LOST CITY, LIVING MEMORIES:
Vanport Through The Voices of its Residents

The Vanport Mosaic oral history project is a community-based initiative directed by Story Midwife Laura Lo Forti, in collaboration with A Fourth Act, Portland Community Media, The ReBuilding Center, and the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

The screenings are sponsored by Oregon Historical Society, and presented as part of the Vanport Mosaic Festival, May 27th-30th.

Join us for THREE special screenings of community-produced short oral history documentaries, featuring former Vanport residents sharing their memories. Through archival footage, historic photographs, and compelling first-person narratives, this collection of short films creates a rich and elaborate “mosaic” of the vibrant community that made up the city of Vanport.

Each event is unique, features different stories and special guests, and is followed by a dialogue with former Vanport residents.

SCHEDULE

May 28 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church - 3138 N Vancouver Ave, Portland
- Sen. Jackie Winters (flood survivor) will read the City's Proclamation for the "Vanport Day of Remembrance" -

May 29 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) - 5340 N. Interstate Ave., Portland
- With special guest Shalanda Sims, director of “Vanport, The Musical,” performing songs from the play. -

May 30 | 3-4.30 p.m.
Irvington Covenant Church - 4003 NE Grand Ave, Portland, OR
- Opening remarks by City of Portland Commissioner Nick Fish commemorating the 68th anniversary of the flood -

Tickets are FREE; donations are gladly accepted to support our on-going effort to capture, honor, and preserve the many silenced stories from Oregon's past, so that we can better understand our present. You can contribute here or at the door.

ABOUT VANPORT AND THE VANPORT MOSAIC ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Vanport, located between Portland and Vancouver, was built in 110 days in 1942 to accommodate the the influx of wartime shipyard workers. At its peak, it was home to 40,000 people, becoming the second largest city of Oregon, and the largest World War II federal public housing project in the U.S. On Memorial Day, 1948, a flood wiped out the entire city within a matter of hours, erasing Vanport from the map and from much of Portland’s memory.

Thanks to the incredible outpouring of support for the Vanport Mosaic participatory project (almost 200 people contributed to our crowdfunding campaign!), we were able to train two new cohorts of volunteers in oral history and digital media. We are thrilled to share the 20 new stories about Vanport produced through this collaborative effort!

This project wouldn't be possible without Vanport Mosaic Production Manager, Multimedia Producer Meredith Lawrence, Historian-in-Residence Milo Reed, Community Videographer PC Peri, History Detective James Burkes, UO-SOJ Multimedia Journalism Prof. Wes Pope, and Agora Journalism Center for Journalism Innovation and Civic Engagement Chair Andrew DeVigal.

Did you live in Vanport or know someone who did? Help us understand and preserve this important chapter of history. We will continue to record memories and digitize photos during the Vanport Mosaic Festival (May 27-30th 2016). Join this collective effort by inviting former Vanport residents to get in touch with us at vanportmosaic@gmail.com or at 510.717.2441.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

The Vanport Mosaic Festival is made possible by generous support from: Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, The Oregon Community Foundation, North Portland Neighborhood Services.

Sponsored by: Port of Portland, The Multnomah County Drainage Districts, Rooted Investing, Oregon Historical Society, The Delta Park Center, and Vanport Brewing. Special thanks to our partners: Concordia University, Portland Community College - Cascade, Portland Parks and Recreation, and KBOO.