.
MAC offers programs in music, dance, theatre, literary arts, drawing, painting, photography, woodshop, metal arts, mixed media, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and more. Along with our vibrant arts education program,
MAC hosts theatre, music & dance performances, gallery exhibitions, and other special events.
About the Multnomah Arts Center Association
The Multnomah Arts Center Association (MACA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which supports the vibrancy and health of the MAC. MACA's mission is advocating for equity and access to arts education.
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