By Ellen Spitaleri
After years of holding classes in various places, PHAME has finally landed on a new program space to call home. The building, at 2446 SE Ladd Ave., has almost everything that Carrie Siahpush, the new executive director, wanted, including a parking lot, TriMet access, a coffee shop across the street and welcoming neighbors.
The only things missing are walls. Currently the building is a large open space with room for visual arts, music and dance classes. There are separate rooms for technology and editing classes and a much-needed student lounge. A construction project in February will add walls to house a dance studio, a recording studio and four self-contained classrooms.
The building is called The Robin, Siahpush noted, named after a donor “who helped us get into the building; it reminded her of a family member who passed away.”
PHAME is a local organization that empowers adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead full, creative lives through arts education and performance. It was founded in 1984 as a creative alternative to the Special Olympics. “The core values of PHAME include imagination, equity, dignity, joy and belonging,” Siahpush said.
“Our primary responsibility is ensuring that PHAME is secure, well into the future. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities will always need a place to create that prioritizes them,” Siahpush said. She added that it is important for all students to have a safe and healthy environment and that classes are all taught by educators who have a high level of experience working with people with disabilities.
In addition to a full roster of classes, which will begin again in September, PHAME students take part in a big production, staged in professional performance spaces around Portland, Siahpush said. In the past, the group has performed at Portland Playhouse and Revolution Hall, among others.
In 2023, PHAME students presented “Stop Making Sense,” a multimedia production inspired by Talking Heads’ 1984 concert film of the same name. The production, staged at Revolution Hall, was a huge success, Siahpush said, adding that many audience members did not realize that performers had disabilities.
PHAME accepts students aged 18 and above; they find out about the organization through word of mouth and from independent centers where students are residents. Many parents know each other through support groups, and they tell others about the classes offered at PHAME, Siahpush said.
37 arts-based classes are scheduled each week and there are three, 10-week terms. Students can take classes in person, online or a hybrid of both. Classes include dance, drumming, drawing, storytelling, digital photography, acting, podcasting and more.
“All of our teaching artists are trained educators and are paid,” Siahpush said. She added that not all the teachers have worked with students with disabilities, but the curriculum guides new teachers, and sometimes new teachers are paired with a veteran teacher.
Students do pay tuition, which Siahpush said was “below the market rate,” and there is tuition assistance for students unable to pay the full amount.
Siahpush added that she ultimately hopes to share the space in The Robin with other arts organizations. Classes run Monday-Thursday, 10:30 am-6 pm, so there are times when the site is not used and could host community-based meetings.
She noted that the best part of her job is “being part of the joy students experience when they are making art.” Sometimes she sees a student fail at a specific task, but then they get up and try again. “The students support each other and learn to be proud of themselves,” she added.
Siahpush said that she is most proud of the community that PHAME has created. She added, “This is a place full of laughter, creativity and imagination. Students know they can show up exactly as they are.”
“We’re transforming how disability is seen and understood by amplifying artists’ voices and celebrating their work,” She said, adding that “we envision PHAME as an enduring cultural beacon. Together, we’re building a future where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are central to community life-belonging, leading and creating without barriers.”
Visit phamepdx.org for more information.
Dave Chachare, a teaching artist who has been with PHAME for 10 years, leads a drumming class in the new program space on SE Ladd Ave. Photo by PHAME.
