A guitar player with a friendly smile, wearing a festive hat and a traditional serape shawl.
Oregon Culture Keepers Roster
About the Oregon Culture Keepers Roster

Search the online Oregon Culture Keepers Roster—an ever-expanding, juried selection of folk and traditional artists—and connect with cultural experts documented through our regional surveys and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.

Rostered artists and culture keepers can provide educational presentations, hands-on demonstrations, or performances to a variety of audiences. We recommend a fee of at least $250 plus travel expenses unless otherwise noted, for such appearances. We do not serve as a booking agent, so please contact the artists directly.

Search the roster by county or keyword to find

  • highly skilled traditional artists for your classroom,
  • storytellers for your library event,
  • cultural experts for your humanities program,
  • performers for your festival stage, or
  • craft artists for demonstrations.

Check back often—we regularly add new folk and traditional artists!

Apply

Interested in applying to be on the roster?

First, review OFN’s definition of a Culture Keeper:

  • A Culture Keeper is a folk or traditional artist, who actively practices, passes on, and preserves the living cultural traditions of the cultural community to which they belong and is recognized by that community. Folk and traditional arts do not include folk-inspired art, which is produced by individuals and groups who are not part of the cultural community that originally produced/created/developed the art form, even if the quality of the art is excellent.

Second, fill out and send in the application form and all required work samples.

Or contact us at 541-346-3820 | ofn@uoregon.edu for assistance.

