Masuo Yasui (far left) was a store merchant and landowner who was among the first-generation Japanese immigrants who formed a community in Hood River at the turn of the twentieth century. OHS Research Library, Yasui family papers, Coll. 949, box 38, folder 2.

Portland, OR — The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) and Densho are excited to announce a significant grant award from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) for Citizen(s) Yasui: Illuminating the Japanese American Experience through the Yasui Family Collections. This two-year collaborative digitization project will create over 17,000 digital files from the Yasui family papers, Yasui Brothers business records, and Yabe family papers collections preserved in OHS’s research library. 

This grant award is part of CLIR’s Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices program, designed to support efforts to digitize materials that deepen public understanding of the histories of people of color and other communities and populations whose work, experiences, and perspectives have been insufficiently recognized or unattended. Citizen(s) Yasui is one of 18 funded projects that, through archival digitization efforts, ensures that new generations can engage with and learn from the stories, contributions, and cultural heritage of underrepresented groups.

“Public discourse requires an honest and rigorous understanding of our past; it is imperative that we expand access to these vital materials to foster scholarship and enrich our collective knowledge,” said CLIR president Charles Henry noted in a press release announcing the grant awardees. 

Building on the successes of recent projects highlighting and translating a selection of Japanese language materials, Citizen(s) Yasui will cover a much larger sample of these historically significant collection materials. Rare among archival collections in size and content, these three collections document early twentieth century immigration, business, farming, family, and community life in Oregon; Japanese American incarceration and separation during World War II; the work of later generations to rebuild in post-WWII America; and decades of activism to acknowledge incarceration and seek justice.

This project will enable free online access to these primary source materials documenting the Japanese American experience through OHS Digital Collections (digitalcollections.ohs.org), Densho Digital Repository (ddr.densho.org), and the Digital Public Library of America (dp.la). 

About the Oregon Historical Society

For more than 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of photographs, books, maps, manuscript materials, films, oral histories, objects, and belongings. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history available to all. We preserve our state’s history and make it accessible to everyone in ways that advance knowledge and inspire curiosity about all the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon. 

About Densho

Densho is a nonprofit organization started in 1996, with the initial goal of documenting oral histories from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. This evolved into a mission to educate, preserve, collaborate, and inspire action for equity. Densho uses digital technology to preserve and make accessible primary source materials on the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans and presents these materials and related resources for their historic value and as a means of exploring issues of democracy, intolerance, wartime hysteria, civil rights and the responsibilities of citizenship in our increasingly global society. 

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Portland, OR — The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) will host a series of book talks this November with authors featuring local and national history. All events are free and open to the public and take place at the Oregon Historical Society (1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland).

On Thursday, November 7, at 6pm, OHS welcomes author Sidney Morrison for a talk on his historical novel Frederick Douglass that richly details the life of one of the most prominent Americans of the nineteenth century. Morrison’s portrayal of Douglass distinguishes him as one of the founders of American democracy, instrumental in ending the institution of slavery from which he escaped to become a fierce abolitionist, gifted orator, and newspaper publisher of The North Star. Sidney Morrison is a retired teacher and school principal and is now a part-time educational consultant and leadership coach for leaders in school districts in Southern California.

To celebrate Veterans Day weekend, OHS will host military historian and Desert Storm veteran Alisha Hamel on November 10 at 2pm as she reads from her new book, When Duty Called: An Oral History of Oregon’s World War II Veterans. This book features a series of engaging personal stories from Oregon World War II veterans who participated in some of the most well-known engagements of the war.

On November 14 at 6:30pm, Peter Boag, curator of OHS’s current exhibition Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West will share insights from the curatorial process as well as the research that went into writing his book Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past. Boag is Professor and Columbia Chair in the History of the American West at Washington State University and the author of four books.

This series of talks concludes on November 17 at 2pm when OHS hosts Ginette DePreist as she shares stories and reflections from her memoir Reach Up: My Beautiful Journey with James DePreist, which details her marriage to the late internationally acclaimed orchestra conductor, who led the Oregon Symphony from 1980 to 2003. Ginette DePreist, who was born in Quebec City, was married to James DePreist for more than 30 years and traveled with him throughout his career. 

