Category: Uncategorized

OFN recently hosted an end-of-year photo contest!  Oregon culture keepers were encouraged to submit up to three photos taken during the 2024 calendar year that exhibit the theme: Future of Tradition. Interpretation of the theme was entirely up to each participant, and photos were scored by staff at the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural… Continue reading “Future of Tradition” Photo Contest →

This year, OFN deepened the impact of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s Indigenous Artist in Residency program by liaising cross-campus relationships with Grand Ronde Indigenous Place Keeping Artist (IPKA) fellow, Steph Littlebird. By accepting the 2023-24 Artist in Residency, Littlebird co-curated her own work in the Contemporary Native Artist case within the Museum’s… Continue reading Steph Littlebird’s Indigenous Artist in Residency: A Tremendous Success →

As the year comes to a close, OFN is grateful for the participation of this year’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) apprenticeship teams:   Beth’Ann Gipson with Sarah Thompson Moore (Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Basket Weaving)  Tetyana Horner with Tetyana Zelyanovska (Ukranian Weaving)  Gayle Oram with Patti Jo Meshnik (Norwegian Rosemåling) Jayanthi… Continue reading 2024 Apprenticeships Result in Stronger Communities, Thriving Traditions →

In April of 2024, Oregon Folklife Network hosted a “Culture Keeper Gathering” at Bend’s High Desert Museum.  Twenty-five traditional artists with profiles on OFN’s Oregon Culture Keepers Roster convened for a weekend to build community, share traditions, and discuss values and concerns affecting culture keepers today.  Arguably, this group’s greatest strength is found in their… Continue reading Gathering in Community, Oregon’s Culture Keepers Imagine the Future of Tradition →

In 2024, OFN was happy to add three traditional artists to the Oregon Culture Keepers Roster. Please join us in welcoming:    Eddie Melendrez (Ontario) is a Chicano painter. He uses acrylics to paint on canvases and wooden boards, his work is described as bold and decisive. Melendrez paints members of his community, stating “I… Continue reading Welcome to the Oregon Culture Keepers Roster! →

Oregon Folklife Network is accepting applications until Tuesday, October 1, 2024 for the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) for projects in 2025.  The program offers Oregon traditional artists (also known as culture keepers) a $3,500* stipend to teach their tradition/artform to apprentices from their same communities, Tribes, sacred or occupational groups. The stipend supports mentor artists in sharing their knowledge, skills… Continue reading Applications Open! Oregon Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program →

Oregon Folklife Network is excited to announce award of a 2-year National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) research grant to study the impacts of traditional arts apprenticeships on past awardees and the cultural communities they serve, with a near-term goal of improving national data collection and reporting from an equity perspective. In total, 30 NEA… Continue reading Oregon Folklife Network Granted $100,000 by NEA Research Labs →

  The Oregon Folklife Network regularly hosts Graduate Student Interns who are a part of the Masters in Folklore program at the University of Oregon. Below is an interview highlight of a recent graduate.  How did Oregon Folklife Network help you develop your skills, talents, and identity as a folklorist?  “I attended the University of… Continue reading Folklorist Feature: Cici Becker →

March 27, 2024 A call out for all Oregon traditional artists / culture keepers: Oregon Folklife Network, on behalf of the Oregon Library Association, invites you to participate in the Oregon Library Association Presenter & Performer Fair from 1:30 – 4:30pm on Wednesday, April 24th at the Salem Convention Center in Salem, Oregon. This isn’t… Continue reading Coming April 24th: Oregon Library Association Performer and Presenter Fair →