 The Vanport Mosaic is a memory-activism platform that amplifies, honors, presents, and preserves the silenced histories that surround us in order to understand our present, and create a future where we all belong. |
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| “The annual festival is a highlight of Portland’s cultural calendar, blending history, culture, arts and activism into a living and highly creative memorial.” ~Oregon Arts Watch/ Bob Hicks The 9th VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL – May 18-June1, 2024 Info/full program (check often for updates! if you find any discrepancy or inaccuracy, let us know… with kindness and patience.) REMEMBERING IS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE. Join us for two weeks memory activism in Portland, Oregon. Festival headquarters: The Historic Alberta House | 5131 NE 23rd ave, Portland OR Questions? info@vanportmosaic.org |
| Events are free or sliding scale, thanks to our generous Sponsors and Funders: |
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| FESTIVAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Sunday 5/19, 11-1:30 pm: MALCOM X DAY: Black Panther Party Legacy Tour of Albina | tour Sunday, 5/19, 2pm: Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts | screening Friday, 5/24, 6-8pm: The Music of Vanport, The Miracle City | talk + performance Saturday 5/25, 7:30 pm: Precipice | performance Sunday 5/26, 2 pm: Precipice | performance Wednesday 5/29, 11am: City of Portland’s Proclamation for a Vanport Day of Remembrance | ceremony Thursday 5/30, 6-8pm: Lost City Living Memories: Vanport Through The Voices of Its Residents | screening + performance Saturday 6/1, 12-4pm: An Afternoon for Rooting and Re-storying | performances, tours, exhibits, community altar EXHIBITS THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL: Henk Panders: The Climate Refugees of Vanport Vanport: A Surge of Social Change THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL AND BEYOND: Make history with us! Share your memories, artifacts, and photos, and contribute to the Vanport Mosaic living archive. More info here. |
| THIS WEEKEND’s EVENTS: Sunday, MAY 19: ANNUAL REUNION for Vanport former residents and survivors (private event/ by invitation only) |
| Sunday, MAY 19, 11:00-1:30 pm MALCOM X DAY: Black Panthers Legacy Tour of Albina Start: Parking lot of Matt Dishman Center End: End: Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods * Recommended: driving or biking between historical stops Tickets: $15. RSVP HERE  |
| Join Vanport Mosaic for a special tour celebrating Malcolm X, led by Mr. Kent Ford, co-founder of Portland’s chapter of the Black Panther Party. Through Mr. Ford’s personal memories of revolutionary activism and community service, be inspired to join today’s fight for change. |
| Sunday, MAY 19, 2:00-3:30 pm Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts Open Signal, 2766 Northeast Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard By donation.Suggested $5-15. RSVP HERE  |
| Join us for a screening of a new documentary film directed by Dru Holley exploring the often-contradictory role played by Black soldiers in American History. Learn about the often forgotten black regiments who served in some of America’s earliest wars and how they fought on two very different sets of front lines — military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home. Followed by a Q&A with director |
Exhibits Throughout the Festival Historic Alberta House 5131 NE 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211 FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Gallery Hours: Monday 20th, 27th: 1-4:30pm Tuesday, 21st, 28th: 1 – 4:30pm Wednesday, 22nd, 29th: 1 – 4:30pm Thursday, 23rd, 30th: 1 – 4:30pm Friday, 24th, 31st: 10am -1pm Artwork of Henk Pander: “The Climate Refugees of Vanport”  |
Originally from the Netherlands, Henk Pander was a child during WWII. Since immigrating to the PNW in 1965, he became one of the region’s most renowned artists. Henk Pander passed away on April 7th, 2023, but his legacy continues through his remarkable body of work.
We are grateful to Henk and his family for entrusting us with the watercolors from the Vanport series. Read ArtsWatch/Bob Hicks’ beautiful essay about Henk Pander.
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Vanport: The Surge of Social Change
During its short life span (1942-1948) Vanport–Oregon’s second largest city and the nation’s largest public housing project–drew national attention and conflicting opinions. For the over 40,000 people who lived there, Vanport was simply their home. When the Columbia River flooded on Memorial Day 1948, the entire city was erased from the map and from much of Portland’s memory in a single day. Originally co-curated by Vanport Mosaic and Oregon Black Pioneers, this exhibit – Vanport: A Surge of Social Change – is a culmination of nearly a decade of collective effort. Thanks to our partners and friends at the Historic Alberta House, it now has a permanent home in the “Vanport Gallery.” Be sure to visit this ever-expanding exhibit throughout the festival. We are growing this seedling into a mini-museum dedicated to the Miracle City. It will be a home for the Vanport Mosaic’s rich collection of photos, news clips, maps, and scrapbooks, as well as the numerous artistic interpretations and tributes commissioned throughout nearly a decade of memory activism. Come by and support this vision! |
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SHARE YOUR MEMORIES, ARTIFACTS, PHOTOS. HELP US BUILD A VANPORT DIGITAL HUB/LIVING ARCHIVE! The Vanport Mosaic has been collecting oral histories with the Vanport Community since 2015. Together we’ve created the largest collection of personal memories of life in Vanport, of the flood that destroyed it, and its aftermath.We are building a community-based living archive to preserve these precious voices, as well as the photos, scrapbooks, news clips, archival footage, and other artifacts that we’ve collected in nearly a decade of memory activism.PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EFFORT! * Would you like to share your memories with us? Do you have material related to Vanport to add to the archive? * Have you written articles, dissertations, books, curricula you would like to share on the digital hub?Please get in touch with us! Contact Greta Smith Wisnewski at greta@vanportmosaic.org |
| BECOME A MEMORY ACTIVIST! DONATE TO THE VANPORT MOSAIC |
| Do you have stories and project to share? ideas for collaborations? Would you like to host our workshops, exhibits, oral history screenings, theater performances, presentations? Get in touch at info@vanportmosaic.org Our mailing address is: 5131 NE 23rd Ave, Portland OR 97211 |
Parade Guides 
In exchange for your time, volunteers will receive community service hours, a ticket into 
Flood Safety Updates: Learn about Proposed Measure 26-243In May 2024, Multnomah County voters in the flood district will have the opportunity to vote on a bond measure which would upgrade flood safety infrastructure, protecting water quality, communities, businesses, and the environment if passed. The current flood safety system is over 100 years old. In a changing climate, the system does not meet the federal government’s current flood control requirements. If passed, bond proceeds would upgrade aging infrastructure along the Columbia River. If passed, the estimated annual tax rate for bonds would be $0.11 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $246,712 would pay $26.27 per year or $2.19 per month. 
Federal Support for Flood Safety 
Recent Project and Events
New Trash Rakes at Critical Pump Station Pump stations are an important part of the flood safety system along the Columbia River – they prevent flooding by moving stormwater that collects in the Columbia Slough to the surrounding waterways. Without these pump stations, the area along the Columbia River that provides protection for thousands of residents and jobs and essential services would flood during storm events. As pump stations draw in water, they also draw in downed trees, leaves, aquatic plants, and more. Trash rakes keep pump intakes clear so water is able to move efficiently, ensuring the safety of MCDD employees who work diligently to maintain these crucial systems.
Join our community partners for the Slough Celebration 2024 on Saturday, May 18, from 2 – 6 PM at Whitaker Ponds, as the Columbia Slough Watershed Council marks 22 years of nonprofit service.
East Columbia Neighborhood Association 