Donor Enjoys Flexible Giving with OCF

Chris Carpenter flourished in a career as a performing arts textile artist. She dyed, printed and applied surface treatments to fabrics, collaborating with designers — even the famous artist David Hockney — to produce garb ranging from austere to flamboyant, radiating colors and  moods unique to each production.

Her work appeared center stage in theatrical productions around the country, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and in numerous additional productions and museum and gallery exhibits.  

Chris, now retired but still active as an artist, came to Ashland for a 17-year run working for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. With no family members to inherit her estate, a decade ago Chris started planning for her legacy giving with help from her attorney and OCF.

“I just called OCF up and we met for coffee — it wasn’t a big thing; it was just really nice. I could pick what I wanted to do,” Chris recalls. “It wasn’t any work on my part. All I had to do was sign my name. I like that.”

Chris values the flexibility OCF allows with her estate gift. She can change the organizations her plan supports  during her lifetime, as her interests and awareness of community needs evolve.

In 2020 she did just that, changing the plan to include the current allocation to three organizations.

A gift to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival will support a place close to her heart: the dye room where textiles are prepared for stage.

In the decade since creating her first plan, Chris reflected on the history of colonization. Recognizing the land she owns once belonged to Native peoples, she modified her fund agreement to leave another portion of her estate the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

The final portion will provide general operating support for the Native Arts and Culture Foundation.

“When I first set this up long ago, I had the attitude of ‘OK, this is it, I’ve got this taken care of.’ I was still working, so textile arts were my focus. I didn’t anticipate my change in attitude toward my property,” Chris says.

“After I retired, I started learning more. I changed my mind about a few things. OCF is willing to change with me.”