SALEM, Ore. – Three Mid-Valley arts organizations are among 31 statewide recipients of new Oregon Arts Commission grants designed to strengthen K–12 arts education. Each will receive $10,000 as part of a $310,000 investment from the commission’s Arts Learning grant program for the 2026 fiscal year.
The Oregon Symphony Association in Salem and Portland will use its funding to support the second year of its Side-by-Side concert series with the Salem-Keizer School District, giving more than 600 Willamette Valley students the chance to perform alongside professional musicians while developing their artistic and technical skills.
In Monmouth, Rainbow Dance Theatre will integrate art and technology through up to 12 hours of dance and coding residencies at eight middle schools across Polk, Lincoln, Curry, Coos, Linn, Malheur, Marion, and Tillamook counties—helping students explore creativity through movement and computer programming.
And Willamette University’s Pacific Northwest College of Art in Salem will offer free art and design workshops and an after-school professional development program for about 200 Roosevelt High School students, introducing them to careers in the creative industries.
Arts Education Coordinator Tiff Harker said the grants allow thousands of Oregon students to engage in hands-on, creative learning experiences that build problem-solving skills, confidence, and collaboration. Each funded project partners with local schools and educators to inspire the next generation of artists and innovators across Oregon.
