June 2021
Register Now for MAC's Summer Arts Camps Programs
Registration is now open for MAC's Summer Arts Camps that take place from July 26 to August 28. To view our offerings and to register, click here.
Registration for MAC's entire season of outdoor Summer Arts Camps is now open. MAC staff have been hard at work these past several months getting Camp Counselors hired, Arts Instructors prepped, and the campus ready for youth to return for in-person arts experiences!

We have a slate of camps ready to choose from with opportunities in both the visual and performing arts. Is your child a music maker? Register for our "Musical Creations" camp! Are they more of a drawer or painter? Our popular "Young da Vincis" camp is making its return to MAC!

Our summer camps are more affordable and accessible than ever. "Pay What You Can" options are available at checkout. See camp descriptions for specific details.

If you are interested in registering your child for some of our arts camps, please review the information below. If you have any questions, MAC staff will be monitoring the front desk phone at (503) 823-2787 Monday - Thursday from 8:00-4:00 pm. If we do not answer, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We can also be reached via email at Staff.MultnomahArtsCenter@portlandoregon.gov.
IMPORTANT: We know that space is limited. If you cannot get into a camp, it is highly recommended that you place yourself on the waitlist. MAC staff will be monitoring waitlists every week this summer and offering spots as they become available based on ever-changing camp guidelines.
How to Register:

Registration opened May 24 for programs that take place from July 6 to July 25. If you are interested in getting into one of these camps, it is highly recommended that you place yourself on the waitlist.

Registration opened today at 12:30 pm for programs that take place from July 26 to August 28.

To view our entire summer's camp program offerings, please visit the link below:
Students creating art during a previous summer's MAC camp.
Camp Details:

  • Our all-day summer camps run weekly, Monday through Thursday from 9:00-5:00 pm
  • Sites will offer a flexible drop-off from 8:30-9:00 am and flexible pick-up from 5:00-5:30 pm
  • All MAC camps will take place outdoors on the MAC campus
  • We are programming a wide variety of offerings in both the visual and performing arts for grades 1-3 and 3-5

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)'s primary goal is to keep the community healthy and to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19. All in-person summer programming is being designed to meet public health guidance and to be flexible as conditions change. Visit Oregon Early Learning's Emergency Child Care Guidelines to learn more about state, county, and city COVID-19 protocols.

To learn more about PP&R's summer programming (including information on pricing, new health and safety protocols, and Inclusion Services), please visit the PP&R Summer Camps link below.
BREAKING NEWS: Limited Space Added to July 6-9 MAC Camps!
Jarmila Darby is returning to MAC to offer performing arts camps this summer season! Space has been added to her July 6-8 "Dance Magic" camp.
We have recently added spaces to some of our arts camps that take place July 6-9! Camp descriptions along with registration links can be found below:
Dance Magic (ages 8-12), taught by Kelsi Schnitter & Jarmila Darby
July 6 - July 8, 9:00 - 5:00 pm | MAC Courtyard

Experience the joys of dance! Develop rhythm, coordination, and strength. Stretch, jump, and whirl as you explore different styles of dance and movement!
Young da Vincis (ages 8-12), taught by Jan von Bergen, Junko Iijima, & Jenna Gersbach-King
July 6 - July 8, 9:00 - 5:00 pm | MAC Clay Annex

Become a well-rounded artist! Explore art forms such as sculpture, drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, mixed media, and more. Gain understanding of color, perspective, texture, and materials while creating masterpieces to take home and enjoy!
Summer Term Virtual Programming for Arts & Culture
MAC staff expanded our virtual programming for the summer season. Subjects being offered include: drawing, music, dance, textiles, painting, creative fitness, and literary arts.
Many of MAC's summer virtual programs began the week of June 21! Staff were thrilled to expand our online offerings in both the visual and performing arts. While we are excited to be welcoming back youth for arts camps this summer, we remain committed to continuing to provide high-quality arts opportunities to adults and those who are not yet ready or able to access in-person programming.

Some of the classes that have already begun include: Afro-Modern Dance, Group Piano, Hip Hop, and the third part in the "Drawing: Learning to See" class sequence. Due to the financial challenges many continue to face due to the pandemic, MAC continues to offer virtual classes at reduced prices with a flexible "Pay What You Can" discount option at checkout.
We still have some spaces left in a few of our classes! Course descriptions along with registration links can be found below.
Fitness - Meditation & Pranayama (ages 16 & up), taught by Rebecca Melton
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:00 am | July 2 - August 20 [8 classes] | Price: $15

