Today we are excited to share with you about Grey Raven Gallery. Grey Raven Gallery will be host to artist exhibitions, art events of all types and much more. Visitors will be able to purchase art in-person and through our online art gallery.
Having an art gallery in Beaverton benefits both the artists and the city, giving adults and children a place to appreciate art. It also demonstrates to children that art can be a vocation, and that a passion for art can be a lifetime’s work.
Grey Raven Gallery and Golden Road Arts – Providing Accessible Art Education for Children
A division of Golden Road Arts, Grey Raven Gallery is 501(c)(3). Golden Road Arts maintains its initial goal of providing children with access to the skills and excitement of arts education through a premier online destination. Profits from the works sold in our in-person art gallery and purchased online are used to fund free art education for children through Golden Road Arts.
Filling the Void of Arts Education
Funding for arts education in Oregon elementary schools was drastically cut in the late 1990s. Golden Road Arts’ mission is to provide art classes to fill that void. Golden Road Arts introduces professional artists using easily available tools and supplies to teach virtual and hands-on art lessons that meet Oregon Department of Education standards for elementary students. Our goal is to make art and artists accessible to students.
We primarily serve Washington County, Oregon where over 97 languages are spoken in area homes, and 50% of local school children are eligible for free lunches. Since 2019, Golden Road Arts has expanded hands-on “art club” programs available during the school year and summer break, developed free supporting materials for educators, and produced over 50 virtual art lessons designed for elementary students available worldwide.
We recognize and continue to experience the great value in introducing art to elementary students, and in celebration of our fourth year of operation, Golden Road Arts plans on expanding its existing after-school program to five schools in total. We need funding to achieve this goal, and sales through Grey Raven Gallery can help make this possible.
Diversity and Accessibility to Elementary Art Education
Golden Road Arts has developed partnerships with storytellers, educators and professional Northwest artists who celebrate diversity while increasing art accessibility for elementary students. And now we expand this partnership to include Grey Raven Gallery, an art gallery where these artists can showcase and sell their artwork in-person. The gallery will also host events for Golden Road Arts.
The gallery’s success will serve the community and allow Golden Road Arts to continue its work, such as the creation of an after-school “art club” program that works within the Hillsboro School District. And in 2021–2022, Golden Road Arts partnered with non-profit organizations to deliver art instruction to over 2,200 elementary-aged children living in migrant camps.
The Benefits of Arts Education
Facts show that children with visual arts in their curriculum do better in their core subjects, are tardy less – and even miss fewer days of school. Encouraging creative thinking while following instructions to arrive at a destination helps promote a young person’s capacity for self-determination, and we have witnessed this firsthand.
Educators gain confidence, skill and excitement for arts education through Golden Road Arts’ free art lessons. And from our point of view, expanded access to the arts is the catalyst for positive social change in children, and we are thrilled to move forward with this work.
As a direct result of our providing art lessons in Washington County, school staff have witnessed positive change in our community. Young children light up in wonder and possibility during art lessons. Partners, both existing and new, fill our inbox with invitations to help further our arts mission – and you can be a part of this too.
Support Accessible Art Education for Children with Grey Raven Gallery
Join us in supporting our mission of providing accessible art education for elementary students in Washington County, Oregon and beyond. Help us bring the benefits of art to children by visiting our art gallery in Beaverton, shopping for art online or making a donation.
