Our free public forest bathing event, Singing the Forest, drew 34 people out to the Smith and Bybee Wetlands on July 27 for an afternoon of shared movement, breath, and song!

​Led by Onry and Liam Whitworth, this 90-minute wellness walk brought together LGBTQ2SIA+ Oregonians, along with friends and allies, to explore one of the largest urban freshwater wetlands in the country. Shawon Shorter led a yoga class before our walk. Then our group walked in the wetlands, noticing the landscape’s textures, scents, and shifting light. Guided breath work helped everyone arrive fully in the moment before moving into a sensory meditation. As the walk continued, participants learned simple vocal warmups inspired by the calls of birds overhead, the movement of the wind through tall grass, and the gentle rhythm of the water. People who had never met sang together with less and less self-consciousness, listening and blending their voices into something larger than themselves. By the end, there was a shared feeling of connection not just with one another, but with the trees, plants, and sounds of the wetland creatures.

Attendees left with smiles, a deeper relationship to our public land and commons, and a reminder of the joy that comes from gathering in nature to share breath, movement, and song. This event was made possible with Metro funds as part of their Parks and Nature Community-led Programs.

Walking together has always been a way for Future Prairie artists to learn about the world and about ourselves. Walking meditations in Oregon open our senses to sounds, smells, and textures beneath our feet and help us feel connected to the land we live on now. Over time, our founder and Executive Director realized that walking meditation could be more than a personal ritual; it could also be a way to gather LGBTQ2SIA+ and ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) artists with strangers to start conversations and build a sense of belonging with people who often feel unseen.

We began using walking as a research practice in Portland's neighborhoods, parks, and along our rivers, eventually completing several half marathons along the way. We walk at a slow, meditative pace. When possible, we like to take all day. Together we speak and move gently, stopping to notice moss on a tree trunk or to listen to birdsong echo through the branches. Walking side by side, we shared stories about our lives, dreams, and goals. We often read poetry aloud in these spaces as well.

Forest bathing is a cherished, though not essential, part of this practice. Sensory immersion in nature asks us to leave our phones behind and turn our attention to the living world around us. In a quiet clearing, we sit together, breathing slowly, letting natural light, scent, and sound calm our minds. This shared practice has been healing because we create space to process communal grief and share stories while also practicing deep listening. Our bodies and our souls are part of something larger than any one struggle. Art in nature reminds us of this.

Walking as Research Practice feels urgent right now. Trans and otherwise marginalized people carry histories of exclusion, mistrust in public spaces, and constant vigilance. When we walk together through the forest, we reclaim safety. We practice being known in a world that often tries to make us invisible. We learn to trust one another and to trust the earth as a witness to our worth. In those moments, community becomes a vehicle for care and resistance.

Our inspiration for this practice comes from a desire to bridge boundaries. In bringing strangers together on shared city paths and rural trails, we develop networks of support that flow into galleries, coffee shops, venues, churches, hospitals, and living rooms. Being together in nature is our birthright. In that belonging we find healing, resilience, and hope for a future where everyone has a little more room to breathe.

This weekend, we are grateful to be hosting a free public art show at Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow. This event is open with no RSVP required, featuring live music performance by Matthew Halbert-Howen, magic from Calen Morelli, an artist talk from Mat Randol, and free headshots from Justine Vanderpool.

​Better Than a Shoebox was a free, ASL-accessible archival and oral-history workshop series we helped produce, commissioned directly by the City of Portland and taught by members of the Oregon Queer History Collective — artists teaching other artists how to preserve their own history!

In 2024, we had the honor of funding creativity across a wide spectrum of art forms ranging from visual art, poetry, and film to music, social practice, and community initiatives. Through direct cash support, mini virtual residencies, and resource sharing, Future Prairie celebrates the voices of underrepresented communities, especially queer and neurodivergent perspectives. We’re providing artists with funding, technical assistance, workspace, mentorship, and community networking.

These artists and projects represent a cross-section of creativity and social activism, spanning disciplines from dance and storytelling to technology and site-specific installations: 

Abby McHale, Akela Jaffi Auer, Amelia Ralston-Okabayashi, Amelia Schroth, Amethyst Rae, Anna Burke, Arcadia Trueheart, Ashlin Aronin, Asher Kondziela of Prism, Aster Olsen, B3NTL3Y (Bentley Anubis), Beck Beverage, Bee Brooklyn Campos, Bishop and Wilde, Brett Brown, Bronwyn Carver, Cal Angus of smoke and mold trans-run journal, Chloe Larson, Chris Noel, Claire Dior, CoHo Productions & CoHo Resource Center, Cultured Magazine, Z Rucker, Drew Harmon, Drunk Church, Ember High, Emily "Emmi" Greer, Erin Wright, Freeform Portland, Gal La Mode, Brianna Spencer, Katherine Morgan, Hannah Glavor, Hannah Krafcik, Hannah Piper Burns, Harlee Case, Adia Gibbs, Ilima Considine, Jax Ko, Jason Lee Cinematica, Jayden Becker, Jenny Xie, Jess Ackerman, Justine Vanderpool, Joyce McNair, Joy Pearson, Kait D of Goldie's Film, Katarina Countiss, KiShawn Thompson, Emmett Preciado, Lene Hopson, Lisa Leard, Lukas Angus, Maddy Court, Matthew Halbert-Howen, Meg Currell, Midori, Nikita Vincent, Nicholas Williams, Portland Indie Game Squad, Queer Social Club, Rachel Smith (Words of Mouth), Renée Yoxon, Saeeda Wright, Sage Nova, Cameron Day O'Connell, Shaun Keylock, Shakir Najieb, Shawon Shorter, Skylyn Booth, Carrot Quinn, Tuck Woodstock, Up Good with Honey Pluton, and Zaji Cox.

