Sisters-based nonprofit Sisters Folk Festival, Inc. (SFF) has changed the name of the organization to SFF Presents to reflect the full scope of their work in the Central Oregon community.
Sisters Folk Festival, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 as the nonprofit organization in charge of producing its signature event, the annual music festival of the same name that takes place each fall in Sisters, Oregon. The name suited the organization in its early stages, but with the addition of programming over the years including the implementation of the Americana Project at Sisters High School, year-round concerts, My Own Two Hands (retired after a 20-year run), art and music classes for youth and adults, artist residencies and guest artists in Sisters schools, summer creativity camps for youth, the Americana Song Academy, the Outlaw Strings Club, the Sisters Middle School after school creativity club and — most recently — the Big Ponderoo Music & Art Festival, it became clear the time had come for a new name.
“With the advent of our newest festival, Big Ponderoo, in June of 2023 we felt the need to change our name to better reflect the breadth of what we do. We celebrate creativity, cultural self-expression, and community building for everyone to feel included and empowered,” said creative director Brad Tisdel.
The board and staff went through an extensive rebranding process, both with the help of outside agencies and internally, to come up with a new name.
“We wanted to honor our roots and keep the familiarity of our signature event, the Sisters Folk Festival, a beloved festival with a 27-year history that’s deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of Oregon and beyond. Lots of folks refer to that festival as SFF, and we often use that acronym on posters and event merchandise so it’s familiar to our supporters as well. We landed on SFF Presents, and it really resonated with our community,” said executive director Crista Munro.
“We are looking ahead to the next decade and seeing a horizon line ready for SFF Presents to continue to serve and produce events and programs that move our community forward,” added Tisdel.
The fall festival’s name isn’t changing, only the name of the nonprofit organization that implements a host of year-round music and arts programming. SFF Presents is a deeply invested community nonprofit that serves the Sisters and Central Oregon community in a multitude of ways through the power of music and art.