Participants are invited to join us a half hour before and/or after each workshop for snacks and community building time (optional).

Register here.

Caldera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting urban and rural youth in finding the potential of their creative voice. Oregon Humanities connects individuals and communities through conversations, storytelling, and participatory programs to inspire understanding and collaborative change. Together, Caldera and Oregon Humanities are embarking on a collaboration rooted in story and connection. It’s a journey that will get to the root of what it means for structures to belong—and explore with people of all ages the multifaceted question, “What are the structures of belonging?”

The conical dwellings commonly known as tipis have long been utilized by the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, Kiowa, and Comanche people to accommodate historically nomadic ways of life. These Indigenous peoples are more traditionally connected to lands now referred to as the Great Plains–and not to most of the Pacific Northwest.

For decades, youth from all walks of life have visited the land activated by Caldera as a place for creativity and connection. While staying there, they reside in tipis, far from the customary lands and inhabitants of these iconic structures. It’s an arrangement that deserves care rooted in connection, hence the imaginative, community-centered partnership between Caldera and Oregon Humanities, which provides the framework for this So Much Together workshop.

As we wonder together whether or not those structures belong at Caldera, we'll move together toward an imaginative understanding of structures of belonging in our lives and communities that are simultaneously vast and intimate.

Caldera’s senior director of impact Karena Salmond and So Much Together program creator Rozzell Medina will lead this group exploration of belonging related to land, culture, memory, and the future. We will examine intersections of Indigeneity, culture, and colonial impact relevant to the tipis, laying the groundwork for a rich engagement informed by multiple perspectives. Participants will spend time on the land, learning about the Structures of Belonging project and exploring belonging in connective and creative ways.  

Click here to register. 

Mobility access: Caldera is a wheelchair-accessible venue. The workshop will take place on the ground floor. An ADA-accessible restroom is also located on the ground floor. 

Part of the workshop will be held outdoors at the tipi site, which is less than a quarter-mile from the main building. Please note this involves walking on uneven terrain. Golf cart transportation is available for those who cannot walk this distance. The path may be challenging for wheelchair users and those with other mobility devices. 

Parking: There is a parking lot, which includes one designated accessible spot. Contact Karena Salmond if you require an accessible parking spot. 

Public transit: There is no public transit to Caldera. 

Food and drink: Light snacks and beverages (non-alcoholic) will be provided for free.

Please contact r.medina@oregonhumanities if you have specific requests for accommodations or concerns about any aspect of participating in this workshop.