Turtle Bay’s Famous Artist Portfolio Program Inspires the Artist in All of Us

Artwork is meant to inspire, be shared and enjoyed as a community. Tucked upstairs in the Turtle Bay Museum at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, 844 Sundial Bridge Drive, Redding, is a community resource gem called the Famous Artists Portfolio Program. Filed neatly in shelves are leather art portfolios containing large-scale prints of works by famous artists from all over the world, with lessons and activities for students to express themselves through art.

The comprehensive portfolio collection features a range of artistic themes and artists, providing a breadth of study for artistic mediums and movements through history. The portfolios can be checked out in a manner similar to a library and then used in the classroom, homeschool settings, community programs or for self-study.

Passionate Volunteers Provide Vital Support

Each week, dedicated volunteers spend hours at Turtle Bay to help manage the program. Many of these volunteers are artists or former teachers that are passionate about teaching art in our community. Longtime volunteer Penny Harris learned firsthand the value of this educational resource as a teacher.

She used the program with her middle school students from 2004 through 2008, then as a volunteer with first graders for three years. Her passion for art and teaching brought her to Turtle Bay as a volunteer, where she has helped manage the Famous Artists Portfolio program for the past 18 years alongside other dedicated volunteers.

“As a teacher and classroom presenter of the program, I found the Famous Artist Program to be very adaptable and engaging,” Penny says. “The program is relevant, easy to use and free. I am glad that Turtle Bay continues to make it available so that the unique world of art is available to students in our area.”

Every week, Penny manages requests for portfolios from the community, as well as the upkeep of prints and materials. As a resident expert on each portfolio, she explains that more than 70 cases of portfolios are grouped by theme, such as Landscapes, Self-Portraits, Colors and Shapes, as well as more specific artistic styles such as Mexican Muralists and Artists or the Italian Renaissance. Each portfolio contains 6-10 prints of famous artworks with a brief biography of the artists and discussion questions for students.

The portfolio program has grown over the years to include specific artist studies, including Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Ansel Adams, and recently a local school donated over 100 prints to assist with efforts to expand and update portfolio contents.

Budding artists can create original art inspired by the works of famous artists or capture the essence of a famous work of art as a Redding student has done with Van Gough’s famous Starry Night.

Portfolios Meet Curriculum Standards, Inspire

Artistic Endeavors

A valuable resource for the classroom, each portfolio references a list of applicable California Arts curriculum standards to build lessons upon, as well as California Historical Social Science Content standards and Next Generation Science standards that may additionally apply. Many local schools use the portfolios to guide art lesson plans, from which student artwork can be submitted for display in the annual Famous Artists Student Art Show at the Turtle Bay Museum.

St. Joseph School second grader Jak was inspired by Picasso’s art to create this self-portrait.

This annual exhibition highlights the artistic talents of local students, showcasing work from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Last year’s exhibition featured artwork from 23 classes across seven schools, resulting in a total of 145 pieces on display in a wide range of mediums. Students are invited to view their artwork on display with a free museum admission ticket for themselves and an adult during the exhibition, typically from January through April each year.

The innovative Famous Artists Program relies on dedicated volunteers like Penny Harris, who spend hours organizing and preparing portfolios for students to use to inspire their artistic creations.
Photos provided by Turtle Bay Exploration Park Museum.

Through the support of volunteers, Turtle Bay is proud to offer this enriching educational art resource. The program encourages an appreciation for the arts while providing students with an opportunity to share their artistic talents with the community.

Those interested in using the Famous Artist Portfolio Program resource can attend a Fall Orientation on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, 4-5pm in the Turtle Bay Museum. More information, including curriculum standards and portfolio themes, can be found online at turtlebay.org.