BAKER CITY — “Living an American Dream,” a film by Clare McKay, will be screened on Saturday, March 1, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St., at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets are $10 at churchillbaker.com or $15 at the door.

McKay grew up on a ranch outside of Juntura. She is a woman of color, filmmaker, cowboy poet, artist, singer and photographer who independently created “Living an American Dream” about herself and her siblings, who were adopted from Haiti and raised on a ranch in rural Eastern Oregon.

She earned her film degree in 2016 and came back to rural Oregon to create independent films. This film is supported by the Drexel H. Foundation, a Vale nonprofit that obtained a Creative Heights grant “to enable her to share her creativity and stretch her artistic growth,” according to a press release.

The project started, McKay said, when she practiced her film skills by documenting her brothers as they rode bucking broncs.

The idea grew from short reels to a 20-minute film to the 45-minute feature.

“It went from a six-month project to a six-year project,” she said.

The Creative Heights grant also supports McKay’s new documentary “Here’s to the Girls” about rural women, inspired by the poem of the same name by cowboy poet Randi Johnson, who will also perform as part of the March 1 presentation.

The Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights program supports new and innovative artistic creations and projects by Oregon artists and involves nonprofit cultural organizations to provide administrative support and receive the funding, which passes through to the artist.

Most importantly, according to the press release, the Drexel Foundation hopes to inspire youth by getting out McKay’s message: “It doesn’t matter your skin color, it doesn’t matter your sex, just as long as you’re a good person, you want it bad enough, and are willing to go out and get it. That’s the American dream.”

The Drexel H. Foundation was created to help preserve the historic 1908 Vale Hotel (Hotel Drexel) and 1895 Grand Opera House. At its inception, the goal was to create an art center in a portion of the Grand Opera House and artist residency spaces in part of the Vale Hotel to provide a space for the community to enjoy cultural events and art education.

In 2019 McKay was involved in the foundation’s “Engaging Young Voices in Shaping our Community” project.

“She has certainly used her voice. She has been an important role model for other artists, cowboy poets, and young women in Malheur County,” said Sandijean Fuson, president of the Drexel Foundation.

“Living an American Dream” premiered in March 2023 at Vale’s historic Rex Theater. Communities that would like to host this film can contact the Drexel Foundation at www.thedrexelfoundation.org, Facebook and Instagram.

The March 1 screening includes a Q&A with McKay and door prizes. The foundation is providing a gift basket and a refurbished bike from Drexel’s sustainability program that hires high school boys to fix bikes to give away free at events.

“I really hope people turn out for this special event as Clare shares her appreciation for family, and the beauty in the ranching way of life in this film,” Fuson said. “The performance of Randi Johnson after the film as a women cowboy poet also highlights an outstanding artist, who is entertaining, and humorous.”