connecting communities Through Art & music

Bridgeworks Oregon partners with individuals and groups to run programs that focus on well-being and education by using art, music, and cultural awareness to bridge societal divisions in Oregon. Bridgeworks strives to create greater equity to marginalized populations.

We, at Bridgeworks Oregon, are committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where our participants, colleagues, and volunteers feel valued. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach to our work to provide equal opportunities. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages. We take time to listen as all voices are valued and heard. And we strive to broadcast other’s stories respectfully and with integrity, as we connect communities.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Lakota Oyate-Ki Culture Club at Oregon State Penitentiary

Lakota Oyate-Ki drummers open a recording session for the PonyXpress, November 2023.

Bridgeworks Oregon has received critical support from the Oregon Cultural Trust, The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, The Salem Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Fred W Fields Fund of Oregon Community Foundation, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Multnomah County Cultural Coalition. Thank you also to the Oregon Arts Commission and Art Matters Foundation for awarding artist fellowships to Tracy Schlapp. Bridgeworks Oregon was awarded generous support to produce the anthology Prisons Have a Long Memory by the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Oregon Humanities, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The PonyXpress has received support from Mervyn Seldon Charitable Arts Trust, Roundhouse Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Oregon Humanities, the Oregon Arts Commission, and a generous pool of subscribers. Thank you Lakota Oyate-Ki Culture Club at OSP for partnering.

THE TEAM

Creative Director Tracy Schlapp leading workshop at the Penitentiary of Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2025. Photo by Chloe Accardi and supplied courtesy of Museum of International Folk Art and the New Mexico Department of Corrections. Executive Director recording PonyXpress writers at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Pendleton Oregon, 2024. Photo by Phillip Luna and supplied courtesy of Oregon Department of Corrections.