If you have never registered for one of our programs, you will need to set up an account with our staff to register online. Please contact us at 503-615-3485 and one of our front desk staff will assist you.

Office Hours

Monday through Thursday: 9 am to 9 pm

Fridays: 9 am to 5 pm

Hillsboro Parks & Recreations offers Youth Arts Scholarships due to a grant from the Richard B. Siegel Foundation to provide opportunities for youth to participate in the arts.

If awarded, the scholarship may be used by the applicant for any youth or teen class or camp taking place at the Walters Cultural Arts Center.

To Qualify

• You must be a resident of the City of Hillsboro, or a current student at a school in the Hillsboro School District.
• Households whose income falls below the Federal Free or Reduced Meal Guidelines are eligible (see chart below.)
• You must be 18 years or younger.

Apply Now

• Youth Art Scholarship Application (English)
• Youth Art Scholarship Application (Spanish)

Mail or bring your completed application to the Walters Cultural Arts Center during regular business hours or email it to Melissa.Moore@Hillsboro-Oregon.gov.

Approval Process

Please allow up to two weeks for processing and approval. Applicants will be notified by phone or email.

Once the scholarship has been approved, it will be added to your Hillsboro Parks & Recreation account.

Approved scholarships will provide 100% of the registration fee for up to two classes. Approval for additional classes is dependent on availability of funds.

Once you are notified of scholarship approval, you may register for eligible classes online at or by calling 503-615-3485.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions concerning the application or the Youth Art Scholarship, please call the Walters Cultural Arts Center at 503-615-3485 or email us.

Click on the name of the class below to download a list of supplies that students need to purchase and bring to the first day of class.

• Intermediate Paper Quilling
• Magic: Card Tricks
• Watercolor Explorations

If you have any questions, about items on these lists, please call 503-615-3485 for more information.

Additional Note about Supplies:

Located just down Main Street, a few blocks from the Walters Cultural Arts Center in Downtown Hillsboro, is local art supply store Colours Art. “It is our joy to share the love of art, creating, and community in a place with such a diverse and rich history.” For questions about supply availability and your class, please call 503.648.5064 or visit their location at 270 East Main Street. For business hours and additional information please visit: www.coloursart.com.

The Walters Cultural Arts Center provides Open Studio sessions with registration to current and previous students to allow them time to practice techniques in shaping clay and to encourage personal enrichment. 

• Participants must be registered for Open Studio to attend. By registering you are agreeing to the terms outlined in these guidelines.
• Open Studio is not intended for production work.
• Open Studio is a time for independent work on projects in the Clay Studios. OS is not a ceramics class with guided instruction. However, an OS Supervisor is available for answering questions.
• Participants must check in/out with the OS Supervisor upon arrival and departure.
• Participants must label their work.
• Glazing instructions must be read and followed.
• All glazes used must be provided or approved by the   Walters staff. Clay must be purchased through the Walters Cultural Arts Center.
• Studio time must end promptly. Please begin clean up at least 20 minutes before the end of the OS meeting to clean your tools and work area.
• The Open Studio Supervisor’s requests and instructions must be followed at all times.

Weekly Open Studio Schedule

Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 to 8:30 pm, and Fridays, 1 to 4 pm.  Please refer to current Parks & Recreation Activity Guide for exact dates.

Ages

Youth 13-17 may participate in Open Studio only if they are accompanied and supervised at all times by an adult guardian who is also participating in, and registered for the same Open Studio session

Studio Safety

• Participants are not permitted to open, add or remove pieces from the kilns.
• Personal music devices are allowed when used with headphones. Please be respectful of others and keep the volume at a considerate level. Devices are not allowed when using the wheel.
• We strongly recommend that jewelry be left at home. For safety wear rubber-soled, close-toe shoes and refrain from wearing jewelry or clothing that could be caught in the wheel such as necklaces, scarves, sweatshirts with strings, etc. The Walters is not responsible for lost items.
• All building safety guidelines communicated through classroom signs—such as clay storage near ceiling sprinklers—in the studios and requests from the OS Supervisor must be followed at all times.

Studio Cleanliness

It is the responsibility of all OS participants to leave their tools and workspace clean, and in the condition they found it at the beginning of their OS session (or better). Sinks are meant to wash clay free hands and rinse clay free items. Use a bucket of water to collect clay chunks and residue. Use a sponge for a thorough clean up.

Emptying your bucket down the sink:

• Slowly pour clay water down the sink.
• Use a rubber rib to scrape clay chunks into the recycle bucket under the sink.
• Rinse your bucket and sponge.
• Return items to proper location.

Wheel Room Upkeep

• Cover and place WIP’s on wooden shelves for storage. Do not store greenware on black bats.
• Wipe down work area and tools.
• Turn off wheel(s).
• Place stool on top of wheel head.
• Place pedals on top of the white base.
• Label your unused clay and store it in the clay closet.

Sculpture Room Upkeep

• Wipe down work area and tools.
• Properly label—name and date—and cover your work with plastic.
• Store all work and unused clay on designated shelves.

Bags of Clay - $16 per bag

Students can purchase a 25 lb. bag of clay for use in the studio. The WCAC uses cone 6, medium temperature clays. No outside clay allowed.

Clay can be stored on the designated shelf during the Open Studio session. Clay must be labeled with the OS participant’s initials at the time of purchase with DATE & YEAR (sticker provided).  

All clay must be taken home on the last day of Open Studio. Any clay not labeled or left after the end of Open Studio will be removed. 

Storage of Works in Progress

Works in Progress (WIP) must be stored and labeled with name and date on the designated carts or clay shelves for Open Studio. Any WIP’s not stored in these areas or left after the end of OS may be removed to make room for storage needs.

Firing and Glazing

• Claywork thicker than ½ inch will not be fired.  Check with your OS Supervisor if you are unsure.
• Do not glaze the bottom of your work.
• Use wax to cover the bottom of your bisqueware prior to dunking.
• Use a sponge to remove any glaze residue at the bottom of your greenware or bisgueware.

30 Day Pick Up Policy

Fired pieces must be picked up within 30 days of the final firing. All bisqueware and glazeware will be marked on the bottom in graphite with the date they are removed from the kiln. Pieces not collected within 30 days of their graphite date will be considered abandoned, become property of the Walters, and may be discarded. Fired pieces may only be picked up during evening Clay Pick Up or Open Studio hours.

Questions about Open Studio?

Please call the Walters Cultural Arts Center at (503) 615-3485.

The City of Hillsboro’s policy for photography and videography in public spaces and within City facilities has been updated. Attendance at City of Hillsboro facilities, programs, and events may be digitally recorded through photographs or video recordings.

Your attendance or participation in the event or activity constitutes your permission for the City to use your photograph or recording in promotional and other communications to the public.

Community members who do not want to be photographed or recorded are responsible for removing themselves (or their children) from the area in which photographing/recording is occurring or notifying the camera operator of their preference to opt-out of photography and videography.

Interested in sharing your creative expertise and talent with our community?

The Walters Cultural Arts Center is the premier arts center in Hillsboro and houses a 200 hundred seat theater, gallery, four classrooms, including a ceramic wheel room, and outdoor areas. We offer classes for children and adults, as well as family classes in a wide range of mediums.

To find out about current opportunities for teaching artists, check out the Cultural Arts Calls to Artists page for information on class proposal deadlines.

Most of our teaching artists are independent contractors, but background checks are required.  If you have any questions, please contact Julio.Badel@Hillsboro-Oregon.gov.