HISTORY IS NOW
Museum Without Walls
HISTORY IS NOW was conceived during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by a collective of cultural organizers, historians, educators, and designers who participated in the Vanport Mosaic Memory Activism Virtual Unconference. This exhibit came to life in 2021 as part of the 6th Vanport Mosaic Festival, where 65 vacant storefront windows along Portland’s North Park Blocks were transformed into aMuseum Without Walls, challenging the sanitized, selective history this city has long embraced.
Through this Museum Without Walls, we share the stories of struggle, resistance, and resilience from communities whose voices have been silenced. Like the pieces of a mosaic, each story is unique yet intricately connected to the others. Together, they form a powerful collectivenarrative that honors the past and inspires action for the future.
Since 2021, HISTORY IS NOW has continued to travel, weaving these silenced histories into new spaces and communities. They remind us that each of us is part of history's unfolding, and invite us to be agent of change and work towards a more just future.
Vanport:
A Story Lived. A Story Told
Co-curated by: Vanport Mosaic and Greta Smith
Designed by: Paste in Place
Our pop-up “out of the box” traveling exhibit consists of 6 vinyl retractable stand-alone panels that combine a visually stimulating mixture of archival photographs and historical records with personal testimonies of former residents interwoven throughout. The exhibit is intended to be accessible to people of different ages and backgrounds, and presents the multifaceted story of Vanport and its vibrant community. It is a story of migration, housing, displacement, and perseverance.
This exhibit is available for rental. Please contact: info@vanportmosaic.org
MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
The Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Portland State University’s Division of Global Diversity and Inclusion, Oregon Historical Society, The City of Portland
“This exhibit is deceptively simple, easily drawing people in and then sending them away with new and important knowledge about the past.”
Vanport:
The Surge of Social Change
We are working on opening the first and only
PERMANENT VANPORT LEGACY MINI-MUSEUM.
Come by to see our work-in-progress at the Historic Alberta House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave, Portland.
Please support this collective vision!
Make a tax-deductible donation HERE
Interested in sponsoring the mini-museum? Get in touch at info@vanportmosaic.org
This collection of historic images and artifacts unveils the multifaceted community life of Vanport, the Nation’s largest shipbuilding housing project. This exhibit documents the aftermath of the Vanport flood and it attempts to share the richness of the social and community life that changed the urban landscape of Vancouver and Portland forever.
This exhibit began as a pop-up display nearly a decade ago, co-curated by Vanport Mosaic/Story Midwife and Oregon Black Pioneers/Kim Moreland. From that initial seed, the exhibit has continued to expand through collaborative research and community partnerships.
A decade of collaborative curation by (in alphabetical order):
Angie Morrill, Chisao Hata, Ed Washington, Eliza Canty-Jones, Greta Smith, Heather McCafee, Jackie Winters, James Harrison, Katrine Barber, Kelly Bosworth, Kim Moreland, LaVeta Gilmore Jones, Laura John, Laura Lo Forti, Lynette DeSilva, Matthew Kerrigan, Norman Gholson, Peter Marsh, Raymond Burrell, Shalanda Sims, Susan Barthel, Tanya March, Terri Johnson, Thomas Robinson, Tim Hecox, Velynn Brown, Zita Podani.
Partners: City of Portland Archives, Kaiser Archive, Multnomah County Library, Oregon Black Pioneers, Oregon Historical Society, Portland State University, The Skanner, University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, Oregon State University, Japanese American Museum of Oregon.
MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
The Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Portland State University’s Division of Global Diversity and Inclusion, Oregon Historical Society, The City of Portland
Reflections on War Memory, Liberty Ships, and the Climate Refugees of Vanport
Artwork of Henk Pander
May 23–27 Cerimon House as part of The Vanport Mosaic Festival 2018
Extended May 29-June 12 at University of Oregon, White Stag Building
Originally from the Netherlands, Henk Pander was a child during WWII. Since immigrating to the PNW in 1965, he has become one of the regions most renowned artists. Mr. Pander created a series of large scale watercolors for the Vanport Mosaic Festival 2018. Produced by Laura Lo Forti and Greta Smith. Special thanks to Sally Retecki
PRESENTED THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
Beneficial State Bank, University of Oregon, Cerimon House, Carla Saunders, Darlyn Jablonski, Dinah Dodds
