With our After School Visual Art Program, In-Service Days, Early Release Days, and Summer Camps, The Hangout PDX gives students the tools to become innovators, rule-breakers, imagineers, and creators. We’re helping inspire Portland’s next generation of artists and creatives.
The Hangout is a creative place for kids to experiment with artmaking and be decision-makers in crafting their artistic voices. Students work with our teachers to design an after school experience they love!
Our fun and enriching summer camps are designed for the artist of every level! We work with all K-5 campers to inspire creativity, self-confidence, and friendship while introducing new art mediums and techniques in their artmaking practice.
Every parent/guardian needs a night off - and so do the kids! Check out Date Nights at The Hangout where kids get to make art, eat pizza (and popcorn!) and watch movies while their adults get some well deserved R&R!
We love to host birthday parties and private events! From a DIY package to a curated art project, balloon house, and more, we’ve got you covered! We’ll work with you and your budget to help design the party of your dreams.
About Us
We believe that art is for everyone and should be accessible to everyone. Kids should love their after school care and come home excited to talk to you about all the things they have created and learned. We are artists and educators dedicated to offering your child the freedom to make their own choices, explore new ideas, engage socially, and grow!
Teacher
Emily
Emily is a self-taught artist who comes to us with an extensive background in both K-8 visual arts education and community art education. With her MA in Art Education from Ohio State University, Emily’s teaching methodology focuses on Universal Design for Learning, accessibility for neurodiverse and disabled learners in the arts, antiracist curriculum building, and progress-based development in her students’ artmaking practice. When she isn’t working with our students on the fine art of watercolor or pottery making, she enjoys renovating her home and spending time with her baby!
Teacher Emily
Emily Horton (she/her) is a life-long artist who has been providing compassionate, respect-based care for infants, toddlers, and adolescents as a child care professional since 2018. She received her Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in 2015, having focused primarily on Gender and Cultural Studies. In addition to working at the Hangout, Emily is a preschool teacher at Portland Preschool of the Arts.
Emily’s goal as a teacher is to facilitate kids in finding authenticity and joy in their art practice. Her approach is informed by Montessori teaching methods and emphasizes creative expression, open communication, and empathy. She spends most of her creative time drawing, illustrating, painting, and writing (but hasn’t met a medium she doesn’t want to dabble in). In her free time, you can expect she’s listening to a borrowed library book while watching the weather change with her dog, Kuzco.
Teacher
Taylor
Taylor is a professional illustrator who earned their Bachelor of Arts in Illustration from the University of Kansas (Go Jayhawks!). Taylor’s five years of experience working in childcare has been instrumental in their teaching methodology, one that incorporates multidisciplinary focused lessons, multiple opportunities for engagement, and diversity in artistic representation within the school’s curriculum. In their free time, Taylor is working hard on the illustrations for their first children’s book, cuddling their cats Percy and Citrus, and exploring their new home here in the Pacific Northwest!
Teacher Christina
Christina is a self-taught artist who is currently working on her BFA at PSU, en route to a Masters in Art Therapy. Gifted a camera at the age of 13, she fell in love with photography but over time grew interest in collage, fiber art, sculpture, and environmental art. Christina enjoys helping students find their personal creative niche to help set their love for art in motion and to help build their confidence in exploration of creation. In her free time she loves hiking, being in nature, enjoying live music, or snuggling up on the couch with her partner watching tv or playing a video game!
“Thank you so much for being a ROCK for [our child] this first year of school. We know how much work it is. We appreciate you all so deeply.”
Emily & Jess
“I cannot say enough good things about this place. My son has done their summer camps and we also held his 6th birthday here. It was great for a group of kids 4-7. Katie did a great job managing almost 20 kids, they did a guided craft, and had a great time.”
Liz
“Holy smokes… [my daughters] love it! The teachers are kind, supportive and fun. Many (if not all) are practicing artists, and the way they’ve enhanced my daughters’ approach to art is amazing. They understand space, texture, perspective, process, media, style and much more in ways that I barely comprehend. They’re still passionate about crafts and aspire to be artists. And you know what? The Hangout has really helped them on their creative journey.”
Shaw
“What a gift it is for our kiddo to get to be part of The Hangout’s after school program! She loves the rainbow “bus” that she gets picked up in and is so excited to share all she learns in the program. They do incredible projects and introduce art concepts and approaches in an accessible and age-friendly way. The content they cover is inclusive, educational and important. They play games to get their wiggles out and plenty of time to explore their creativity. I love that my kiddo feels safe and cared for while she’s there and the instructors/teachers are all so kind and wonderful!”
Claire
4707 SE Belmont Street
Portland, Oregon 97215
Monday - Friday, 2:30pm - 6pm
Tax ID # 86-1580899
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