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). Educators decide how to incorporate visiting artists into their curriculum, be it through a one-week stay or by bringing in artists at key times over the semester or year.  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.

In 2026-27, every school in the district can participate if interested.  We encourage schools to select from the following list of partner organizations to ensure a high-quality experience with a teaching artist or an artist supported by 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 and Theater of Maine: 
• Indigo Arts Alliance: A list of participating artists will be available soon
• Maine Academy of Modern Music: Can work to connect teachers with musicians to enhance the curriculum through music education.
• 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. Antonio Rocha will be in residence March 1 to June 1, 2026, and Wabanaki Artists performing in Wabanaki Stories will be available Spring 2026.
• 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.
  
• 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.