Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers Exhibit
Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers Exhibit
By Cary Clarke Mon, February 14, 2011 1:06pm http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/?c=49518&a=337703Last Friday, February 11, we received a very special delivery at Portland City Hall. A team of professional art movers brought in several cryptically marked white crates and, for the next several hours, set about installing a variety of panels and banners in the building’s North atrium. While we had to wait with anticipation to see the remarkable contents of the boxes put on display, you can skip right to the good stuff.
As part of the City of Portland’s celebration of Black History Month, we are proud to be hosting, from February 11 through March 11, a fascinating exhibit on Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers. The traveling exhibit is free and open to the public weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It spans the history of black pioneers in Oregon, Washington and Alaska from the 1870s through 1990, and was brought to Portland by the local chapter of the wonderful professional women’s service organization The Links, Incorporated, with whom we have been delighted to partner on this project. Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers is also made possible by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and The World Arts Foundation Inc.
The official opening reception for the exhibit will feature the reading of an official proclamation and a performance by the De La Salle High School Choir. As you can see above, it is coming up this Thursday:
Pacific Northwest Black Pioneers Opening Reception
Thursday, February 17
Portland City Hall (1221 SW 4th Ave.)
4-7 pm / Free
We look forward to seeing you at City Hall over the next month for this exhibit, the opening reception, and at another special free event we will be hosting on the early evening of Wednesday, February 23 that is called “History, Hope & Harmony” and will celebrate Portland’s rich jazz heritage and elders with music, film, photos and speakers, including Portland-raised, Grammy-nominated, jazz innovator, Esperanza Spalding.
