Nearly 200 supporters of Portland-based arts integration nonprofit Side x Side enjoyed a sunset anniversary party and fundraiser from one of the best vantage points in the Old Port.

“We started talking about a celebration, and I said, ‘Why not use our rooftop?’ ” said board member Stevan Stromsky, a senior vice president for Northeast Bank.

From there, the Sept. 12 event got its name: Art Deck-O.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and mocktails, hors d’oeuvres and anniversary cake, plus a taste of the arts from two Side x Side teaching artists: fiber artist Pamela Moulton, also known as Posey, who set up materials for guests to make a fascinator or corsage, and storyteller Antonio Rocha, who shared a mime-infused story about the fear of the unknown.

“The arts prepare kids for the diverse world we live in through creativity, exploration of styles and cultures,” Rocha said. “The arts help them develop a more open mind about the world and less fear about the unknown.”

The Side x Side story begins with artist Beth Wilbur Van Mierlo, who volunteered in her twin sons’ kindergarten classroom at Reiche Community School in Portland.

“The teachers were overwhelmed,” she said. “There were a lot of needs in the classroom and not a lot of people to help. And there were a lot of expectations on those teachers.”

Van Mierlo decided to do something about it, working side by side with classroom teachers at Reiche and enlisting other local artists for the project she called Side x Side.

Four years into the project, Van Mierlo met with Kelly Hrenko, who teaches art education at the University of Southern Maine. Together, they envisioned an opportunity to bring Side x Side to more schools while giving university students hands-on experience in arts integration.

“We wrote a federal grant together because we decided that what was happening at Reiche needed to happen throughout Portland,” Van Mierlo said.

A $1.9 million U.S. Department of Education grant awarded in 2014 funded Side x Side for four years. With that boost, the nonprofit created a statewide professional development seminar in arts integration and sent teaching artists and university interns into classrooms at four Portland elementary schools.

Another $2.4 million federal grant awarded in 2018 covered Side x Side’s four-year expansion within Portland schools and into Lewiston schools and sharpened the focus on math and language literacy through the arts.

“Art is a language without words, which is important for kids who struggle with English,” said Sarah Boyden, a teaching artist from Portland. “The arts helps kids find their voice in a way that might not be expected.”

Mo Kilani, one of the earliest Side x Side students at Reiche, thoroughly agrees. “My brother and I came to the U.S. as refugees and hadn’t had many opportunities to do art,” he said. “With Side x Side, we made pillows, quilts and race cars.” Today, Kilani uses Side x Side techniques to incorporate creativity as he teaches Spanish to elementary students in Falmouth.

Statewide, Side x Side has provided professional development for 600 teachers and hands-on training in arts integration for 100 USM students. The nonprofit has directly reached more than 17,000 students in Portland and Lewiston.

No longer funded by the Department of Education, Side x Side continues bringing artists into classrooms with the help of community fundraising. Thanks to Northeast Bank, Pierce Atwood, Financial Benefit Services, Marcum, H.M. Payson and dozens of host committee members and other supporters, Art Deck-O raised over $21,930. An anonymous donor committed to match $6,000 in pledges made after the party. To make a donation, go to sidexsideme.com/give.

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.