KWSO News 11/17/25

Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) awarded four Oregon artists with Fields Artist Fellowships, and they will receive $150,000 each over two years to develop their careers and engage their communities.

Scott Kalama from Warm Springs is one of the artists. He says he creates positive music that shares his story of growing up on the reservation, “currently, I’ve released a music video called ‘Bring the Pain’ and it’s about preserving the Native language.” The video was filmed in the Warm Springs and Madras area.

The three other Fields Artist Fellows are:

• Myles de Bastion from Portland who is a technical artist and disability rights advocate known for creating immersive, sensory-substitution art installations and experiences centered on themes of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility
• Chava Florendo, a Wasco/Filipina/multiracial photographer, multidisciplinary artist, performer, facilitator, and educator who lives in Southern Oregon
• And Eddie Melendrez, a Mexican American painter, City Council member and youth boxing coach from Ontario in Eastern Oregon.

All four were in Warm Springs on Friday for a showcase of their art for the community. They are being featured this week on KWSO’s Our People & Mother Earth program.

Learn more about the artists: https://oregoncf.org/community-impact/community-stories/2024-26-fields-artist-fellows-announced