Portland High School
Digital Exhibition 2024

The Portland Museum of Art’s partnership with the Portland High School (PHS) Advanced Art class in the Spring of 2024 focused on fusing abstraction, three-dimensionality, and natural materials. 

Working with art teacher, Louis Lachapelle, students explored the practices of PMA Collection artists such as Leonardo Drew, Lauren Fensterstock, Jeffrey Gibson, Teresa Baker, and more. Students began developing their own artwork and met with PMA Collection artist, Brian Smith, to learn about his artistic process. Brian connected with each student to discuss their individual ideas and help address any challenges that arose while working in abstract sculpture. 

The results of this partnership between the PMA, PHS, and Brian are evident in these artworks created as a culmination of this venture into abstract sculpture. 

Since 2019, the Portland Public Schools (PPS) and Portland Museum of Art (PMA) Partnership Program has aimed to build connections, resources, and collaborations with the PPS district. These partnerships focus on student needs and interests, and are developed in collaboration with educators. We hope that partnerships such as these help to amplify the power of art and artmaking, along with the incredible arts education work being done in our local communities. 

Photography by Erin Little.

For more information about school programs and partnerships at the PMA, please visit our Learn page, or email Meghan Quigley Graham mquigley@portlandmuseum.org.  

Student and teacher programming at the PMA is made possible by the Beatrice Gilmore Endowment for Museum Education, the Charles A. Came Educational Fund, the Katherine K. Monks Education Fund, the Madelyn Busker Cohen Endowment Fund, the Sam L. Cohen Foundation, the Sibley-Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Rachel F. Armstrong Fund, the Peggy L. Osher Learning and Interpretation Endowment, and Unum. Supported in part by a grant from the Onion Foundation.