by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   Central Oregon is inspiring. Not only for the mountain backdrop, cascading waterfalls and 300 days of sun, but for the entrepreneurial spirit, creative collaborations and, for me especially, the strong women roll-models found here. We have an impressive collection of women-owned businesses in the high desert, and through…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   I measure time by how a body sways. ~ from Theodore Roethke’s poem I Knew a Woman   Have you experienced real flow before? To me flow can be a feeling that comes from gliding down the mountain on a powdery winter day, the movements effortless, the exhilaration…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   I believe in living life the way that you want to live it every day, and if you do that, you don’t really need to have New Year’s resolutions. Tom Ford   I love our cover image this month. Dorothy Eberhardt’s Smith Rock Snow to me represents a…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   The holidays are here! While you contemplate that perfect something for family, friends or even yourself, think about gifting locally. The draw and ease of shopping online is strong, but we have amazing options for creative, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts to please anyone on your list. Our gift…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   During the first regional Arts Summit, a collaboration with the Oregon Arts Commission and the Arts & Culture Alliance, a prominent national arts leader and advocate, Doug Borwick, provided the keynote address with an important theme: community engagement is key to the survival of the arts. Citing a…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   Everyone experiences BendFilm differently. Choosing among 94 films watched over four days at seven different venues ensures an entirely different combination of movies for each festivalgoer. Often when I’m standing in line on Sunday after three days of the festival, I poll those around me for their favorite…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life. – Henry Miller   Schools have been under increased pressure to raise student proficiency rates in “core” subjects of reading and math since the No Child Left Behind legislation became law in 2002. Based on the idea that high standards…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   The days are heating up, and so are your options for festivals in Central Oregon this summer. Fantastic options range from quilts and beer, to music and fine art. And fortunately they are spread out throughout the month, so you may just want to hit them all! Head…

by RENEE PATRICK Cascade A&E Editor   Artists, writers, dancers, musicians and just about every creative has undoubtedly encountered this troubling proposition: “We can’t afford to pay you for your (painting, performance, poem, illustration, etc.), but it would be great recognition and who knows where that could lead!”   It’s troubling because those artists, writers…