Arts for All: Community Open House

Multnomah Arts Center is opening its doors for the Arts for All: Community Open House on Friday, October 16, from 6 PM to 8 PM. It's a free night, and the whole point is to let you wander through the studios and classrooms and try your hand at things you might never otherwise touch. There are 16 creative experiences to choose from, and they cover a lot of ground: ceramics, printmaking, woodworking, textiles, music, movement, and storytelling. You don't have to commit to one; you can drift from one station to the next and see what sticks.

If you've never been inside, the Multnomah Arts Center is part of Portland Parks & Recreation and has been around for more than 50 years. It runs one of the largest community arts education programs in the country, with classes in music, dance, theatre, drawing, painting, photography, woodshop, metal arts, ceramics, sculpture, and textiles, along with gallery exhibitions and stage performances. The open house is part of the 'Arts for All' effort by the Multnomah Arts Center Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for equity and access to arts education at the center. They describe it as a celebration of how accessible arts education strengthens communities, preserves culture, and supports lifelong learning.

The evening also ties into ADX Fest, a regionwide art and design festival celebrating Portland's creative independents. That's where the hands-on part comes in: the studios and classrooms will be filled with around 15 activities led by artists and educators, so you're working with people who actually teach these things. It's a good way to get a feel for what the center does without signing up for a full course first.

It's all at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, in Southwest Portland. Doors open at 5:30 PM, and the event runs from 6 PM to 8 PM on Friday, October 16. Admission is free.