Taking a moment to sit and concentrate on the breath can lead to major shifts in how we feel throughout the day, and even throughout our lives. Even though it might seem counter-productive, the time it takes to focus the mind and the breath increases our energy level, our peace of mind, our mental focus, and helps us to feel more rested. This class is perfect for beginners and long-time mindfulness practitioners alike. We will explore all kinds of Pranayama and Meditations practices and build up our tool kit for dealing with what life brings us.
Heroes & Monsters - Creative Writing (ages 18 & up), taught by Meg Currell
Wednesdays, 1:30 - 3:30 pm | August 4 - August 25 [4 classes] | Price: $15

Explore the dynamic expressions of heroes and monsters in literature and your own writing. Through classic and modern examples, we'll discuss what makes a hero, how they fit within the narrative of fiction, and create our own heroic characters. With an emphasis on imagining fully developed characters, we'll look at monsters through the same lens; examples of them, how they work within the structure of a story, and then build our own. Using writing prompts, we'll play with fiction as a means of discovering and developing voice. All are welcome. No writing experience necessary.
A Letter From MACA Board Chair Gordon Campbell
This month a MACA Board member reflects on what MAC classes mean to him. As our community heads towards the other side of this pandemic, we are all looking forward to revitalizing in-person arts programming.
By Gordon Campbell, MACA Chair

Why do we take classes at MAC? What keeps us coming back? Let me tell you why I've enrolled in the MAC Community Chorus for the past nine years. I bet you will recognize these things I value about my class.

I found the gifts of creative connection with my fellow choristers, friendship, and a strong sense of community (all while having fun and singing Verdi and Freddie Mercury).

The idea for a community chorus came from four women who missed the full choral experience of singing in a multi-part group, non-auditioned, and secular. The chorus grew from the initial thirty members until it doubled in size, spawning a women's chorus. We are a hands-on group, hauling and setting up chairs, making name tags, and passing the hat to help fund acoustic shells for the stage so we can better hear each other. Thanks to our generous donors, MACA was able to fund lighting improvements and risers to enhance our free community concerts each term.

I can't wait to get back to singing each week, hopefully this fall. My work as a MACA Board member supports this great class and all the others that contribute to our vibrant, creative community. I hope to see you soon, either at MAC when it reopens, or in one of our online classes.
MAC Chorus Voices:

"Fantastic experience of working together as a group to create beautiful music and abiding friendships."
- Anne

"Best thing I did when we moved here from Colorado eight years ago was join the MAC chorus... fun, challenging... always a smile on my face after rehearsals."
- Jan

"It's a good way to learn Italian - very useful when ordering pizza. Singing makes my spirits soar, and who doesn't live a better life with soaring spirits?"
- Peter

"An essential and enjoyable part of my life."
- Bill
Instructor Spotlight: Rebecca Melton, Creative Fitness
Rebecca Melton has been teaching at the Multnomah Arts Center since 2006. She holds two BFAs and has instructed in both the Metals and Creative Fitness programs.
New Year's resolutions are not usually Rebecca Melton's thing, but about 8 years ago she decided that she needed to change her life, so a resolution was in order. A moment's glimpse of herself in the mirror told her that she was indeed depressed, overly stressed out, anxious, and hadn't come up for air in a long time. Knowing that she wouldn't stick to a resolution if it didn't have a built-in system of integrity and accountability, she decided that starting a serious and daily practice of Yoga was the path to finding happiness.

About two years later into her daily practice, Rebecca was in a life changing car accident. It was one of those moments of pure clarity that life gives you that allowed her to really dive even deeper into Yoga as a modality of healing, spiritual connection, and transformation. In order to keep her body sound and relatively pain free, Yoga had to become more than an exercise. It had to become a way of life, and this life has brought her more joy, more connection, and more hope than she has ever experienced, and teaching Yoga is like the cherry on top of her sweet life sundae.

Life doesn't stop throwing us curve balls. It can be hard and wonderful. Exhausting and exhilarating. It can be painful and incredibly joyous. And we are all challenged with finding our way through intact. Yoga and meditation are incredible modalities of healing that can lead us to healthier bodies, minds, and hearts. We can learn to withstand the pressures of modern life and mitigate the stress and anxiety of daily living. Rebecca is one of many who have benefitted from the South Asian science of Kundalini and Hatha Yoga, and teaching brings a constant learning and evolution into her life and allows her the joy of sharing it with others.
Rebecca will be offering a virtual meditation class through MAC this summer term starting July 2. Click the link below to learn more and to register.
The Multnomah Arts Center (MAC), a program of Portland Parks & Recreation, provides excellent arts education in the visual and performing arts at an affordable cost to students of all ages. We offer programs in music, movement, dance, theatre, woodshop, literary arts, conditioning, metal arts, mixed media, printmaking, drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and more. Programs run year-round, and scholarships are available. Visit MultnomahArtsCenter.org to learn more about our programs.

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.