The Oregon Cultural Trust is proud to present Voices of Oregon Culture, a video series showcasing the life-changing work of cultural nonprofits around the state.

We asked real Oregonians to share how their lives have been changed by arts, heritage, and humanities programs. The stories we gathered are a powerful testament to the impact of cultural funding in Oregon, and we’re thrilled to share them with you.

Gary Cobb is a graduate of Oregon Humanities‘ Humanity in Perspective program, a free, two-semester course for adults who don’t have a college degree and face financial barriers to continuing their education.

Nathan McNair studied writing with 2014 Skidmore Prize winner A.M. O’Malley in the Independent Publishing Resource Center‘s “From a Number to a Name” program, which empowers incarcerated men with creative writing, self-publishing, and communication skills.

Anne-Marie Plass performs with PHAME, which serves young and older adults with developmental disabilities, ages 17 to 70+. Its year-round arts programming is built upon three core components: education, performance, and community.

Lloyd Piercy is a lifelong farmer and rancher. With his wife Lois, he owns and operates the 3,600-acre Echo West Vineyard, as well as Sno Road Winery in downtown Echo, Oregon.

In 1968, Trudy Rice was one of two African American graduates in Portland Community College’s first associates degree program in nursing. She proved to be a very popular speaker at McMenamins’ History Pub series, sponsored by The Oregon Historical Society.

Brigette McConville is a fisherwoman, tradition keeper, artist, and cultural anthropologist with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, where she works with children and elders in educational programming.

Milo Graamans is a musician and composer from Yachats, Oregon. His musical comedy, “She Loves Me Not,” enjoyed a successful world premiere in July at the Newport Performing Arts Center, where the four-show run was seen by more than 700 people.

Like what you see? Share the videos with friends!

Watch this space and our Facebook page to see new videos in the series as they’re published.