Found 274 profiles.
Steve Parks stands outside in front of the Parks Bronze sign. He is wearing a black shirt, a black leather jacket, and a black baseball cap.
Steve Parks
Bronze Artistry and Foundry Operating
Steve Parks (Enterprise) is a bronze caster who came to the Wallowa Valley as a skilled tooler in the infancy of the local art bronze industry. Parks learned the “lost wax casting” process on the job, in a face-to-face setting. Now operator of Parks Bronze, Parks continues to pass down his knowledge and cultivate the occupation of bronze casting, now iconic to the region.
Steven Steele stands outside next to a green drift boat. He is wearing a blue and white checkered button-up shirt.
Steven Steele
Drift Boat Builder
Steven Steele (Lebanon) is a second-generation McKenzie River drift boat builder. He learned from his father, the legendary Keith Steele, who "perfected the craftsmanship of what was there." Demand for custom-made wooden drift boats has decreased as more and more people turn to easier-to-maintain aluminum skiffs to fish in the fast-moving McKenzie River. These days, a good year means building ten boats for those devoted to preserving the tradition of wooden McKenzie River drift boats.
A picture of Sushmita.
Sushmita Poddar
Indian Folk Dance and Henna Painting
Sushmita Poddar (Hillsboro) is an Asian Indian folk and classical dancer, henna artist, and teacher. After opening her own dance school, Poddar has taught workshops at community events, schools, and businesses across the area for 10 years.
cropped photo of Suzen
Suzen Tattoozen
Tattooing
Suzen Tattoozen (Eugene) is a tattoo artist who co-owns the Whiteaker Tattoo Collective in Eugene’s historic Whiteaker neighborhood. She also runs Transformation Ink, a tattoo-based charity. Known for her unique custom designs, and ornate, embellished, illustrative watercolor styles, Tattoozen apprenticed in the traditional manner of the trade.
the artist, Sweet Ravisankar, in the midst of dance
Sweta Ravisankar
Bharatanatyam Classical Indian Dance
Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam performing artist, teacher, and choreographer. She has been dancing for nearly three decades, andholds a Masters in Bharatanatyam, MFA, and is the artistic director of Sarada Kala Nilayam (SKN), where she teaches Bharathanatyam and Nattuvangam. Sweta also trains beginner youth and adult dancers who are now growing into serious cultural arts practitioners.
Teresa Cavender stands outside in a forested area. She is wearing a blue blouse and a beaded necklace.
Teresa Cavender
Beadwork, Felting
Teresa Cavender (Gates), a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is an expert in beadwork and is experienced in leatherwork, basket-making and other crafts. Her work, which reflects her Native American heritage, also include her own personal twist.
Terri Berthelsen sits indoors next to a workbench with leatherworking materials. She is wearing a blue and white gingham button-up shirt.
Terri Berthelsen
Rawhide Braiding/Cow Wrangling
Terri Berthelsen (Baker City) learned rawhide braiding as a cow wrangler looking after her family’s cattle. Today, her braided gear is prized for the tough hide she cuts perfectly into string, and her straight, tight weave that shows off her designs and reinforces the strength of her reins, quirts (short-handled riding “poppers” with braided leather lashes), and bosals (bridles).
Terri Stone smiling while sitting on a fishing boat
Terri Stone
Commercial Fishing, Storytelling
Terri Stone (Ophir) is a natural storyteller. She retired in the late 2010s after over 40 years of commercial fishing though she may get back to it in a small way. Stone has an endless supply of anecdotes about her skippers, other crew members, boats, and fishing itself.
A photo of Tetyana Horner with her loom
Tetyana Horner (Bondarchuk)
Ukrainian Weaving
Tetyana Horner (Bondarchuk) (Portland) is a traditional Ukrainian weaver from Nova Kakhovka (a city in the south of Ukraine). Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who was a traditional weaver, Horner practices a variety of Ukrainian weaving techniques, teaches workshops on the tradition, and participates in initiatives that support Ukraine.
Zelyanovska poses in front of her Petrykivka painting.
Tetyana Zelyanovska
Ukrainian Weaving, Petrykivka, and Singing
Tetyana Zelyanovska (Lake Oswego) lived in Ukraine until just four years ago. Since moving, she has tried to keep Ukrainian traditions alive in her family. Zelyanovska is a very active member of her local Ukrainian community.
The Brownsmead Flats pose outdoors with two acoustic guitars, a banjo, and a fiddle with greenery and hills in the background. They are wearing t-shirts and jeans.
The Brownsmead Flats
String Band
The Brownsmead Flats (Brownsmead, OR) call themselves a crabgrass band; they make string band music that combines bluegrass with a strong sense of maritime tradition. Members include Dan Sutherland, Ray Raihala, Ned Heavenrich, John Fenton, and Larry Moore. Guitarist, singer, and harmonica player Ned Heavenrich brings a decade of commercial fishing experience to the band’s music, and banjoist and singer Ray Raihala has worked in and around fish markets his whole life. Performing songs like “Astoria’s Bar,” their music finds an enthusiastic audience and common culture at Astoria’s annual FisherPoets’ Gathering.
The Pedee Women's Club building. It is a red house with a white roof and white trim. The Club sign is rounded and has a daffodil on it.
The Pedee Women's Club
Quilting
Pedee Women’s Club (Pedee) has dedicated itself since the early 1900s to community service through quilting and food distribution. The club supports veterans abroad with care boxes that always contain homemade cookies. They donate quilts to the local veteran's care facilities with homemade lap quilts and twin blankets. The club also makes quilts for children in the care system.
Theresa Richards Chickering stands in front of a colorful geometric quilt on the wall. She is wearing a patterned tank top.
Theresa Richards Chickering
Traditional Quilter
Theresa Richards Chickering (Reedsport) is a traditional quilter and artist who now creates original quilts using her own designs. Chickering has been a pivotal figure in her community for over 25 years as both an artist and a teacher. Today in her personal work, she has become known for her landscape quilts—and in more recent years—for her abstract quilt designs in the vein of today’s modern quilt movement.
Thomas MorningOwl stands outside and gestures with his right hand. He is wearing a blue t-shirt and light blue jeans. He is also wearing a beaded necklace with a beaded pouch.
Thomas MorningOwl
Umatilla Language, Cornhusk Weaving, Drum Making, Healing Arts, Traditional Dancing
Thomas MorningOwl (Pilot Rock) is a cornhusk weaver, drum maker, and traditional dancer. He has spent his life learning those traditional Umatilla skills as well as healing arts and language skills.
Members of the Tillamook Swiss Society dance at the Centennial Celebration in 2022. Image by Greg Kozawa, for the Tillamook Coast Visitor's Association.
Tillamook Swiss Society
Traditional Arts Organization
The Tillamook Swiss Society (Tillamook) is a traditional arts organization dedicated to preserving Swiss customs in Tillamook County. “Each succeeding generation carries out the traditional activities of the preceding generation, thereby assuring the Swiss heritage will never be lost.”
Tom Blasdell stands outdoors next to a white truck. He is wearing a purple shirt that says "Blasdell's Stockdogs", blue jeans, and a white cowboy hat.
Tom Blasdell
Stockdog Training
Tom Blasdell (Redmond) is a stock dog trainer, training dogs to herd, cut, and chase cattle for local cattle ranchers. Working mostly with Border collies and Australian shepherds, Blasdell puts his dogs through a two-month training with voice and whistle commands before trying the real work on his sprawling two-thousand head Wagontire Ranch.
Tom Herrera stands outdoors next to a welded sculpture. He is wearing a rust colored shirt and blue jeans.
Tom Herrera
Welding
Tom Herrera (Mosier) creates custom metal work and art pieces for homes and gardens at his Prairie Star Designs studio on Mosier Creek. Using his skills in graphic and industrial design and welding, Herrera's work reflects his unique and whimsical sense of humor.
Tom Swearingen stands next to a wooden building wearing a black jacket, a black cowboy hat, and a red scarf.
Tom Swearingen
Cowboy Poetry
Tom Swearingen (Tualatin) is a cowboy poet with a long family history of ranching and farming. Tom’s works celebrate the people and the land of the American West with infectious rhythm and rhyme.
Tonya Rosebrook races around a white barrel with a gray horse. She is wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, a black cowboy hat, and blue jeans.
Tonya Rosebrook
Barrel Racing
Tonya Rosebrook (Prineville) is a barrel racer with several generations of devoted rodeo contestants in her family. Her time is spent teaching the next generation of barrel racers and competing at local barrel racing events.
Troy Haselip sits in front of a desk with fly tying materials and an orange wall in the background. He is wearing a light gray t-shirt and a camo baseball cap.
Troy Haselip
River Guide, Fly Tier, Angler
Troy Haselip (Corvallis) is a river guide, fly fisher, fly tier, and owner of Watershed Fly Shop. He has been fly fishing since 2004. Haselip’s criteria for being a great angler is being able to pull fish out of any body of water, which requires technical skill, local knowledge, and understanding fish.

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