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/

PDX: Hopscotch

Hopscotch is an immersive art experience. Currently it has locations in Portland and San Antonio.

Recently you may have seen ads for traveling immersive art exhibits, but those often have a single theme, perhaps based on the work of a single artist.

Hopscotch has several different rooms and installations by different artists, so it can be multiple different experiences.

Some may be more static than others, like bringing street art inside.

With others, you may dive right in, kind of like a ball pit. 

Many of the exhibits play with light and color in different ways.

That may be more true of Portland than San Antonio, where I can't help but wonder if some artists were influenced by the Winter Light Festival.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2023/02/portland-winter-light-festival-february.html 

There is some Northwest flavor.

There are many ways to participate.

In some cases, this can lead to waiting periods. While you do have an assigned entry time, you can stay as long as you want. 

You do not have to take a linear path through the exhibits (in fact, it may be difficult to do so).

There is also a lounge area where you can relax and then return.

Some reviews mentioned frustration with all of the children. I thought that was great; it is good for them to be exposed to art young, and they tend to be less inhibited where they can get more out of it.

However, if that would irritate or inhibit you, that may be something to think of when scheduling your time. Because it is interactive, we have a greater impact, and so respect is required.

In addition to the exhibits, there is also art featured in the gift shop. We enjoyed the "dotnut" art by Anna Sweet. Especially this one.

https://annasweet.com/dotnuts

Some people have mentioned parking issues and finding the place issues. The entrance is on SE 10th Avenue between Yamhill and Taylor, and we found pretty good parking on 9th. The spaces on the streets (running West/East) were very full.

COVID: I love the fact that they mention COVID risk in the waiver you sign. They do not require masks, but they at least admit there is an issue.

Timed entry may help some, but it also appeared to be pretty popular, at least on a weekend afternoon. I wore a mask and recommend doing that, but most people were not.

Accessibility: They say they are fully accessible. I can see that for most of the exhibits, but I am not sure how it works out for the (not exactly a) ball pit. That may require some further inquiry.

https://letshopscotch.com/faq

Obviously -- and they mention this on their page -- there could be issues for light sensitivity. I will add that the staff was very nice and helpful.

https://letshopscotch.com/locations/portland