Each brings unique perspectives, amplifying the vibrant cultural landscape of Portland and beyond. Future Prairie remains committed to cultivating an inclusive arts community where all identities are celebrated. We believe in the power of collective work to shift narratives, foster resilience, and build lasting community ties. By supporting a diverse cohort of artists and collaborators, we continue to broaden representation in the arts, creating new avenues for visibility and opportunity.

Future Prairie hosted a free public event at Tomorrow Theater to teach City of Portland voters about ranked-choice voting. Here are portraits of some of the voters in attendance!

We are so excited for our founder, Liam Whitworth, and he heads into his New Media Fellowship at the Portland Art Museum's Center for an Untold Tomorrow!

You'll get a chance to see several of Liam's short films — Self Defense, Lilies, To Eat With Her Hands — come to life in this paid artist residency program in downtown Portland.

​Flowers for Black Elders began as an idea we had early in 2021: an oral history and portraiture project built to honor five Black musicians who helped shape Northeast Portland's Albina neighborhood as a creative scene, some of them going back to the 1990s!

Curated by Onry and Liam Whitworth, with photography by Brett Brown, the project tracked down and interviewed Libretto Jackson, Alonzo Chadwick, Derrick McDuffey, Mel Brown, and Saeeda Wright, and paid each of them directly for their time, their stories, and their portraits.  

The work went public at Nationale Gallery in Portland's Project Room, running January 27 through March 4, 2023, with a closing reception and listening party at One Grand Gallery on March 3. The Skanner, Portland Tribune, Oregon ArtsWatch, EverOut, and iHeart's JAM'N 107.5 all covered it. Lead funding came through the Oregon Community Foundation's Creative Heights program.

Break to Build at Zidell Yards was a dance show made by Laura that put fifteen paid performers on-site at a historic shipyard for a dance, music, puppetry, and media performance that drew hundreds of people to a stretch of riverfront most Portlanders had never had a reason to visit.

"Flowers for Black Elders" was a 2022-2024 placemaking initiative incorporating unconditional cash payments in Northeast Portland’s historically Black Albina neighborhood. We archived, showcased, paid, and honored five Black musicians who co-founded the creative scene in Northeast Portland.

This intergenerational, multidisciplinary project was led by community–based organization Future Prairie leaders Onry & Liam Whitworth. We transformed the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) into a vibrant hub of art, culture, and memory for local Black elder artists. 

We celebrated five Black musicians who co-created the creative soul of this community. These five artists, whose influence spanned decades and resonated internationally, shaped Portland’s musical landscape while championing social justice, community outreach, music education, and hope for displaced residents. Through "Flowers for Black Elders," we reimagined placemaking by archiving their stories, honoring their legacies, and fostering a space where their contributions thrived. We interviewed each musician about their lives, careers, and impact on Portland and beyond, and paid them a living wage for their time—a step that corrected the historic undercompensation of Black Portlanders.  

By centering Black artists in a gentrifying neighborhood, we cultivated a creative sanctuary that reflected the richness of its past and present. Housed at the IFCC, "Flowers for Black Elders" reactivated this historic site as a cultural anchor, bridging generations and communities. The exhibit shone a spotlight on five trailblazing musicians whose work countered gang violence and nurtured resilience, offering them their first career retrospectives in a city often dominated by a predominantly white and able-bodied art scene.  

Future Prairie remains committed to equity in this placemaking effort. BIPOC and queer-identified artists were at the heart of our cast and crew, bringing lived experience to a project that amplified marginalized voices. We recognized the racial tensions that linger in Portland’s historically Black neighborhoods, yet we believed in the power of art to heal and unite. This initiative challenged the status quo, created opportunities for underrepresented talent to flourish, and invited the broader community to engage with a space that mirrored our diverse world.  

As artists in residence at the IFCC, alongside Kwik Jones, Machado Mijiga, Lauren Modica, Domo Branch, the Abioto family, Breana DePriest, Aaron Spriggs, James Bullock, Brian Parham, and others, we breathed new life into this landmark. Our vision was to sustain it as a gathering place for creativity and connection. To make it happen, we sought help raising funds to host open office hours, welcoming visitors to experience "Flowers for Black Elders" firsthand. Support from OCF’s Creative Heights program laid the foundation, empowering more Oregonians to encounter innovative arts and culture. Community contributions ensured we could continue paying artists fairly, preserving their legacies, and keeping this space alive for all.  

We at Future Prairie are grateful to everyone who joined us in this journey to honor the past, reimagine the present, and build a future where every voice has a place.  

Read more at: 
https://www.nationale.us/flowers-for-black-elders-2023