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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2011)
NEWS BRIEFS RIDE NAKED World Naked Bike Ride Day is Saturday, June 11, and Eugene cyclists will join thousands of other cyclists around the world to celebrate the human body and the bicycle, which together form the most efficient transportation ever created. “We will ride our bikes nude (or nearly nude) to remind our fellow travelers that bicyclists are vulnerable when facing two-ton metal monsters and all of us are vulnerable because of our addiction to fossil fuels,” says Ralph Forrest-Ball, one of the organizers. Participants will meet near Skinner Butte Park, at the corner of Cheshire and Lawrence at 4 pm. The route will be determined at that point and will begin at 4:30 pm. Participants are encouraged to wear helmets and ride “as bare as you dare.” Colorful costumes and body paint are also welcome. Come early and bring musical instruments and food to share with other riders. For more information, email tiedyeguy@hotmail.com or visit www. worldnakedbikeride.org FOLKLIFE NETWORK EARNS GRANT The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently awarded the Oregon Folklife Network (OFN) a $40,000 grant to support the reestablishment of their Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP). Formerly known as the Oregon Folklife Program, UO-based OFN’s mission is to document, sustain and promote Oregon’s folklife and cultural heritage through research and public programming. “I know it’s a time when the NEA has had to suffer certain budgetary cuts themselves, it’s very heartening and encouraging to know that at a national level the federal agencies continue to give high regard to traditional arts and folk arts,” said Emily Afanador, OFN program manager. The TAAP program will fund lessons between master crafts people and new apprentices within cultural communities. Afanador explains that skills are defined broadly to include visual arts, music, dance, oral tradition, foodways, ceremonial dress, etc. “Oregonians from various cultural backgrounds who carry with them cultural traditions from their homes (places of origin) enrich Oregon’s diversity and culture here within the state. It’s important that these traditions and cultural practices are carried on from generation to generation,” Afanador said. Lisa Gilman, UO’s folklore program director and associate professor, explained in a recent email to EW that the TAAP program provides opportunities for people to showcase and share their artistic practices, documents traditional artists and arts, and archives this documentation with other communities through exhibits, interactive websites and library databases. In addition to the TAAP grant, the Archives of Northwest Folklore will receive $5,250 in grant funds for its open- access, web-based union catalog of folklore archival repositories and collections. According to Gilman, the archive project recently received just under $258,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for its first phase, from June 2011 to May 2013. Archivist and UO librarian Nathan Georgitis explained that users must come to the UO libraries to use the collections at first, however, collection materials will be digitized and made available online in the future. Georgitis will also be working on materials related to TAAP. “The OFN must now work closely with traditional artists and communities of practice to realize this potential and develop a sustainable apprenticeship program that is grounded in, and supported by local individuals, communities and organizations,” Georgitis said. Afanador explained that OFN is a network model with partners such as Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Heritage Tradition, among others. With the help of its partners, OFN is in the process of reestablishing contact with former TAAP awardees. The OFN is one of four NEA recipients in Rep. Peter DeFazio’s district. The congressman has advocated for arts funding. The other awardees are the Clarion Foundation for literature, Eugene Ballet and the UO Music Department. — Heather Cyrus RIDE MORE m o .c BIG CAT KILL BILL KILLED “Looks like the cougar bill is dead,” says Sally Mackler of Eugene-based Predator Defense of HB 2337, a bill in the Oregon Legislature that tried to once again bring back the hunting of cougars with hounds. “The purpose was purportedly to decrease conflict,” Mackler says. According to the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, “HB 2337 would allow for the creation of pilot programs in which permitted persons could hunt or pursue cougars using one or more dogs.” The NRA adds, “The pilot programs would be launched in select areas with documented cougar threats to human, livestock or pet safety.” Mackler says, “You can’t sport hunt in residential communities, and it’s already permitted to pursue damage- causing bears or cougars.” She says the bill was “bogus, it was for trophy hunting.” She says it was “just a way to bring sport hounding back into Oregon, but voters did not want to see that.” Oregon voters approved the cougar-hunting ban in 1994 and despite repeated attempts to overturn the ban it has remained standing. Still in play in the Legislature, but just barely, according to Mackler, is one of several wolf bills that were introduced this session, HB 3560, which would create a compensation program for ranchers suffering losses to wolves. The bill is in the Ways and Means Committee. Another wolf bill, HB 3562, would have allowed for the killing of a wolf if it attacks a human, but opponents said that is already allowed under the Oregon’s wolf management plan and that bill died in committee. — Camilla Mortensen Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen Wants Yo’ BIG ASS To... EAT SOUL FOOD! LUNCH DINNER CATERING Tues-Fri 12-2 & 5-10pm Sat 2-10pm 400 Blair Blvd. 342-7500 10 JUNE 2, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
