|
|
|
|
When We Were Young: Childhood Around the Valley
January 18 through March 16, 2013
What do you know about the lives of children who lived in the Willamette Valley in the past? What kinds of games did they play or chores
did they have to do? How did their lives and pastimes compare to yours? What did it even mean to be a “child”?
When We Were Young is the Center’s third annual Heritage Invitational, and explores a range of ideas about “childhood,” from planting trees after the Tillamook Burn to the role of children in the history of the Good Samaritan School of Nursing; from toys, dolls and games
from a by-gone era to the lives of Albany teenagers from the late 1800s thru the 1940s.
Sponsored by the Law Office of Paul R. J. Connolly, PC.
|
|
The Art and Tradition of Kimono
September 21 through
December 24, 2012
The Willamette Heritage Center in partnership with the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center/Oregon Nikkei Endowment, presented The Art and Tradition of Kimono. A kimono is a traditional Japanese robe made of silk and is the national costume of Japan. In modern Japanese society, the few opportunities to wear a kimono include formal events like weddings, ikebana festivals and tea ceremonies. Putting on a kimono is an art unto itself that was traditionally taught to girls by their mothers. Each layer of cloth and robe must be put on in particular order and to exact specifications, including the accessories – a process that can sometimes take hours. This exhibition featured a kimono collected by Portland resident Mrs. Tsuboi Taubkin during the course of her life, and showcased wonderful examples of kimono created during the early 20th century. Sponsored in part by Greenbaums, Tokyo International University of America, Carol and Azuza Suzuki, Marci Carvalho and Bon Appetit. |
|
| |
|
2012 WHC Summer Exhibition:
History on Tap: Farms, Fermentation
and the Free Lunch
History on Tap examined the cultural and economic role of Oregon generally, and the Mid-Valley specifically, as one of the nation’s largest beer producers. Discover brewing methods, machinery and recipes for creating beers, as well as information on home brewing. The importance of hops growing to the Willamette Valley’s economy, past and present was explored. Entrepreneurship was highlighted through “case histories” from brewing at Fort Vancouver in 1826, to Henry Saxer and Henry Weinhard in the 1840s and 1850s, to Salem’s Capital Brewery, to today’s craft brewing industry. Sponsored by Gilgamesh Brewery, McMenamins, Loustic Catering,
Terri and Greg
Olson, City of Salem Transient Occupancy Tax Grant, and Salem Weekly.
|
Click here to view a Special Feature slideshow
of History on Tap.
|
2012 WHC Spring Exhibition:
Women have always held vital and varied roles
among the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, whose members descend from western Oregon.
Tribal women are artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, and council and religious leaders, as well
as mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts and
sisters. This exhibition celebrates the women of the Grand Ronde community, past, present and future.Sponsored in part by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and a
City of Salem Transient Occupancy Tax Grant with additional support
provided by the Dr. Ellen Eisenberg and the Bank of the Cascades.
Photograph by Michelle Alaimo.
|
|
2012 Winter Exhibit: Willamette Women: Our History is Our Strength -
2nd Annual Heritage Extravaganza
Friday, January 20 through Saturday, March 10, 2012
Willamette Women: Our History is Our Strength was our 2nd Annual Heritage Extravaganza, and gave Mid-Valley heritage, cultural and history museums and organizations the opportunity to shine a light on women from their communities. Throughout the exhibition's run, visitors were able to take a walk through the history of women in the Mid-Valley, as they viewed a wide array of local, regional and nationally important objects and images. Willamette Women encouraged the preservation and appreciation of our local organizations that do so much every day to foster understanding and enjoyment of our community's heritage.
Participants for Willamette Women included the following: Keizer Heritage Museum, the Forest History Center, Polk County Historical Society, Yamhill County Historical Society, Hoover-Minthorn House, Linfield Anthropology Museum, Lord & Schryver Conservancy, the Gordon House, Oregon State Hospital Museum, the Bush House, Old Aurora Colony Historical Museum, Historic Deepwood Estate, Brooks Historical Society, Salem YWCA, the Jensen Arctic Museum, Willamette University Archives, Western Oregon University Archives, Silverton Country Historical Society, Mt. Angel Historical Society, Aumsville Historical Society, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
|
|
| |
Treasures from the Trunk: Quilts and their Makers After the OregonTrail Journey
Friday, September 23 through Saturday, December 24, 2011
Curator: Mary Bywater Cross, renowned quilt historian
Between 1840 and 1870 thousands of women arrived in the Northwest by way of the Oregon Trail. Stored away for months in trunks specially built to protect them from the hazards of weather, rivers, fire and dust, heirloom quilts found new homes in Oregon. Guest curated by Mary Bywater Cross, renowned quilt historian, Treasures from the Trunk explores the inventiveness of these women, their eye for color and design, and the stories of where they came from, where they were going and what happened along the way. This exhibit sponsored in part by Greenbaums Quilted Forest, the Mid-Valley Quilt Guild, Mary Bywater Cross, the City of Salem, Patsy and Ed Davis, Leslie and Bob Zeigen, and the Salem Fiberarts Guild. |
|
| |
Tools of Survival: Oregon’s Past as Told by the Weapons that Witnessed Its History
Friday, June 24 through Saturday, August 20, 2011
Co-curators Michael Carrick and Peter Booth, Ph.D.
