Lindsey Jones peeks at Kenny Houck’s silkscreen print as Missy Morgan and Kenny Houck look on at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts on the Umatilla Indian Reservation Aug. 9. Jones, Houck and Morgan - from Illinois Valley (Cave Junction) - were part of a contingent visiting Eastern Oregon. They also visited Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. CUJ photos/Phinney
An ‘amazing, beautiful’ Crow’s experience By Wil Phinney and Cami Lewis of the CUJ
MISSION – With the morning sun blasting through the east studio window at Crow’s Shadow Institute for the Arts, Lindsey Jones found a bit of shadow and peeked under the arm of Kenny Houck to get a look at the first silkscreen print he’d created since seventh grade in 1965. Jones and Houck, both from Illinois Valley near Cave Junction in southern Oregon, were among more than 70 school administrators, teachers, artists, and non-profit leaders who spent three days in Eastern Oregon as part of the Studio to School project of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF). It is a five-year initiative supporting 18 collaborative projects between school and community arts organizations across the state to design and deliver sustainable arts education opportunities that have the potential for replication, according to Jerry Tischleder, OCF Program Officer for Arts and Culture. The visit to the Umatilla Indian Reservation and other parts of the region was the eighth convening since 2014 for this group. The theme was “quality” and the goal for this gathering was to help grantees and OCF “examine barriers and approaches to ensuring all students have access to high-quality programming.” The sessions took place Aug. 7-9 at the Pendleton Center for the Arts, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, and Crow’s Shadow. Jones, a performing artist, said it was interesting to see visual arts and found the screen printing “easy once it is set up with a team and a system.” She was most impressed with Crow’s Shadow because it dedicates space, equipment and materials to artists, something that isn’t always available in other communities. Houck, the Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCanDo), represents three communities and a
September 2018
Liora Sponko, the Executive Director of the Lane Arts Council in Eugene, was pulling her first silkscreen print with help from Crow’s Shadow volunteer Sandra Westford. The Oregon Community Foiundation brought 70 educators to Crow’s Shadow as part of the Studio to School Project. They worked in teams to produce prints in an informational learning experience to be shared in their classrooms and communities.
total population of 17,000 with Cave Junction being the largest town in the valley. IVCanDo was established to focus on the economy and business, but it has expanded to include the arts, culture, and education components, plus forests, watersheds, etc. It also offers a revolving loan with micro-lending that has taken goats and bee hives for collateral. “We made screens yesterday and I thought, ‘What the hell are we doing?’” said the goateed
Confederated Umatilla Journal
Houck. “It was all set up this morning and we created a final product. It was instant gratification.” Participants came from across Oregon, including Ashland, Bend, Sun River, Portland, Hood River and Eugene. They split into workable groups and took part in a variety of activities with local students, artists and musicians, ranging from poetry to a talent show. At Crow’s Shadow they were led by master printmaker Judith Baumann and Jaime Durham, the summer assistant who recently graduated from the Tamarind Institute. In Pendleton, they performed at Hamley’s with a band called REV. Some of the Studio to School participants were wearing REV T-shirts at the screen-print making. Liora Sponko, Executive Director of the Lane Arts Council in Eugene, pulled her first screen print and proudly showed it with a big smile. “I love it, it’s so fun,” she said. “We have print making in Eugene but I’ve never done it before.” Sponko said she was happy to finally see and take part in activities at Crow’s Shadow. “I’ve heard about it for years. It’s known across the state,” she said. “It’s amazing to see. It has a legacy of artists and I can imagine them using this space.”
Silk screens were turned into original prints at Crow’s Shadow during the Studio to School project.
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