EDUCATION

STREET ED PROGRAM

YOUTH MURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

Street ED is an opportunity for students to contextualize their own art practice and civic engagement in the streets alongside other experienced artists. It is a way for students to devote their time and imaginations toward creating tangible social impact in their communities, and throughout the entire process, also gain first hand experience how to professionalize their own art practices. 

During the Spring of 2021, the Street ED program made its debut at Portland Public Schools as a virtual class. In a partnership with Portland Street Art Alliance, the class was taught by Street ED founder, educator, and multidisciplinary artist Adam Brock Ciresi, to a class of over 20 high school students from all over the district. The class led a combination of discussion-focused lectures and workshops, encouraging each student to make their own artwork in public and share it with the rest of the class. Topics explored included: reflections about making art in the streets, such as some of the responsibilities we might have as public artists for being more inclusive, different methods of street art, ways of challenging certain social norms that limit positive growth as a society, and examining certain lines of legality for street art.

Several students went on to join Street ED in painting a community mural for Ethos Music Center, a music school for youth that has existed for many years in the same neighborhood that used to be central to the Black community. Ethos’ location is on the same street that once had a thriving, nationally renown jazz scene, nicknamed Jumptown. In the face of continual gentrification for the Albina District and Portland as a whole, this mural stands to celebrate and honor some of that history, acknowledge the land, and include some perspectives from today’s youth that depict colorful futures.  

Guest lecturers & mural assistants included Roger Peet, Molly Mendoza, Salomée and JAHDI.

Grab bag learning sessions were organized by PSAA with local artists including RxSkulls, Lawson Arts and Alex Chiu and Portland State University professor and PSAA Board Member, Dr. Hunter Shobe.