This year's annual "My Own Two Hands" art auction and community celebration marked the tenth anniversary of this Sisters tradition. Just as importantly, it once again mirrored the spirit that defines this wonderful part of Oregon that we call home. With all the folks attending auction night and generously supporting the important mission of Sisters Folks Festival and the Americana Project, we can all be heartened that not only "sense of place", but "pride of place" is alive and well in Sisters.
Our sincere thanks go to the remarkable artists who showed their commitment by graciously donating over 150 extraordinary works, and also to the many sponsors and contributors who made this event such a great success. Every volunteer, sponsor and contributor equally made a lasting statement about why we live here and what makes Sisters so special.
My Own Two Hands began in 2001 as a fundraiser for
the Sisters Americana Project, the educational outreach component of the
Sisters Folk Festival. The project began with 'Painted Strings.' Utilizing
donated, unplayable guitars, area artists embellished each of the instruments
in their individual style. Painted Strings was followed in 2002 with Kite
Strings a community Kite Fly and Kite-themed auction and party.
For the past nine years, My Own Two Hands has celebrated how one individual
can change their community for the better by using their own skills in a positive
way. The two-day event is a community celebration of the arts; from performance
to visual to the written word. My Own Two Hands has it all.
View Art Auction Donations Online.
If you need a proxy bid sheet, download one here.
The Shanghai Woolies will provide music for this year's Art Auction & Party
“....a new twist on the music of the flapper era: Jitterbug music, Big band, Swing. The raucous, slippery, foot-happy jazz you’d expect to hear at the legendary Cotton Club. ... hard to resist ...”
-Scott Lewis, The Oregonian
Serenade to a Savage...
Why Don't You do Right?...
After a city-wide show of visual and performing arts at our Art Stroll & Chili Feed on Friday, April 9, the donated works will be put up for auction the next evening for the benefit of the Sisters Americana Project and arts education in the Sisters public schools and community. Our Saturday night Art Auction and Party, held at Ponderosa Forge & Ironworks, brings together the art, the artists and the community in a fun evening of celebration featuring great food, live music and both silent and live auctions.
The
Sisters Americana Project, a cross-curricular program in the Sisters Schools, is about exploring American folk music and arts and using them to illuminate the history, life and culture that we all share. The project provides teaching staff, guest artist workshop sessions, instruments, recording and live performance opportunities for the students. The Sisters Folk Festival's My Own Two Hands event is the primary funding source for this tremendously successful program.
Learning to play the guitar, writing original songs, recording, producing events and hands-on experience in traditional American folk arts and crafts are the facets of the educational curriculum that gives students a voice for social change and vehicles for self-expression. My Own Two Hands is an invitation to all community members, artists and collectors alike, and people of all ages to support and expand the Sisters Americana Project and to build a better community through the arts.
unplayable guitars, area artists embellished each of the instruments
in their individual style. Painted Strings was followed in 2002 with Kite
Strings a community Kite Fly and Kite-themed auction and party. 