Weapons have nearly always been central to human activity throughout Oregon's history. In its own way, each knife, bow or gun tells a story about who used it and the time in which it was used. This exhibition included
the tools of Kalapuya hunters, muskets of Russian fur traders, trade guns of Hudson Bay Company trappers, guns of American pioneers, weapons of Native People defenders, and guns used by local law officers, as well as law breakers. Using these weapons and more, this exhibition looked at Oregon's past via the tools that were eyewitnesses to its history. |
|
| |
The Grand Ronde's Canoe Journey
Friday, April 8 to Monday, May 30, 2011
In the spring of 2011, the Willamette Heritage Center welcomed the Cultural Resources Department of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as they unveiled their special exhibition, Grand Ronde’s Canoe Journey. The exhibition is curated by David Lewis, Manager, Cultural Resources Department, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in collaboration with Willamette Heritage Center at The Mill.
This exhibition brought to life the cultural importance and heritage of the historic shovelnose canoes used by the Native Peoples to travel throughout the Willamette Valley. These canoes, perfect for the shallow Willamette River, were smaller and more agile than the larger, more familiar Chinook style-canoes that plied the Columbia. In the first section of the exhibition, the two oldest Kalapuya shovelnose canoes known to be in existence will be on display - one from Grand Ronde and the other from the Center’s collection.
In addition to highlighting the types and technology of historic canoes, the exhibition explored how they were a central part of Native culture in what is now western Oregon. The exhibition moved from the historic canoes into a discussion of how the Grand Ronde community is rediscovering the art of canoe making. This is the Canoe Journey tradition, a recent cultural phenomenon among the Northwest Native People. Finally, for the first time in living memory, Grand Ronde community members came to the Center to create a Kalapuya Shovelnose Canoe in the historically accurate style. This new construction was visible to visitors and offered the opportunity to chat with the canoe builders and watch the progress of the canoe, both in person and online via the Center’s website.
This Exhibition was presented by the Confederated Tribe of Grand Ronde along with a donation from Bill and Judy Meier. The Canoe Recreation was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program. Contributing In-Kind Sponsorship also provided by Interpretive Exhibits, Inc.
|
|
Hidden Gems: A Mid-Valley Heritage Invitational Extravaganza!
January - March 2011
This exhibition gave 18 Mid-Valley heritage, cultural and history organizations the opportunity to bring their most unique, interesting and/or important treasures together in one show! Throughout the exhibition’s run, visitors were able to take a walk through history as they viewed a wide array of local, regional and nationally important objects. Hidden Gems encouraged the preservation and appreciation of our local organizations that do so much every day to foster understanding and enjoyment of our community’s heritage.
The following organizations from Marion, Polk and Yamhill Counties participated: Antique Powerland Museum Association, Aurora Colony Historical Society, Bush House Museum, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Forest History Center, Frank Lloyd Wright Gordon House, Historic Deepwood Estate, Hoover-Minthorn House, Jensen Arctic Museum, Keizer Heritage Museum, Linfield Anthropology Museum, Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers, Oregon State Hospital Museum, Settlemier House, Silverton Country Historical Museum, St. Paul Mission Historical Society, Willamette University Archives, and Yamhill County Historical Society. |
|
| |
Cultivating Creativity: Art from the OSU Art About Agriculture Permanent Collection by Middle Willamette Valley Artists and Invited Artists, opened Friday, September 24 and ran thru December 24, 2010. This art exhibition featured works of art acquired from artists who live, or have lived, in Marion, Polk and Yamhill Counties. Art for this show was selected from the Art About Agriculture permanent collection, which comprises more than 200 works of fine art in such media as paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, assemblage, drawings, collage, mixed media and textiles.
Additionally, three artists who are not represented in the permanent collection, Dale Bunse from Independence, Jodie Raborn from Salem, and Ginny Adelsheim from Yamhill County, were invited to participate in the show.
Reaching beyond simply illustrating agriculture, the 30 artists represented created profound works of art that connect us to an array of agricultural enterprises and products, cultivated landscapes, and the abundant natural resources of the Willamette Valley and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. Their works enlighten and deepen our appreciation of agriculture and natural resources in our lives.
It was especially meaningful to display these works of art at the time of year customarily associated with gathering, harvests and the rewards of sharing during the holiday season. Traditionally in the fall, the agricultural labors of planting and tending crops have reached fruition just as the dormant months set in, and young livestock animals need less tending as they reach maturity. Agriculture’s and Nature’s cycles for rest and renewal have arrived, as well as special times for people to celebrate in community hubs like the Willamette Heritage Center.
|
|
| |
Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity, opened on Friday, June 25 and ran thru Saturday, August 8, 2010.
This traveling exhibition came to us from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “On The Road” program, and offered the chance to explore kente-weaving traditions, while viewing some extraordinary historic and contemporary examples. Photographs and video depicted the many uses of kente explain the fabric’s journey across the Atlantic and the symbolic transformation that occurred when kente was embraced around the world, worn by luminaries such as W.E.B. DuBois, Muhammad Ali, and Nelson Mandela. A final section examined the cloth’s prevalence during Christmas, Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King Day and African American History Month, each an occasion for African American communities to consider the power, strength and faith represented by kente. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
