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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 Supporters celebrate youth program By T. Lee Brown Correspondent Stories of Change brought Native American artist and performer Jefferson Green to the shores of Blue Lake this weekend. The annual fun- draising event for Caldera presents storytelling, docu- mentary film and perfor- mance showing how the organization9s programs change the lives of youth. Founders Dan Wieden and Priscilla Bernard Wieden, also known by their camp names Papa Bear and Moonflower, greeted people at the door. About 200 cel- ebrants mingled in Caldera9s central Hearth Building and its surrounding studios, art installations, and forest. Logs burned in outdoor fireplaces. As at summer camps of yore, guests invented camp names for themselves, wrote them on <wood cookies= with Sharpies, and wore them around their necks. Embracing the conflu- ence of indoor and outdoor space, the built environ- ment (designed by Brad Cloepfil) invites exploration and meandering. A skilled hand-drummer, camp man- ager Catón Lyles eventually called wanderers in for din- ner, though the plan back- fired a bit. Some in the audi- ence didn9t want to go take their seats for fear of missing a single beat. Once inside, diners played art games and got to know each other. Local folks chat- ted with designers from Portland and artists from Los Angeles. Philanthropists mixed with students and art- ists. Organizers invited stu- dents from their youth pro- grams to gather around one table, while another table seated alumni of Caldera9s Artist in Residency program (including this writer). < C a l d e r a 9s w o r k i s unique,= wrote Executive Director Brian Detman in a welcome note. <We believe in beauty, hope, and joy. We are committed to maintain- ing relationships with youth for seven-plus years, and supporting them to find and amplify their voices through art and experiences in the natural world.= Chabre Vickers served as the evening9s emcee. With her strong stage presence and gracious speaking style, Vickers brought attention to how Caldera has changed her own daughter9s life. Raised in poverty, Vickers has said that as a child she could never have imagined such a beautiful place as Caldera. Vickers is now the commu- nity development officer for Wells Fargo bank throughout Oregon and highly active in Portland charities. A short documentary film celebrated the work of youth program alumna Adiana (<Addy=) Wilmot. A first- generation American born in Portland of a Jamaican fam- ily, Wilmot was <a shy young girl who wasn9t interested in art.= She came to <experience and appreciate all different types of art,= becoming con- fident in expressing herself vocally and artistically. Jefferson Greene brought stories to life with his humor- ous performance style and beautiful singing voice. Accompanying himself on a drum hand-painted with a volcano, Greene sang and spoke a story of when <the animals were new on this earth,= as his grandmother would say. Then he told jokes, from groaners to a sly, funny narrative in which a non-indigenous attorney gets his due for poaching on res- ervation land. A cultural artist born and PHOTO BY OLIVIA BREBRICK Jefferson Greene brought stories to life in humorous style. raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Greene also showed his recent map of Oregon at the event. The artwork consists of a large canvas made of tule mat, harvested and woven by the artist. He researched indig- enous place names of Central Oregon towns and beyond, See CALDERA on page 20 541-549-9388 22&14K, Fancy-Cut White Topaz