Think Oregon

oregon native americans, acosia red elk, wildhorse resort and casino

Acosia Red Elk

Striking and graceful, Acosia Red Elk leads a resurgence of American Indian jingle dress dancing while healing her body and mind.

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Carlton Winemakers Studio

At age 60, Ned and Kirsten Lumpkin were set to live out their retirement as ski bums. After owning a construction business, recreation was just what they thought they needed. In the end, a life built solely on powder turns was not enough. In 2000, they threw themselves into a new career, planting a vineyard on a south-facing slope in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.

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Instrument’s Innovative Workspace

As is apparent by the innovative meeting spaces, funky art, ping pong table, digital wall and the connecting thread of personal stylistic expression by the staff, this is not your typical workplace.

leah nash, hillsboro

PlayWrite Brings Theatrical Opportunity to Youth

Most seats are filled in the Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro. A 15-year-old gets on stage. Fidgeting with his notes, he shakily tells the audience, in Spanish and then in English, about the play he wrote.

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Rick Spinrad

Our nation’s top environmental scientist will never forget his first glimpse of Oregon. “I never saw so much green!” recalled Dr. Rick Spinrad.

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Soundoff: Common Core

Common Core standards were developed by Achieve, a nonprofit whose board is the who’s who of corporate America, and is largely funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Oregon and many other states have adopted the Common Core standards. The Oregon Department of Education requires that our schools replace existing standard tests with tests based on the Common Core by spring 2015. The teachers’ union, the Oregon Education Association, is calling for a delay in implementation of Common Core testing. The Gates Foundation, too, offered that testing of the Common Core should not begin for two more years. 

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The Albany Carousel

In 2002, the Albany community decided to create a hand-carved carousel, to enchant visitors and promote the artistry of carousel building. Much of the carving is done by amateurs. The Albany Historic Carousel and Museum loans tools to beginners and gives basic carving instruction. Volunteer painters finish each work with oil paints. Admission to the nonprofit carousel studio and museum is free. More details at albanycarousel.com.

Grace Shibley

Ballerina Grace Shibley

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO PEEK into the life of a real dancer. How do they move when doing mundane tasks like shopping at the market? Do they do anything other than practice dance? What music do they like? Can they dance without the discipline of choreography? Do they ever come down from their grand leaps of grace?