Portland Museum of Art, Portland schools partner on Black history lessons

Portland Museum of Art Opens a New Chapter in Black History Education for City’s Youth

Portland, Maine — On Thursday, the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) transformed its auditorium into a living classroom as 23 seventh‑graders from Lyman Moore Middle School sat front‑row, listening to Bowdoin College’s assistant professor of education, Jonathan Tunstall, guide them through a journey that spanned “spirituals to hip‑hop.” The session was part of a larger partnership between the museum and Portland Public Schools, a program that has already brought more than 425 students to the institution since the start of the school year.

Tunstall’s talk framed music as a “living archive of Black history,” and as he moved from the soulful roots of the blues to the electric energy of funk, the students’ enthusiasm grew. By the time he introduced hip‑hop, the classroom was buzzing with movement and recognition: “That’s Cardi B,” one seventh‑grader shouted as the music clip played.

The museum’s initiative is tied to a 2021 state law that mandates African American studies for all K‑12 schools in Maine. Portland’s new curriculum is designed to satisfy that requirement while also offering students a hands‑on experience that bridges past and present. “We wanted them to understand the contemporary connections about what they’re learning in the 19th century and how that is playing out in various kinds of artwork today,” Fiona Hopper, social‑studies projects coordinator for Portland Public Schools, told the press.

While Tunstall’s presentation occupied the main hall, a separate group of ten students explored a gallery on the second floor. There, museum educator Beth Walker posed a question that sparked a lesson in historical economics: “Did anyone have sugar this morning?” After a handful of hands lifted, she explained how the 19th‑century sugar trade—fuelled by slave labor—had indirectly enriched Portland. The exercise was meant to show that the city’s prosperity was entangled with a brutal past that the students were only now beginning to confront.

Beyond the music and economics lessons, the PMA offered students a full‑day immersion in Black artistic expression. The exhibition included pieces from the 19th century up to the contemporary era, such as two works by Portland‑based Daniel Minter, a video installation by Adama Delphine Fawunda that highlights the history of Malaga Island—a mixed‑race community in Phippsburg that was evicted and demolished in 1912—and a painting by David Driskell titled “Ghetto Wall #2.” The art was accompanied by a printmaking session led by local artist Jordan Parks, giving students a chance to create their own responses to the themes they were studying.

“We want kids to have the opportunity to express themselves,” said Sarah Timm, Peggy L. Osher Head of Education at the PMA. “How can we use our collection to really inspire learning, but also just let kids have a moment and permission to be creative?” Timm emphasized that the museum’s goal is to spark a deeper engagement with history that students can take back to their classrooms.

Tunstall, who has spent the last few years teaching in Maine, said he hopes the students’ excitement about contemporary music will translate into a stronger grasp of the historical material. “I’m hoping that I can play a small part in undoing the erasure of Black histories that is happening right now,” he said. “And hopefully get them excited so when they do the curriculum with their teachers, they have something concrete to grab onto.”

The partnership has been a milestone for a city that has only recently begun to confront its own Black heritage. The program’s success is already evident in the enthusiasm of the students. “This is a very, very long time coming, and it’s a super important moment for Maine to finally be acknowledging and teaching about its African American history,” Hopper added, underscoring the significance of Portland’s initiative as a broader movement toward inclusion.

Looking ahead, the students will soon walk Portland’s Freedom Trail—a series of sites that document the city’s Black history—next week, carrying with them the knowledge and perspectives gained from their museum experience. The trail, which includes landmarks tied to the sugar trade, the civil rights era, and modern Black culture, promises to deepen the connection between the past and present that the PMA sessions sought to highlight.

Portland’s collaboration with the Portland Museum of Art marks a significant step forward in integrating African American studies into the state’s public‑school curriculum. By leveraging music, art, and hands‑on learning, the program is not only fulfilling legal requirements but also nurturing a generation of students who see history as an active, creative force—one that they can help shape in the years to come.