January 2023
Spring Registration Info
There are still a few openings in our arts classes for the second half of winter term. You can check out MAC programs with openings here. Registration can be done online, in person, by phone at 503-823-2787, or at any PP&R locations.

Spring registration will begin on Wednesday, March 8 at 12:30pm.
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NEW! First Friday Arts for All
Multnomah Arts Center in collaboration with Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) is proud to present our inaugural First Friday- Arts For All! We invite the Portland community to join MAC staff and SAQA at the Multnomah Arts Center on February 3 for a free, fun evening of arts. Yummy snacks will be provided!

Young ones will play, explore, and create shapes while teens and adults will take it to the next level, creating messages and stories through shape arrangements and color theory. This community event is presented in conjunction with Emergence, MAC’s new gallery show.

WHAT: Free drop-in art making lead by professional artists plus yummy snacks
WHEN: Friday, February 3 from 6:00-8:00 pm
WHERE: MAC Auditorium (7688 SW Capitol Hwy)

Coming to the Gallery
On display February 17 – March 25, this combined exhibit features works by Arturo Villaseñor and Rachel Young. Young creates intricate micro-mosaics. Utilizing indigenous Huichol (wee-CHOL) techniques, she individually applies thousands of beads to create a unique and modern perspective from an age-old technique. This is a meditative process through which she has experienced healing and strength both personal and collective. Villaseñor will be showing a selection of new paintings. Born in Mexico City, his career has traveled terrain both wide and deep. He has worked formally for years in adult education, social computer literacy and business training for Latino entrepreneurs. In parallel to these endeavors, his creative work is a beautifully skilled exploration of place and purpose.

Photo courtesy: Arturo Villaseñor (left) and Rachel Young (right)
Say Hey to Hadley!
We are excited to introduce the newest team member to the Multnomah Arts Center’s staff, Hadley Sternberg, filling a long vacant role as MAC’s Recreation Facility Technician!
 
Hadley (she/her) grew up in S.E. Portland and went on to do two AmeriCorps programs: one in Montana doing trail work and one in Mississippi working with FEMA. She enjoys traveling, cooking, and trying new foods, and working with her hands. During the pandemic she had time to spend doing hobbies which included knitting, water coloring, and wood carving; she adopted a cat from the Oregon Humane Society and has enjoyed “catifying her home and making a cat tree from recycled wood. She tried clamming for the first-time last year at the Oregon Coast and had a blast! She has always enjoyed the outdoors and helping people.
 
Hadley is looking forward to working with a team of people and seeing all the art that's created at MAC. She is excited to be working with Portland Parks & Recreation and the City of Portland to bring a warm and welcome experience to all those she encounters. Welcome Hadley!
SEWING COMES TO MAC - NEW Partnership with WOMEN-SEW Global Foundation
Multnomah Arts Center Association is partnering with Dr. LaVerne Lewis, Founder of the WOMEN-SEW Global Foundation to begin a new sewing program at MAC. Women-Sew is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create global awareness and respond to women and girls, engaged in sewing collectives with intended outcomes of economic and leadership empowerment.
 
LaVerne was instrumental in helping MACA acquire new sewing machines that will be available for student use in classes and outreach events. Offerings begin this spring, with plans for beginning sewers to learn the fundamentals, taught by LaVerne Lewis herself. More details to come.

LaVerne Lewis is Founder/CEO of Women-SEW Global Foundation, a nonprofit that creates “global awareness and a response to women and girls, specifically immigrant and refugee, engaged in sewing collectives with intended outcomes of economic and leadership empowerment.” 

Statement: I learned to sew from my mother, on her old treadle sewing machine, making aprons and doll clothes. I was sewing and knitting by the age of 15, making most of my school clothes and my wedding dress. My mother and grandmother quilted by hand, but I was born to machine sew and quilt… I love mixing the medium of all kinds of fabric, not just cottons, but suedes, velvets and wools.... For me, the fun is in the creating, the playing, the ‘trying new things’ and seeing how it all evolves. Sometimes, I will start a piece, hang it up and ponder; creativity is ongoing, fluid and expansive, never stagnant. Other times, I will finish a piece in one setting. I also love making handbags of all shapes and sizes, such as free-form purses, tote bags, upcycle technique bags, and embroidery designed purses. My creations are created with emphasis on the color, fabric, thread, quality workmanship and the embellishment.

Thanks to our MACA donors. Thanks to you, projects like this possible. If you'd like to become a MACA donor or renew your commitment to our mission, please consider donating here.


The Multnomah Arts Center Association (MACA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which supports the vibrancy and health of the Multnomah Arts Center. Its mission is to advocate for equity and access to arts education.

The MAC Press is a publication of and made possible by the Multnomah Arts Center Association. MACA welcomes your tax-deductible cash contributions and in-kind donations to provide improvements to our facilities and programs.

Thank you for your support!