Case for Support | Vanport Mosaic

REMEMBERING VANPORT
On Memorial Day in 1948, one of the many dikes surrounding the small city of Vanport, Oregon
broke, causing the entire city to flood and erasing its memory in less than an hour. By nightfall,
fifteen lives were lost and thousands of others were altered forever. It was a tragedy beyond
explanation, which is precisely what it lacked. Due to racial and economic discrimination, the story
of this entire community was left untold.
OUR MISSION
Vanport Mosaics goal is to capture, celebrate and preserve the experiences of those who lived in
Vanport through a multidisciplinary approach. A collective of storytellers, media makers, artists,
historians, educators, long-term Portland residents and newcomers carry out this mission.

PRESERVING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Those working with the organization utilize video, audio and images to compile the stories of
those who survived into a presentation format. Vanport Mosaic also gathers artifacts from
Vanport to display alongside the captured stories for the festival the group hosts in May. The
festival is how the organization shares their work with the public to engage them in the history
of the area. Vanport Mosaic also creates curriculum for local schools to introduce the history
to students at an early age. The organizations ultimate goal is to engage the public in
remembering silenced histories of The Pacific Northwest.
A LOST HISTORY RECOVERED
Vanport Mosaic has not only found success in educating and engaging the public in this prominent
piece of Oregon history, but they have also helped to reveal the voices and stories of former
Vanport residents 28 to be exact. These oral histories from the survivors themselves not only
help to tell the first-hand story of the Vanport flood, but also to preserve and celebrate their
memories forever.
These oral histories, photographic documentation, videography, historic exhibitions and lectures
have all combined to create the image that is Vanport Mosaic. Through gathering this subject
matter, the organization has been able to successfully educate and engage the public through a
series of events, such as the Vanport Mosaic Festival. These efforts led the organization to win the
32nd Annual Spirit of Portland Award, which has helped Vanport Mosaic to gain further regional
and national recognition.

PROGRAMS
Plays/Theater Most recently
In-person
Attendance they hosted a play about immigra-
2,500
tion to Vanport
Vanport Mosaic
2016 Oral history Vanport Mosaic
Festival staff put on workshops to train
Attendance
people in gathering town history
Onl i ne Attendance
5,000
Walking tours Tour the historic
Widespread interest in Vanport Mosaics mission area of Vanport
prompted organizers of 2016s festival to make the event
available for online streaming. Annual festival The gathering
to celebrate the collected history
STILL MORE HISTORY TO BE FOUND
Vanport Mosaic is a project that marries the communitys past with its present population, and
bonds the land to its people. By supporting Vanport Mosaic, you are joining our team of artists,
historians, educators and media makers who record, preserve and celebrate the silenced histories
of the Pacific Northwest. Donations allow ongoing projects to continue to bring life to a
forgotten past. Your support will directly assist in building bridges between cultures, communities
and generations in Oregon and the greater Northwest. Your support not only helps the
organization, but the community of Portland and Oregonians as a whole. The relocation of
Vanport residents in 1948 irreversibly influenced Portlands history and culture, and by supporting
Vanport Mosaic you are joining us in celebrating the powerful narratives of these individuals.

Multnomah County
PAST GRANTS Kinsman Cultural Coalition
$1,750
Foundation
Oregon Community Foundation $5,000

City of Portland Vanport

Mosaic
Regional Arts Sponsors
City of
Cultural Counsel Oregon Portland
Community $40,000
Oregon Humanities Foundation
$5,000
Huffing West
Oral Cultural Trust
SEE VANPORT MOSAICS
Building Arts Community
STORYTELLING IN ACTION HERE:
Oracle Heritage
https://vimeo.com/vanportmosaic

VANPORT MOSAIC IS A 501(C) (3) REGISTERED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

CONTACT & DONATE TO VANPORT MOSAIC HERE:
http://www.vanportmosaic.org/contact-us/