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Starting Monday, April 28, the Oregon Historical Society will host two shows highlighting the achievements of Vietnamese people in the state. This Is Vietnamese Portland, a touring exhibition of 15 panels from Lewis & Clark College’s collection Vietnamese Portland: Memory, History, Community, opens April 28. The English-only edition is open through May 12 at Lewis & Clark’s Aubrey Watzek Library, but This Is Vietnamese Portland displays in both English and Vietnamese through April 30. While OHS admission is free for all Multnomah County residents, all ticketing will be suspended for the three-day run.
Vietnamese Portland shares stories from a collection of more than 130 interviews and archival materials like documents and photos. It was intended to tour Multnomah County libraries, but has since visited Washington County libraries as well. Zoë Maughan, the exhibition’s project director, said in a statement that she is inspired by archival silence, or reading between the lines of available history to see what stories aren’t being told.
“What I love about the Vietnamese Portland project is that it’s a very active project,” she said in a press statement. “It’s distinct in that it’s an ongoing living archive.“
On Wednesday, April 30—the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War—OHS will host 50 Years of Vietnamese Contributions to Oregon celebrating the artwork of the late painter Lê Quang Vinh. State Rep. Dr. Thuy Tran will give a presentation at Wednesday evening’s reception, along with eyewear designer Paul Vu, founder of EDA Frames, and one of Lê’s children.
Lê’s daughter Vân and her uncle, Vietnamese Cultural Arts Alliance founder Allen Luong, work to venerate Lê’s artistry. Lê was not commercially successful in his lifetime—he sold only two paintings before dying in 2014—yet he left behind a significant body of work featuring dozens of richly detailed oil paintings. His practice served as a powerful way for him to process the horrors of war and displacement.
“The war in Vietnam deeply affected the lives not only of Vietnamese people but also of many Americans who served in the military during that time, and of their loved ones,” Kerry Tymchuk, Oregon Historical Society’s Boyle Family executive director, said in a statement. “Like all history, the story of how the war in Vietnam shaped the lives of Oregonians cannot be contained in a single point of view.”
SEE IT: This Is Vietnamese Portland and 50 Years of Vietnamese Contributions to Oregon at Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave., 503-222-1741, ohs.org. Monday–Wednesday, April 28–30. Free.