From Megan Burbank, writing for the Portland Mercury:
(Emily) Sterling and Char Hutson’s debut documentary, Arts Exit: Saving the Creative Kid, which was selected by the Hollywood Theatre for a fiscal sponsorship, tracks the human cost of gutted arts education in Portland’s schools. The filmmakers’ rationale is simple: They’re both educators in Portland Public Schools. By day, Hutson’s a community outreach coordinator who works with a caseload of 400-plus students, and Sterling directs a youth development middle school program. To make Arts Exit, Sterling and Hutson filmed and edited around the demands—and schedules—of their day jobs, tracking students’ experiences in the wake of drastic cuts to arts education.