On April 25-27, 2025, Oregon Folklife Network hosted a “Culture Keeper Gathering” at Bend’s High Desert Museum. Twenty-one traditional artists with profiles on OFN’s Oregon Culture Keepers Roster gathered to share traditions, discuss values, brainstorm needed resources, and build community.
Notedly, this group’s greatest strength is found in their diversity: together, attending artists represented 10 counties, 18 traditions, and 3 Tribes. In an era of divisive rhetoric, OFN staff were humbled to see how immediately attendees built a sense of community. There were tense moments, yes, and many opportunities to learn (or unlearn) language; but overall, the group kept open ears, spoke honestly from their hearts, and leaned into learning from one another. Attendees also provided peer mentoring workshops, including topics such as grant writing and how to create artist-to-artist collaborations. OFN facilitated additional workshops on state resources for artists, as well as a strategic planning activity where artists discussed how to better engage youth in the future of tradition.
Development of this year’s Gathering programming came from direct participant feedback shared during the 2024 Gathering. OFN distilled three shared values among attending artists at the 2024 Gathering:
- Creating collaboration and building community
- Fostering the future of traditional art
- Support from trusted institutions
OFN is committed to meeting those values with action. We will continue to: organize gatherings; align our programs to better promote equity, access, and agency; and serve as a relationship bridge builder between artists and potential funding partners. An impact report for the 2025 Gathering will be published in early summer.
Another Culture Keeper Gathering is in the works for 2026. Individuals that are on the Oregon Culture Keepers Roster will be contacted soon with more details and information about registration. Want to join the Roster? Contact OFN at ofn@uoregon.edu if you are eligible.
This program was made possible with funding and in-kind gifts from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History, the Oregon Historical Society, the High Desert Museum, Embark Coworking Community, and Bleu Bite Catering.