Art in the Parks brings folk artists and performers to Oregon state parks

Five Oregon artists will deliver special presentations about the history and cultural significance of their craft at state parks across Oregon during the month of June. “Art in the Parks” is sponsored by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) along with the University of Oregon’s Oregon Folklife Network (OFN), the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.

“The program is a great opportunity to work with heritage and arts organizations to showcase cultural traditions in Oregon while also bringing people out to enjoy scenic state parks,” said Roger Roper, deputy state historic preservation officer with OPRD.

Each artist will appear with a folklorist from the OFN, the state’s designated folk and traditional arts program, in collaboration with a local arts organization. The featured events and presenters are:

• “The Roots of American Folk Music,” by singer Mark Ross and folklorist Emily West, in collaboration with the Salem Art Association. Ross will perform old time music on banjo, mandolin, harmonica and other instruments and provide an entertaining look at the history of folk music in Oregon. June 8 at 2 p.m. at Silver Falls State Park. Located 20 miles southeast of Silverton off OR-214 S.
• “The Art of Fly-Tying,” by fly fisher and fly-tier Sherry Steele and folklorist Riki Saltzman, in collaboration with the Rogue Gallery and Art Center in Medford. Steele will discuss fly-tying’s significance in Oregon fishing traditions and folk art and showcase the many types of materials used to make flies. Attendees can try tying their own fly with provided supplies. June 15, 10 a.m.-noon and 7-9p.m. at Joseph Stewart State Recreation Area. Located 10 miles southwest of Prospect on OR-62 W.
• “Traditional Karuk Basket Weaving,” by weaver Wilverna Reece and folklorist Emily West, in collaboration with Arts Central of Bend. Reece will explain the intricacies of gathering materials for Karuk baskets and demonstrate traditional weaving techniques. June 15, 10 a.m.-noon at Smith Rock State Park, 3.5 miles east of Terrebonne on NE Crooked River Dr.
• “Artistry Traditions of the Wasco and Klamath Cultures,” by fiber artist Pat Courtney Gold and folklorist Riki Saltzman, in collaboration with the Ross Ragland Theater in Klamath Falls. Gold will demonstrate how she makes Wasco “Sally Bags,” functional and decorative art objects made with local grasses or fibers, and explain the significance of motifs in Wasco and Klamath weaving. June 22, 10 a.m.-noon at Collier State Park. Located 5 miles north of Chiloquin on US-97 N.
• “Traditional Kalapuya Story Telling,” by storyteller Esther Stutzman and folklorist Lyle Murphy, in collaboration with the Lane Arts Council in Eugene. Stutzman’s interactive style will engage young and old as she performs stories from Kalapuya oral histories. June 29, 7-9 p.m. at Fall Creek State Recreation Area’s Cascara Campground. Located 5.5 miles northeast of Lowell on Peninsula Road.

All events are free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome—no registration is required. One-time day-use parking permits at Silver Falls State Park and Smith Rock State Park cost $5. For more information about the Oregon Folklife Network, visit http://ofn.uoregon.edu. For directions to the parks, visit www.oregonstateparks.org.

Mark Ross
1165 W. Broadway
Eugene, OR 97402
Phone: 541-343-5127
Email: Butte17@gmail.com

Mark Ross is a Master Artist in the Oregon Folklife Network’s Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. Mark left at home at 17 because of illness (his parents were sick of him). Armed with a loud voice and a guitar, 35 years ago he made his way to Greenwich Village just in time to catch the last of the Great Folk Music Scare of the ’60′s. Yodeling, singing, cracking bad jokes, making execrable puns, and picking up a storm, he’s been making his way at this trade ever since. With a working repertoire of close to 500 songs he runs the gamut of American Roots Music, from hobo ballads & train songs, blues, western swing, mountain ballads, fiddle tunes, raucous banjo melodies, early jazz to the works of contemporary songwriters.

Sherry Steele
69077 Chestnut Place
Sisters, OR 97759
Phone: 541-420-5532
Email: steelefly@msn.com
Website: www.deschuteslandtrust.org

Sherry has been fly-fishing and tying for 13 years and has been a demonstration tier at many conclaves throughout the western states. She teaches fly tying classes at Central Oregon clubs and schools. Sherry lives, works, and teaches fly-tying at the Fly-Fishers Place in Sisters, OR. She is president of the Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers and is the Chairperson for the NW Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo in Albany, Oregon, which is held every year during the 2nd weekend in March. She received the Oregon Council 2010 Federator of the year award, The IFFF National 2010 Oregon Award of Excellence and Central Oregon Flyfishers Special Recognition Award for encouraging fly tying & fly fishing in and beyond Central Oregon.

Wilverna Reece
PO Box 991
Happy Camp, CA 96039
Phone: 530-493-2526

Wilverna Reece is a Master Artist in the Oregon Folklife Network’s Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. Born in Yreka, California, Wilverna is a Karuk Indian and has served on the Karuk Tribal Council. Wilverna’s mentor taught her how to gather and prepare the necessary materials and weave traditional Karuk baskets over 30 years ago. In turn, she has passed on her unique culture and art. Wilverna has demonstrated her cultural traditions across the nation, in such far-flung locations as Virginia, California, and local schools.

Pat Courtney Gold
PO Box 981
Scappoose, OR 97056
Phone: 503-543-3584
Email: pat@patcourneygold.com
Website: http://www.patcourtneygold.com

Pat Courtney Gold is a Master Artist in the Oregon Folklife Network’s Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. Pat is a Wasco Native and a member of the Wasco tribe. Her ancestors lived along the Columbia River for more than 12,000 years. They are the upriver branch of the Chinook Nation. She was born and raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Besides weaving traditional “Sally bags,” Pat gives lectures about the Columbia River Native cultures to universities and museums. An accomplished fiber artist and basket weaver, Pat teaches, consults, and has pieces of her work shown in museums and collections around the world. She received the Oregon Governor’s Art Award in 2001. In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts honored Pat Courtney Gold with a National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor for folk and traditional artists.

Esther Stutzman
PO Box 180
Yoncalla, OR 97499
Phone: 541-580-3810
Email: kalapuya@centurytel.net

Esther Stutzman is a Master Artist in the Oregon Folklife Network’s Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. Esther is of Kalapuya and Coos heritage, an enrolled Confederated Tribes of Siletz member, and traditional storyteller. Founding member of the Northwest Indian Storyteller’s Association, Esther is also a Primary Storyteller for Mother Earth’s Children, an American Indian repertory theater. She is also the Founding Director of the American Indian Youth Camp – now in its 37th year. She independently fundraises over $11,000 annually to bring anywhere from 60-100 school-aged youth to a wooded setting to learn about native traditions, sharing cultural knowledge, as well as food and love non-stop for a week. Her family is also called on to bring drumming and singing to important occasions around the state. As a former teacher and curriculum developer, Esther was a longtime Oregon Folklore Program participant on the OFP artist roster, giving numerous presentations about native traditions to Oregon schoolchildren, museums, libraries, and universities.