Portland: Japanese American Historical Plaza and Bill of Rights Memorial

This memorial to Japanese-American sent to internment camps in World War II was dedicated in 1990.

Various stones create the space and a pathway through it.

They also tell the story of the internment.

That includes a listing of the different camps, but also poetry that conveys the emotions.

There is also some use of metal, including an engraving of the Bill of Rights, reminding one of the violation.

Then there are images, of guards and towers and prisoners.

The plaza is also the home of 100 cherry trees, a gift from Japan.

One can hope they are a sign of good will, despite past wrongs.

COVID: Everything is outside. Obviously there are times when it is more crowded, like sunny weekends when there is also a holiday and run.

Accessibility: While there are some grooves and texture to the stonework, it seems pretty navigable, and is also close to the MAX line.

It is a beautiful place that brings up sad memories, but for things that are important to remember.

https://jamo.org/historical-plaza/

Birds of the Pacific Coast at Oregon Historical Society -- through May 19th

I most recently reviewed the Oregon Historical Society in January 2023:

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2023/01/pdx-motown-sound-of-young-america-at.html

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2023/01/pdx-oregon-historical-society.html 

We went back later that year for an exhibit with photographs of local birds. I did not review that, but I did post on the main blog. 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2023/09/for-birds-reading-month.html

Suddenly, there were birds again, and it was time to make it back downtown.

"Birds of the Pacific Coast: The Illustrations of R. Bruce Horsfall" runs through May 19th. It started in September, so not long after we were last there. Well, there is always something new.

Artist R. Bruce Horsfall created 56 illustrations for Birds of the Pacific Coast by Willard Ayers Eliot. 

Both men maintained ties to the Oregon Audubon Society (now Portland Audubon), and Eliot eventually donated the paintings to them. Portland Audubon donated 55 of the paintings to OHS in 2019, and that is what is on display.

Many of the illustrations depict multiple birds, even though the title will only name one.

The title cards have a circle with the depicted bird.

It may still leave some questions, but it helps.

There are some other items enriching the exhibit.

This includes a display of bird taxidermy, a frequent tool for ornithological artists.

It is interesting for size, not only because it is easy to misjudge the size of birds at a distance (the Red-winged Blackbirds are a little larger than I would have guessed), but also because it is easy to forget how tiny some owls can be.

There was also a touch screen where you could listen to bird calls with a hint, and then see which bird it was.

I especially enjoyed the video, Conversations with Birders, featuring local bird watchers discussing how they got into it and why they enjoy it. This can be viewed on the exhibit page.

One thing it stresses is that if you are interested in birds and looking at them, you are a birder. You don't have to wait until you are older or have more equipment or know more.

There was some classic birding apparel and equipment on display, though, just in case you are curious.

I thought it was interesting, and did a good job of displaying the artwork and building appreciation for it.

COVID: There were not that many people around us that day, but I still recommend masking.

Accessibility: As needed there are ramps and elevators. The navigation is mostly good, but I will give two caveats.

One area has some water damage and that creates some obstacles. This was between the exhibits for "Oregon's Sleepy Hollow: The Leach Legacy" and "Portland Past and Present". It isn't too bad to get around, but know that it's there.

The other potential issue is that the way building is set up, some elevators will not take you to some places. Things are well-labeled, and I never really noticed it before, until a woman trying to find the entrance so she could go feed the parking meter sought me in her confusion. Fortunately, there was a staff member nearby.

We enjoyed the exhibit because we like birds.

If you don't, what's wrong with you?

https://www.ohs.org/museum/exhibits/horsfalls-birds-of-the-pacific-coast.cfm 

 

PDX - Stark's Vacuum Museum

I'm not going to make any jokes about sucking. Sure, it's obvious, but that in itself wouldn't stop me.

Really it was just a pretty cool museum; I don't want to even jokingly imply it was bad.

As Portland's vacuum experts since 1932, it was no surprise that their flagship store would be able to feature a wide variety of past machines.

Those were fun to look at, but the timeline brought things together nicely. The significant dates (many of which it would be easy to not even know) in vacuum history have corresponding photos from history and popular culture, anchoring the appliance to the times.

It is educational and interesting, but also not so vast as to be a big time commitment. Plus, it is free!

Added to that, there is a parking lot -- more common in that stretch of Portland, but not a given -- and even the outer walls welcome you with vacuum art.

The parking meters are pretty spendy ($15/hour), but they allow you to enter the code of the business you are frequenting. I went in and got the code, we entered it, and then we explored the museum.

Of course it is not just a museum, but also a shop. We were able to get some questions answered that will influence our next vacuum purchase.

We were even able to do a test run, with flooring and carpeted surface available, as well as coffee grounds.

COVID: The shop was not crowded. The staffer said that the museum gets at least one visitor per day, and of course there are customers coming in for purchases and service, but there aren't necessarily rush hours. While masking doesn't hurt, social distancing is very possible.

Accessibility: There was a ramp as well as steps, and navigation is pretty easy. Having parking on site could also be helpful.

We really enjoyed it and were glad we went.

https://starks.com/about/vacuum-museum/