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 285 profiles.
Matilda Novak stands in front of a red brick wall inside Novak's Hungarian Restaurant. She wears a black long sleeved shirt under a white apron.
Matilda Novak
Hungarian Foodways
Matilda “Mama” Novack and husband, Joseph Novak (Albany) founded Novak's Hungarian Restaurant. Now run by the next generation, the restaurant serves traditional Hungarian dishes and authentic drinks. Mama says, "When we opened, we started with our family's favorite dishes." It is one of the few authentic Hungarian restaurants in the nation.
Members of the Matthews Family Gospel Singers stand outside near an orchard and a small windmill.
Matthews Family Gospel Singers
African American Gospel Music
The Matthews Family Gospel Singers (Hood River) managed by Eler, one of the 22 children who moved to Odell, Oregon with their parents, performs traditional gospel songs. The family lived in a small schools house in Odell, where their preacher-parents established their church. Eler and her daughter carry on as ministers and the family still comes together to sing traditional gospel songs for public events.
Michael "Mic" Crenshaw stands in front of a blurred purple and blue background. He wears a denim jacket, a black t-shirt, and a gray hat.
Michael "Mic" Crenshaw
Hip Hop Artist and Emcee
Mic Crenshaw (Portland) is a world-class MC, a poetry slam champion, and a respected hip-hop artist around the northwest. A former member of the Portland-based group Hungry Mob, Crenshaw currently acts as Political Director for the Hip Hop Congress and the Lead U.S. Organizer for the Afrikan Hip Hop Caravan.
Michael Johnson standing outside with a tree in the background. He is wearing a blue shirt with green writing.
Michael Johnson
Cornhusk False Embroidery Twining
Michael Johnson (Umatilla) is a master of Umatilla Cornhusk False Embroidery. False embroidery is also known as cornhusk twining and used when making ceremonial hats for naming ceremonies, food gathering, and traditional dancing. Johnson who was a Master Artist with the Oregon Folklife Network’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program in 2012 was inspired by Tribal elders to be the weaving teacher he is today.
Mike and Terri Slate sit on a couch in their home, and on the wall beside them is a taxidermy animal head.
Mike and Terri Slate
Trapping
Mike and Terri Slate (Hines) are animal trappers, a traditional pursuit in the Great Basin. Employing their broad knowledge of the local terrain, animal feeding habits, and pelt preparation, the Slates continue a tradition that is a part of regional heritage.
Mike Purves sits in a workshop holding a piece of boot leather and wears a navy blue shirt.
Mike Purves
Shoe and Custom Bootmaking
Mike Purves (Klamath Falls) is a shoe repairer and custom bootmaker who owns and operates a shoe repair shop in Klamath Falls. Having trained with Randy Merrell, founder of the Merrell Shoe Company, Purves focuses primarily on shoe repair, but also creates custom cowboy boots made from local materials.
Mike Strong stands over a workbench and engraves on a dark piece of leather. He wears a red shirt and gray apron.
Mike Strong
Western Boot and Shoe Making
Mike Strong (Ontario) is a western boot and shoemaker who owns and operates Mike’s Custom Footwear in Ontario, OR. After an extensive apprenticeship with famed boot maker D.W. Frommer of Bend, Strong opened his own shop where he repairs shoes and boots and crafts traditional western boots.
Mildred Quaempts stands in front of a grassy field wearing a dentalium beaded shawl with olive green trim.
Mildred Quaempts
Umatilla Dentalium Piecework
Mildred Quaempts (Umatilla), a master in Umatilla dentalium piecework, is renowned for her shell dresses. Quaempts, a 2012 Master Artist with the Oregon Folklife Network Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, began to make shell dresses at age 9 under the guide of her grandmother. Making veils for brides is one way Quaempts carries on the traditions in her Tribe.
Milen Slavov sits with a black accordion in front of a dark blurred background. He wears a long sleeved denim shirt.
Milen Slavov
Bulgarian Folk Music
Milen Slavov (Tigard) is a master piano accordionist from Bulgaria. At the age of eight, he began performing publicly. His virtuosity led to his admittance to a prestigious school of traditional Bulgarian folk music. Slavov is well known for his innovative fusion compositions that blend Bulgarian folk music with jazz, pop, and classical music.
A Photo of Miranda Coleman
Miranda Coleman
Ukrainian Dance
Miranda Coleman (Eugene) is a Ukrainian American dancer from Keizer, Oregon. Coleman does traditional dances from different regions of Ukraine, performing in Oregon and internationally.
Monica Moreno stands in front of a pink wall wearing a red shirt and holding a pink piñata and decorated sugar skull.
