Four Rivers Cultural Center offers a broad program of music, humanities, civic discourse, art & theater, educational and historical curation, and local and world culture events. Our goal is to maintain a busy schedule of concerts, lectures, meetings, and exhibitions that enhance the civic experience in Southeastern Oregon.
RWN Foundation’s grant helped support their core outreach programs to youth across the region. Four Rivers serves a region of communities that are rural, experience a disproportionate amount of poverty, and are highly diverse. Malheur County is the poorest county in Oregon and the tenth poorest in the nation. 85% of its public-school population has subsidized free lunch and many score highly on Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) tests.
Because Four Rivers’ region experiences a high rate of poverty, and its school systems struggle to provide cultural experiences and curriculum’s to their students, part of Four Rivers Cultural Center’s mission is to provide these experiences free or at the lowest cost, ensuring all youth have access to the transforming power of culture. Its goal is that every child in the region experiences at least 10 legitimate art performances by the time they graduate from high school, as well to participate in workshops, festivals, and other diverse cultural learning opportunities.