About the Oregon Historical Society

For 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT: https://bit.ly/fountainofcreativity 

Portland, OR — October 29, 2024 — Discover the history behind Oregon’s vibrant art scene through the original exhibition A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon’s 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer. Currently on view at the Oregon Historical Society in downtown Portland, the exhibition expands on November 1 with new works by artists who worked closely with Schnitzer during the Fountain Gallery’s 25 years in business. Additional works will also be on display at The Schnitzer Collection exhibition space from November 1, 2024, through April 15, 2025, featuring contemporary artists with ties to the Fountain Gallery.

As a gallery owner, art collector, and philanthropist, Arlene Schnitzer shared her love of Pacific Northwest art with the world. Through the Fountain Gallery, Schnitzer provided crucial commercial gallery space at a time when there was little available in the Portland area. Schnitzer, along with her mother Helen Director and friend Edna Brigham, opened the gallery in 1961 and continued to run the gallery until it closed in 1986. Her commitment to Pacific Northwest artists continued throughout the run of the gallery, with a roster of notable names including Louis Bunce, Michele Russo, Carl Morris, Hilda Morris, and Robert Colescott.

Schnitzer’s work as director of the gallery was more than commercial — she deeply supported the artists represented by the gallery. As stated by Schnitzer, “I want the young, serious, good artist coming up to know that there is a place here he can show. He doesn’t have to run away. I want him to stay in this community. I want it to be a vital community, and a community can’t be vital without the arts.”

Arlene’s dedication to the arts went far beyond the Fountain Gallery; she continued to support regional artists for the rest of her life. As an art collector, along with her husband Harold Schnitzer, the pair amassed a collection of over 2,000 artworks. 

Honoring Arlene’s influence on the history of Portland, A Fountain of Creativity includes a range of bold, evocative, and influential works created by Pacific Northwest artists from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation — many of which are on public display for the first time. 

This love and dedication to the arts and artists was passed on to Arlene’s son, Jordan Schnitzer, a prolific collector in his own right. Jordan Schnitzer purchased his first work of art when he was 14 years old. It was through Arlene Schnitzer and the Fountain Gallery that his initial acquisition turned into a lifelong pursuit to collect, share, and promote the visual arts. Jordan Schnitzer is now recognized as one of the Top 200 Collectors globally (ARTnews). His collection, consisting of more than 22,000 works, functions as a living archive to preserve art for future generations and share it with the public through groundbreaking exhibitions, publications, and programs.

“I’m happy that the Oregon Historical Society wanted to share my mother’s legacy with old friends and many new citizens,” said collector, philanthropist, and son of Arlene Schnitzer, Jordan D. Schnitzer. “Focusing on my late mother Arlene Schnitzer’s Fountain Gallery — the first contemporary art gallery in Portland — these artists’ voices, embodied in their art, inspire us, challenge us, and tell the story of contemporary art in our community.”

A Fountain of Creativity Parts 1 and 2 are on view at the Oregon Historical Society from June 28, 2024, through January 2, 2025 (Part 1) and November 1, 2024, through May 4, 2025 (Part 2). The Oregon Historical Society’s museum is open daily in downtown Portland, from 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday. Admission is free every day for youth 17 and under, OHS members, and residents of Multnomah County. Learn more and plan your visit at ohs.org/visit.

Part 3 is on view November 1, 2024, through April 15, 2025, at The Schnitzer Collection exhibition space located at 3033 NW Yeon Avenue in Portland. Admission to The Schnitzer Collection exhibition space is free, and public viewing hours are Tuesday through Friday from 3pm to 5pm. Educational tours are available upon request; please use this online form to schedule your tour.

About the Oregon Historical Society

For 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

About the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, established in 1997, is renowned for preserving art and engaging the public through exhibitions, publications, and programs. Founded by ARTnews Top 200 Collector Jordan D. Schnitzer, whose passion for art began in his mother’s Portland gallery, the Foundation has curated over 180 exhibitions and loaned thousands of artworks to 120+ museums. It introduces major artists like Jeffrey Gibson and Andy Warhol to regional museums and supports their exhibitions. Schnitzer’s collection, with over 22,000 works, includes prints, sculptures, and paintings, offering comprehensive insights into artists’ careers. Recognized globally, Schnitzer is known for making his collection widely accessible, earning him the title “The People’s Collector.” Through these efforts, the Foundation preserves art for future generations and enriches communities.