Monica Moreno
Piñata and Sugar Skull Making
Monica Moreno (Portland) is a fabricante del piñatas y las calaveras de azúcar (maker of piñatas and sugar skulls). Moreno started making piñatas in elementary school, in her hometown of Mexico City. She now owns a Mexican party shop in the Portland Mercado on SE Foster, where her handmade creations adorn the ceiling.
Monmouth Taiko stand on a stage with a beige background and pose with red drumsticks behind five taiko drums. All members are wearing black shirts and black pants.
Monmouth Taiko
Japanese Taiko Drumming
Monmouth Taiko (Monmouth), is a Japanese drum ensemble group, started at Western Oregon State in 1995. Taiko drumming was used historically for communication, celebratory, theatrical and religious purposes. In 1950s Japan, taiko drumming gained popularity in its contemporary ensemble format. Monmouth Taiko is a way to remember and share Japanese culture in the US.
Natalie Kirk stands in front of a wooden pole wearing a black shirt and red cardigan. She holds a small white, tan, and black woven basket.
Natalie Kirk
Basketry
Natalie Kirk (Warm Springs) makes twined root bags or wapas. Traditionally worn at their waists, women use wapas when gathering roots. Kirk sells her work at The Museum At Warm Springs, where she learned to weave from Warm Springs traditional weaver, Eraina Palmer.
Shatalova sits at a table and starts a Motanka doll.
Nataliya Shatalova
Ukrainian Motanka Doll-Making
Nataliya Shatalova (Beaverton) is a Ukranian traditional artist who specializes in making Motanka dolls-- dolls that are made through laborious and strict weaving and knotting techniques. Shatalova is passionate about sharing her traditional craft and emphasizes the importance of a cultural practice that is done with great care, intention, and continuity. 
Neftali Rivera sits on a gray couch wearing a white shirt, black hat, and jeans. He plays a small acoustic guitar.
Neftali Rivera
Puerto Rican Music
Neftalí Rivera (Aloha) performs traditional Puerto Rican music with his trio, Borikuas. A guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Rivera specializes in the danzas, and aguinaldos of his hometown as well as the Afro-Caribbean bombas and plenas. Borikuas plays regularly in the Portland area and features Ramon Cancel on cuatro and percussionist Victor Pizarro.
Nirmala Waterhouse
nanduti, traditional Paraguayan lace
Nirmala Waterhouse (Eugene) is a textile and embroidery artist who specializes in ñandutí, a traditional Paraguayan lace. Ñandutí means “spider web” in Guaraní, the indigenous language of Paraguay. Often displayed as wall hangings, altar pieces, or used as embellishment on festive dresses, ñandutí is a versatile artform. Waterhouse has showcased her work at the Whitaker market in Eugene, Oregon, often through live demonstrations of her ñandutí-making process.
Nisha Joshi poses against a white wall, wearing a blue and gold sari.
Nisha Joshi
Rajastani Folk Songs
Nisha Joshi (Portland) is a traditional Rajasthani folk song artist. These folk songs describe the daily life of villagers, nature, religion, and festivals in the Indian state of Rajasthan. A Master Artist with the Oregon Folklife Network’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program in 2012 Joshi runs the Portland based Swaranjali Academy of Indian Music, and teaches vocal, harmonium, sitar, and tabla lessons from her home.
Nitu Rajbahndari stands in front of a white door and wears a red shirt, blue floral skirt, yellow fabric belt, and a green necklace.
Nitu Rajbahndari
Nepalese Classical and Folk Dance
Nitu Rajbahndari (Beaverton) is a Nepalese classical and folk dancer. Rajbahndari performs classical ritual and regional ethnic folk dances for special events in her community and with the Nepali Organization of Oregon.
Norma Lund wears a white t-shirt and stands in front of a wall decorated with three quilt squares.
Norma Lund
Quilting
Norma Lund (Lakeview) is a skilled hand-quilter. She pieces, appliqués, and quilts with traditional patterns and rescues old quilts. Lund comes from a long line of quilters, including her mother, both grandmothers, and her great-grandmothers.
Norman Sylvester stands in front of a white wall with two hanging picture frames. He wears a blue collared shirt and blue fedora.
Norman Sylvester
Rhythm and Blues Music
Norman Sylvester (Portland) plays R & B music, and comes from a small town in Louisiana, where his father sang in a gospel quartet, The Spiritual Five. Sylvester grew up singing in church choirs and later learned to play the guitar from Isaac Scott in Portland. His band, The Norman Sylvester Band, has been a mainstay in the region’s R&B scene for more than 30 years.

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