EUGENE, Ore. – (February 18, 2025) – Four traditional artists in Oregon will receive a $3,500 stipend to teach traditional art forms to apprentices from the same cultural communities, Tribes, sacred, or occupational groups. The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) is one way the Oregon Folklife Network supports traditional artists, or Culture Keepers, in Oregon. The stipend supports mentor artists in sharing their knowledge, skills, and expertise with apprentices of great promise who will be empowered to carry on and strengthen Oregon’s living cultural traditions.
A state-level honor of great prestige, TAAP awards are often a precursor for traditional artists to be nominated for the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship award. Funding for TAAP comes from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Applications are accepted annually until October for funding in the following calendar year.
The artists to receive the award:
Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim with Jenan Bisharat – Palestinian Embroidery
Abbasi-Ghnaim was born in the city of Safad in northern Palestine. Her family fled during the war when Israel was established in 1948, first to Syria then to Jordan as refugees. Abbasi-Ghnaim went to a boarding school in Ramallah and then returned to Syria to attend Damascus University as an Art History major. In 1980, she immigrated to the United States, where she worked in non-profit organizations that focused on cultural traditions, folk art, and oral history. She has lectured and taught about Palestinian traditions at the University of Massachusetts, the Oral History Center of Cambridge, Portland State University, and Lewis and Clark College, to name a few. She worked collaboratively with the World Affairs Council of Oregon and the Middle East Studies Center to participate in the “Teach the Middle East” forum, which was a workshop designed for youth. She also spent 15 years offering workshops and classes at all educational levels in public schools in Beaverton, Milwaukie, Gresham, and Portland. In 2018, Abbasi-Ghnaim was honored with a lifetime achievement award as a master folk artist — the National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowship.
Abbasi-Ghnaim’s apprentice Jenan Bisharat is a first generation Palestinian-American whose Palestinian family is originally from the village of Ma’Alool in northern Galilee, Palestine, which was destroyed in 1948. During her childhood, she was exposed to her Palestinian cultural traditions, including Palestinian clothing, head coverings, embroidery, and decorative textiles. She fondly recalls her Tata (grandmother) wearing a head-scarf (Mandeel or Shunber) of muslin with block-printed floral patterns, and tatted edgings she made using a shuttle tool (Makook).
Bisharat has a B.A. in Art, studying pattern-making and garment construction, sewing, textile, and fiber arts. She has four years of experience practicing Palestinian traditional embroidery/Tatreez, plus learning from books written by diverse generations of authors on the traditions, community engagement, online tutorials, and hands-on learning. She also holds an A.A.S. Degree in Technology and currently works in community healthcare.
Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim and Jenan Bisharat’s artist profiles and samples of their work can be found at:
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/index.php/feryal-abbasi-ghnaim
Steven Harris with Caitriona Faithe Harris – Vaquero Leatherwork
Steve Harris was born a horseman and close to the land. Harris grew up with the rhythm of seasons, the knowledge of living things, the feel of soil, and the taste of rain. His brother started him braiding when he was 15. Harris has lived in a time and region when his developing work could be examined and critiqued by hundreds of accomplished traditional horsemen. Some of these he found, many he met at riata ropings or Vaquero Fiestas. Amansadores (vaquero colt-starters) and reinsmen have ordered pieces from Harris, as well as invested time in discussion and demonstration of exactly how hackamores, saddles, reins, and bridles work. Harris shares that the most important cultural learning resource has been the horse, “Lessons learned through the reins brought to life the artifacts, examples, & teachings I received. There is consensus that I am a Master Braider; if so, I owe most of the best of my skill to the horses who have carried me along.” Harris’ apprentice, Caitriona Faithe Harris in 2025 will work in her father’s shop as a formal apprentice; to this life and heritage she was born. Caiti has ridden after cattle with her father since she was quite small, she knows the smell of a branding fire. She will pursue Hackamore Horsemanship, the Vaquero Tradition, and Trenzar. She will ultimately achieve mastery, and use her skills to preserve these things, and more importantly, shine a tiny light of authenticity in a contrived and artificial world!
If she does not choose to braid vocationally – if her trail winds in some other way – the principles of Vaquero Horse Culture & these competencies will inform her thinking, & strengthen her to face the challenges of life.
