Craft and continuity at Catlin Gabel Community Arts * Oregon ArtsWatch

"While we have lost some beloved institutions, their legacies live on in the plethora of inclusive community studios that provide opportunities for anyone to explore their creativity. A relatively recent addition to this roster is the Catlin Gabel Community Arts program held on the former OCAC campus, now the Catlin Gabel East Campus."

"The program was developed and is administered by Dale and Barbara Rawls, longtime Catlin Gabel teachers. As they explained when I spoke with them, the mission of the program was to 'promote learning, a deeper understanding of materials and techniques, and an appreciation of craft.' The foundation of learning through making with an emphasis on quality was the very ethos of OCAC."

Portland experienced significant losses in its craft education sector over the past decade, including the closure of the Museum of Contemporary Craft in 2016, the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2019, and the MFA in Applied Craft and Design in 2024. Despite these closures, Portland's commitment to craft persists through evolving community-based initiatives. The Catlin Gabel Community Arts program, established on the former OCAC campus, exemplifies this continuation. Administered by longtime educators Dale and Barbara Rawls, the program offers adult classes in ceramics, painting, printmaking, drawing, and book arts. The program's mission emphasizes learning, material understanding, and craft appreciation—values that directly reflect OCAC's foundational philosophy. This transition demonstrates how craft education's core principles endure through new institutional forms.

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