Arts Education for All!

One of Arts Central’s objectives is to make arts education available to children and youth, regardless of ability to pay.  In Central Oregon, K-5 students do not receive any consistent visual or performing arts instruction in their formative academic years. 

To help provide arts learning in our region, Arts Central has developed a multi-faceted arts education program designed to meet the needs of a wide population of children. In addition, art classes are available for adults.

In 2001 Arts Central opened the Art Station, a community visual arts school in Bend, to provide professional-level arts classes for ages two through adults. Professional art instructors and artists teach painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture throughout the year in the former Bend train station, built in 1911.

Five years later, VanGo was created to expand Arts Central’s arts education services to underserved and disadvantaged children and youth throughout Central Oregon.  VanGo travels to a variety of after-school and school sites in Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties bringing art instructors, art supplies and arts curriculum.

Also in the arts education arsenal is the Artists in Schools (AIS) residency program.  Part of a state-wide network of regional arts councils that provide artist residencies, AIS provides artist residencies to schools in five counties (Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook, Klamath and Lake counties). Many of these small, rural schools do not have any visual or performing arts curriculum.