[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2010-09-02

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Events can be posted on October cultural calendar
2.  OSU archives adds two web exhibits
3.  Humanities grant applications available
4. Talks slated in Ashland, Portland and Vancouver
5.  Easement coordinator sought


EVENTS CAN BE POSTED ON OCTOBER CULTURAL CALENDAR

The third annual Oregon Days of Culture takes place Oct. 1-8, the
eighth anniversary of Oregon’s cultural tax credit.  Presented by the
Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Days of Culture celebrates the vibrancy of
Oregon heritage, humanities and arts.  

The eight-day week showcases everyday culture in every Oregon
community. Whether it’s taking in a quilt display at the farmer’s
market, reading the latest bestseller at the library, imagining pioneer
life at a historic cemetery or listening to an opera in a bar, the
searchable, interactive website - www.oregondaysofculture.org - makes it
easy to sample Oregon culture and encourages donations to support it.  

The website will accept event postings through Sept. 17.  Posted events
may be public like author readings, exhibitions, performances and
screenings; or private, such as knitting group meetings, cultural
confession challenges or fundraising parties.  The searchable database
includes free and ticketed events, community gatherings and volunteer
opportunities.  Oregon’s statewide teacher in-service day is Oct. 8
when many families will be looking for activities for their children. 
When they search www.oregondaysofculture.org, they’ll find plenty of
choices anywhere in Oregon.

OregonDaysofCulture.org includes Cultural Trust Facebook and Twitter
feeds and allows users to post photos and videos of their cultural
confessions.  It lists proclamations, speaking engagements, and media
coverage; it includes a speakers bureau, sample letters to the editor
and a downloadable toolkit for those posting Oregon Days of Culture
events.  


OSU ARCHIVES ADDS TWO WEB EXHIBITS

The Oregon State University Libraries announces two new web sites that
feature holdings from the University Archives.

"Fighters on the Farm Front: Oregon's Emergency Farm Labor Service,
1943-1947" acknowledges the efforts that were made in the production of
the food and fiber necessary to sustain war efforts during World War II.
 This exhibit at
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/omeka/exhibits/show/fighters
 highlights the contributions of Oregon's Emergency Farm Labor Service
during and immediately after World War II.  Acting out of emergency,
this service, coordinated by the Oregon State College Extension Service,
recruited women, children, Mexican nationals, interned Japanese
Americans, German prisoners of war, American military servicemen,
retired folks and other nontraditional workers to fill a void in the
agricultural industry, as many farmers and farmhands left their farms to
join the military and other wartime efforts.  While similar projects ran
throughout the country, Oregon's Emergency Farm Labor Service placed
tens of thousands of workers around the state each year of its
existence, distinguishing it as one of the country's most vital wartime
programs.

This exhibit is an updated and expanded version of the original
Fighters on the Farm Front online exhibit, launched in 1994 as a joint
project of the OSU Archives and the Oregon State Archives in Salem.  It
was one of the first online exhibits in Oregon.  The new exhibit serves
as a subject guide, detailing several other resources pertaining to the
Emergency Farm Labor Service.

Japanese Americans stand within American history as an intriguing and
persevering community that symbolizes the struggles of immigrant
families in the quest for the American Dream. The Japanese American
Association of Lane County's Oregon Oral History Collection at
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/digitalcollections/jaa/ is a
collection of oral histories (both digital sound files and transcripts
), images, video and supporting documents recording these experiences of
eleven local community members and influential people from Lane County,
Elkton and Waldport.

Many of the interviewees experienced the trials of growing up in an
environment of discrimination and prejudice, and following the attacks
on Pearl Harbor, the detainment and removal of their rights and freedom
at the onset of World War II.  These oral histories document this
experience, as well as their lives prior to World War II and decades
after. The collection also documents the emergence of the Japanese
American community in and around Eugene and Lane County that led to the
organization of the Japanese American Association of Lane County.


HUMANITIES GRANT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Oregon Humanities connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and
transform communities, and we believe healthy communities are those
where citizens think, learn, and talk together about important ideas.
Oregon Humanities Grants support events that are open to the general
public and that help to create informed, engaged communities around the
state.

The Public Program Grants support humanities-based public programs
beginning after April 1. The letter of interest postmark deadline is
this Oct. 30. 

The Responsive Program Grants support humanities-based public programs
developed in response to pressing, current issues or events. Programs
must begin after Nov. 1.

Download the guidelines and application materials at
www.oregonhumanities.org. For more information, contact Director of
Programs Jennifer Allen at (503) 241-0543 or (800) 735-0543, ext. 118,
or j.allen at oregonhumanities.org.
 

TALKS SLATED IN ASHLAND, PORTLAND, VANCOUVER

Ashland: "Jacksonville Prodigy: Regina Dorland Robinson” will be
presented by Dawna Curler and Sue Waldron at noon Sept. 8 at the Ashland
library. It is sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society and
the Jackson County Library System. This talk focuses on the gifted
Dorland Robinson, an early 20th century artist born and raised in
Jacksonville. The speakers will offer an overview of the young
impressionist’s poignant life, including a visual survey of
Robinson’s most compelling works and a summary of clues followed to
uncover several of the mysteries surrounding her intriguing story and
untimely death. For more information on the series, call SOHS at
541-899-8123 or the Jackson County Library at 541-774-8689.

Portland: "Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: The Bridges of Conde B.
McCullough" will be presented at 10 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Arhitectural
Heritage Center. Civil engineer and builder Conde Balcom McCullough left
an awe-inspiring legacy of bridge design in Oregon that is recognized
internationally. McCullough’s bridges, primarily built between the two
World Wars, were innovative in their use of reinforced-concrete arch
construction. Of the nearly 600 bridges designed by McCullough and his
staff, those along the Oregon Coast are some of the most beautiful.
Robert W. Hadlow of the Oregon Department of Transportation will make
the presentation. Pre-registration is required and may be done at
www.visitahc.org 

Vancouver:  The Center for Columbia River History presents "Farming the
Waters: Japanese Oyster Growers in Willapa Harbor, Washington," an
illustrated 
presentation by Katy Fry at noon Sept. 7 at the WSU-Vancouver campus.
This talk explores the roles and experiences of Japanese American
oysterers before and after World War II.  When Pearl Harbor was bombed
in 1941, six of the eight most important oyster packing houses almost
exclusively employed Japanese and Japanese  Americans.  This talk
illuminates the lives of Japanese American oysterers, how they
interacted with the surrounding community, and their fate upon America's
entrance into World War II. The talk will be reprised at 7 p.m. Sept. 8
at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, Ilwaco, Wash. This talk is
supported by the James B. Castles Endowment. For more information or
directions, see http://ccrh.org/calendar.php 


EASEMENT COORDINATOR SOUGHT

The Historic Preservation League of Oregon is seeking applications for
a 3-month consulting project to document the HPLO's preservation
easement program and implement a new easement management database.  For
a copy of the scope of work, email your qualifications by Sept. 10 along
with any questions to Peggy Moretti at
peggym at HistoricPreservationLeague.org
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