Culture Features

In celebration of Black History Month, Central Oregon Community College will host several community offerings in February that highlight “Black triumph” and celebrate Black women and youth. Events include an empowerment retreat; two dinners with speakers and/or performers; a viewing of “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” and a community forum. All events are free, […]

“’Self’ appears to be a gathering of body, thoughts, perceptions, awareness, and sensations, yet we experience ourselves as something else.” David Guterson grew up near a Tibetan diaspora family in his Seattle neighborhood, befriending the boys in the family who were his age and spending time with them in their home. Even as a child, […]

On the third Tuesday of every month, the Sisters Science Club packs The Belfry, an old church in Sisters turned performance venue, with curious minds eager to learn about the next “Frontier in Science.” What began in 2011 as the dream of Cal Allen, Bob Collins, and Dave Hiller, three passionate members of the Sisters […]

Mindy Dougherty has had a challenging life, going through numerous traumatic events dating back to her earliest memories at age 4 when she says she was sexually abused by one of her brothers. She spent her childhood split between Florida with her mother and California with her father whom she describes as a drug addict […]

The frenzy of the holidays is almost behind us and 2026 is just around the corner. For many, using the new year to set goals and resolutions is a time-honored tradition. Some of you may join a gym or commit to Dry January. Perhaps you want to do more for our local community. Volunteer at […]

Seven years ago, Jess Burke was living in Portland, working as a disability analyst for the State of Oregon, and regularly hiking upward of 60 miles a month with her husband, Rod. She began experiencing stiffness in her neck, shoulders and right side, so her doctor prescribed physical therapy. “It wasn’t helping much, but I […]

On a quiet, overcast morning, five women sit at a table at the Bend Pavilion with art supplies and sketchbooks laid before them. They’re members of Urban Sketchers Bend who meet every Wednesday at a different location to draw, chat and share artistic techniques. They began meeting after artist Lee Kellogg taught a class at […]

Bend artist Dee Ford Potter has poured her life story into woven arts. A 58-year retrospective collection of her work called “A Life Well Woven is on display at Central Oregon Community College’s Rotunda Gallery in the Barber Library through Dec. 7. The art dates back to Potter’s early days. In 1967, she was studying […]