8 local artists receive awards for celebrating the diversity of Oregon’s peoples
Fifteen artists working in Oregon will each receive $5,000 awards to go toward the creation of new works through the Traditional Arts Recovery Program. Eight of the artists being awarded are from the Portland Metro Area.
The Traditional Arts Recovery Program supports artists across Oregon who represent and express the state’s diverse ethnic, sacred, occupational, Native American, tribal, and regional cultural arts.
Jonathan Martinez, one of the Portland area artists to receive an award from the Traditional Arts Recovery Program
The Portland area artists and their missions:
Palestinian embroiderer Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim (Milwaukie), will create embroidery panels that represent regional styles of traditional garments.
Persian manuscript conservator Marjan Anvari (Lake Oswego) will apply mixed-media Tazhib (Persian illumination) to interior and exterior home decor.
Hip-hop emcee Mic Crenshaw (Portland) will create two new collaborative albums, one addressing issues of continued social injustice amidst a global pandemic, and another featuring songs created with youth in Oregon public schools.
Indian classical musician Nisha Joshi (Portland) will collaborate with other musicians and dancers in her cultural community for an event that supports Indian performers in a public showcase.
Aztec ceremonial dancer Jonathan Martinez (Beaverton), with his group Kualli Tonalli, will produce and perform in a public Dia de los Muertos community event in Portland.
Indian classical dancer, instructor and choreographer Jayanthi Raman (Portland) will create a documentary focused on Bharatanatyam, its transmission from India and its survival in Oregon.
Gospel and blues artist LaRhonda Steele (Portland) will create music and spoken words tracks focused on self-care, anxiety relief and self-love for women of color.
Cayuse/Nez Perce tradition keeper Celeste Whitewolf (Tigard) will create a dress and accompanying regalia that will be shared with younger tribal members and displayed in museums, and cultural centers throughout Oregon.
Other artists from Oregon include:
Warm Springs food gatherer Laurie Danzuka (Warm Springs) will sustain cultural foods practices by teaching others the traditional ways to identify, gather, and prepare first foods.
Cow Creek basketweaver Beth’Ann Gipson (Cow Creek Band of Umpqua) will consult with neighboring tribes and use designs from the few remaining in accessible collections to create a ceremonial tobacco basket.
Wasq’u beader Roberta Joy Kirk (Warm Springs) will design and bead a headpiece and bag while teaching this technique to her granddaughters and others in a specialized class for the Museum at Warm Springs.
Norwegian Rosemåling artist Patty Jo Meshnik (Eugene) will paint a large mural on the side of the Norway Sonja Lodge building.
Andean musician Alex Llumiquinga Perez (Otter Rock) and his daughter will make a hand-crafted charango, while documenting the process and writing a new song inspired by this shared experience.
Wasq’u dressmaker Valerie Switzler (Wasco) will teach community sewing classes while documenting the history and stories that accompany the traditional process.
Samoan traditional artist Tuaopepe Tasi Keener (Keizer) will present Samoan dance and host workshops on the fabric printing technique used to make dance garments.
The Traditional Arts Recovery Program is a partnership between the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Folklife Network. The program was made possible by National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
More information about the awards can be found on the Oregon Arts Commission website.
