ABOUT THE EVENT

Thank you, Portlanders, for supporting the Arts Tax! Portland Public Schools is proud to partner with the Portland Art Museum to host the annual HeART of Portland: A Portland Public Schools K-12 Arts Showcase. This annual event, currently in its ninth year, kicks off with an opening reception on Tuesday, April 11th 6:30pm at the Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. 

The event is free and open to everyone! 

To learn more about the event and accessibility accommodations, visit the Portland Art Museum’s informational page.

APRIL 11, 2023 @6:30 pm | OPENING RECEPTION AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

The opening reception will include student dance, music, and theater performances, as well as over 100 works of visual art, that highlight the diversity of arts offerings across PPS. Guests will also experience collaborative art projects exploring themes of identity and cultural and personal storytelling inspired by two Portland Art Museum exhibitions, Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe and Jeffrey Gibson: They Come From Fire.  See the full program HERE. 

LATINX COMMUNITY CHOIR

The first PPS Latinx Community Choir will perform selections from the world premiere of El Agua de mi Ser, a song cycle written by local composer Luz Elena Mendoza of Y La Bamba, performed by the new PPS Latinx Community Choir. The choir is a multi-generational group combining Latinx PPS singers with adult mentors from Portland’s professional Resonance Ensemble and additional musical groups. Read more about it HERE!

THE UNVEILING OF THE MASTER ARTS EDUCATION PLAN

Includes a short film premiere and a special ribbon cutting!

PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero will be on hand for a celebratory ribbon cutting to officially present the Master Arts Education Plan, a nationally recognized plan that increases equitable access to high-quality arts education for all PPS students. The presentation will include a short film speaking to the genesis and inspiration of the plan. Audience members will be welcome to peruse and take hard copies of the plan for further reference. The Latinx Community Choir and Mendoza’s premiere is a powerful example of the direction in which the Master Arts Education Plan is already leading us.

APRIL 11th - 23rd | VISUAL ART EXHIBITION AT THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

Come explore the 2023 HeART of Portland Collaborative Project, United (Not Divided), inspired by the art of Oscar Howe and Jeffery Gibson. Exploring the theme of Identity as a Radical Act, students created pieces to express their identity as a person or an artist while reflecting and sharing their thoughts about the art of Oscar Howe and Jeffery Gibson.  See a preview of the featured student work in our Visual Arts Digital Gallery. 

Student artwork will be displayed in the Miller Gallery, open during normal museum hours until April 23rd. 

APRIL 23, 10am - 5pm |  MILLER FAMILY FREE DAY

Enjoy free admission and dance, music, and theatre small ensemble performances throughout the museum as we close our HeART of Portland Exhibition and in celebration of the long-standing community partnership between the Museum and PPS. You may reserve your free admission tickets online beginning the Wednesday prior to the free day.  A limited number of tickets are also available for walk-in visitors on the day of.