Steve Harris and Caitriona Faithe Harris artist profiles and samples of their work can be found at:
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/index.php/steve-harris
Sweta Ravisankar with Arshia Rajeshnarayanan – Nattuvangam
Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam and Nattuvangam artist based in Beaverton, OR, where she runs Sarada Kala Nilayam (SKN). With over 30 years of experience, Ravisankar is trained by renowned Gurus Roja Kannan (Kalakshetra Tradition) and Padmini Radhakrishnan (Dandayudapani Pillai Tradition) in Bharatanatyam. Her father, Mridangam Guru S. Ravisankar (Palghat Mani Iyer Tradition), deeply influenced her rhythmic skills for Nattuvangam. Coming from a family steeped in the Guru-Shishya tradition, Ravisankar developed her expertise in these art forms through rigorous training in India and continuing now over online sessions with her Gurus. She holds a Master degree in Bharatanatyam and has taught for 17 years, focusing on rhythmic precision, storytelling, and emotional expression. She has taught students across India and the United States and has performed over 150 solo recitals in prestigious venues across North America and India, winning titles and awards from prestigious institutions and appreciation from the media.
Sweta’s apprentice, Arshia Rajeshnarayanan began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 7. Over time, with the guidance of her teachers, she gained a deeper understanding of the narratives and cultural significance behind the art form, which helped her appreciate her heritage on a much deeper level. As an Indian-American born and raised in Portland by hardworking immigrant parents, Rajeshnarayanan skill was encouraged and supported by her parents, who allowed her the freedom to explore her cultural heritage on her own terms. This gave her the opportunity to blend her Indian roots with her American upbringing in a way that feels meaningful and authentic to her.
After completing her Bharatanatyam Arangetram in 2019, Rajeshnarayanan pursued the study of Nattuvangam, the rhythmic accompaniment performed with cymbals, under the guidance of Sweta Ravisankar. Learning Nattuvangam has enhanced her technical skills and deepened her understanding of Bharatanatyam, making this cultural practice an essential part of her life and identity.
Sweta Ravisankar and Arshia Rajeshnarayanan’s artist profiles and samples of their work can be found at:
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/index.php/sweta-ravisankar
Hossein Salehi with Benjamin Malihi – Santoor Music, Traditional Persian Music
Salehi’s family migrated to the United States in 1987. He was unable to bring his Santoor instruments and purchasing one here in Oregon was not an option; it simply did not exist. Homesick, and with the help of a friend with a talent for woodworking, Salehi built his first Santoor. He was invited to present an advanced applied music course at PSU for two years 2012 and 2013 where he passed on his unique techniques to one of his highest quality students, Monica Rabii. She was the very first graduate from PSU with a bachelor’s degree on special instrument “Santoor.” This unprecedented event was the utmost fulfilling event in Salehi’s artistic life.
Salehi has received the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program award in 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2025. His apprentices in the TAAP program have included (in chronological order): Amitis Moradkhani, Alireza Talebannejad, Noveen Eshraghi, and now Benjamin Malihi, an 8-year-old Iranian American third grade student. Born to immigrant parents from Iran in 2016 in Portland, Oregon, he has been raised bilingual English / Persian (Farsi) by parents and grandparents who also later migrated from Iran. Benjamin is very interested in learning and understanding his rich Iranian heritage, language and art and also regards Santoor as a means of better connection to his family elders who are enthusiastic supporters of his journey in Persian music.
Salehi and Malihi’s artist profiles and samples of their work can be found at:
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/index.php/hossein-salehi-0
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About Oregon Folklife Network
Oregon Folklife Network documents, supports, and celebrates Oregon’s diverse cultural traditions and tradition-bearers. Oregon Folklife Network is administered by the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon and is the state’s designated Folk and Traditional Arts Program.
About the Museum of Natural and Cultural History
The Museum of Natural and Cultural History enhances knowledge of Earth’s environments and cultures, inspiring stewardship of our collective past, present, and future. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The museum is located at 1680 E. 15th Ave., near Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Media Contact:
Lexie Briggs, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, lbriggs@uoregon.edu,
541-346-5083
More Information:
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/2025-taap-awardees
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/traditional-arts-apprenticeship-program