PPS Arts Partnership
PPS Arts Partnership: A Visiting Artist Program
The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) created the PPS Arts Partnership to connect local arts organizations and Portland Public Schools students in new and more powerful ways.
The PPS Arts Partnership provides funding to schools to bring outstanding local artists into classrooms to support and enhance the curriculum through art projects or workshops over multiple sessions (five or more visits). All partnerships must engage students in hands-on projects in the arts with explicit learning goals, although the subject areas may vary (arts-related, other content areas, or SEL goals). In other words, the visiting artists will not exclusively be performers, and students will not exclusively be spectators.
Important dates
February 25: Applications open
April 30: Applications due
June 5: Decisions shared
Decisions will be shared on a rolling basis through May and early June. All final decisions will be shared no later than June 5.
Eligibility
In 2026-27, every school in the district can participate if interested. Schools must select from the following list of partners to ensure a high-quality experience with a teaching artist.
- 240 Strings: Can provide group workshops for children to explore and develop their musical abilities.
- 317 Main: Has a Partnership Program to expand access to music education.
- Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Provides Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming through the arts and theatre.
- Indigo Arts Alliance alumni: Maya Williams, Jordan Kendall Parks
- Maine Academy of Modern Music: Can work to connect teachers with musicians to enhance the curriculum through music education.
- Mayo Street Arts: Provides a welcoming community arts space in the heart of East Bayside, the most densely populated, ethnically and culturally diverse square mile in Maine.
- Opera Maine: Bringing opera, music, and theater into the classroom
- Portland Museum of Art: Is open to customizing experiences that involve a combination of working with students in schools and museum visits (this link describes a PHS example from 2023).
- Portland Ovations: Performing artists from the 2025-26 season (announced May 29) will be available to give workshops in storytelling, puppetry, dance, etc.
- Portland Stage: Can expand their existing elementary PLAY Program (dramatic readings & workshops) and middle & high school Directors Lab program (Shakespeare performance & workshops) to further support your curricular goals. Portland Stage is also open to developing new programming with you.
- Portland Symphony Orchestra: Can work to connect professional orchestral musicians with students to expand upon their music education and build upon curricular connections.
- Side x Side: An arts integration organization, pairs PreK–12 teachers with expert teaching artists to design curricular driven programs that spark creativity, enhance critical thinking, build confidence, and promote collaboration—helping students discover their place in the classroom and the wider community. (If interested in working with Side x Side, please apply through their site)
- Stages Youth Theater: Can provide established theater-based programming or customize with educators to create something new.
- Telling Room: Offers residencies: a 12 session, intensive writing curriculum built around our yearly theme or a subject your classroom or school is exploring as well as customized programming.
The PPS Arts Partnership is open to experiences in a wide range of disciplines: visual arts, music, performing arts, writing, audio, dance, crafts, etc. The program will provide new learning opportunities and will not replace existing projects. For example, working with the Portland Symphony through the PPS Arts Partnership will not affect a school’s participation in the KinderKonzerts, PSO Explorers, or Youth Concerts programs that the PSO may already have in that school. If you have a recommendation for a teaching artist or arts organization that should be added to this list, please reach out to FPPS!
Depending on the length and scope of the partnership, FPPS will provide up to $8,000 per partnership. Budgets can also include supplies.
Expectations
- A school staff member must serve as the point person working with the partner organization to create a written, mutually agreed upon plan (FPPS will provide a template) including:
- Learning objectives, aligned with the Maine Learning Results
- Deliverables (final products, performances, etc.)
- Logistics (dates and times, space needed at the school, supplies, travel, etc.)
- FPPS will provide a $500 honorarium to the PPS staff point person for time outside of contracted hours.
- Teachers must be present and engaged during artists’ visits.
- Final arts projects must be documented either by recording performances, photographing art projects, or in some way appropriate to the art form.
- To participate, compliance with all elements of the PPS Guest Speaker Approval Process is required.
The PPS Arts Partnership aims to expand upon arts opportunities in the Portland Schools through long-term, immersive arts learning with experts in the field. FPPS already has a Music & the Arts Fund—primarily used for the purchasing and maintenance of equipment (kilns, microphones, musical instruments, etc.). Funds for experiences like theater performances, concerts, or single visits from artists or authors are available through the FPPS Equity & Innovation Staff Grant Program each fall.
For more information, contact:
Andi Summers: asummers@foundationforpps.org | 207-400-1151
Michael Langenmayr: michael@foundationforpps.org | 207-842-4637