Art can help us see and care more deeply for the values and communities of a landscape. Join us as we continue to explore the role of art in conservation by exploring a unique program in the incredible landscapes of Hells Canyon and the Northern Blue Mountains.
We’ll hear from artists in the Wild Blues AiR (Artists in Residence) program, an initiative of Greater Hells Canyon Council that invites artists to engage with the Blue Mountains Ecoregion and its role as a place of refuge for both human and non-human communities.
In 2024, the program featured visual artist Robin Coen and award-winning poet Marina Richie. Most recently, the residence was held by Caretakers of the Land, an Indigenous-led organization focused on revitalizing culturally significant arts, crafts, and lifeways of the Mid-Columbia River Basin and the Blue Mountain Bioregion.
Together, these artists will reflect on their experiences in the Wild Blues AiR program, their art, broader work, and unique perspectives about the incredible landscapes and living communities of what is now called Northeast Oregon.
Oregon Wild staff will give a very brief update about the challenges and opportunities facing the region.
We will be raffling off a copy of Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide and one of our new “Let Nature Live. Let Nature Last” t-shirts. Additionally, a Caretakers of the Land calendar highlighting the seasonal round of the Columbia Plateau and a selection of notecards showcasing the work of Robin and Marina, which highlight the refugia of the Blue Mountains, will be included in this raffle. Tickets are $5 and are an optional purchase below. Raffle tickets not only help us continue these Wednesday presentations but also support our work safeguarding Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters.
About the presenters:
Robin Coen grew up on a cattle ranch in Oregon’s Elkhorn Mountains. With an educational background in Forest Engineering, her childhood home – Good Bear Ranch – has become a center for restoration, conservation, and creative practice. Robin fosters her deep love for the environment through advocacy, watercolor painting, and gardening.
Representing Caretakers of the Land, Bobby Fossek, Brosnan Spencer, and their daughter Meadow, are affiliated with the Cayuse, Walla Walla, Yakama, and Klickitat peoples. They will share how their work revitalizes culturally significant art and lifeways, including natural basketry, hide tanning, and traditional foodways. During their residency, they gathered dogbane hemp and tule using traditional values grounded in gratitude and reciprocity. They created cordage and baskets entirely from native fibers, demonstrating a living connection between land, culture, and care.
