JOIN US BETWEEN 12-4PM AT THE EXPO CENTER FOR AN AFTERNOON OF RE-MEMBERING & RE-SEEDING LIBERATION: Memory activism, healing and place-claiming on the Indigenous land where Vanport once stood, and where nearly 4,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated. There is no schedule, nor fixed program. We gather and experience together throughout the afternoon activities and cultural offerings led by Indigenous, African American, Japanese American and Latinex artists and community weavers. HERE IS A GLIMPSE: REMEMBER US BY CHISAO HATA – a temporary memorial to Japanese Americans held at the Portland Assembly Center in 1943 honoring their history, loss, erasure and continuing ReClaiming of Culture, History and Stories. We will “fix” the rope together to not only remember, but protect our democracy in today’s social landscape. JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF OREGON PRESENTATIONS/EXHIBIT will include history boards, signage, photos and memorabilia of the Portland Assembly Center A PUBLIC PRESENTATION of an original “map” blueprint of the Assembly Center given to JAMO from the EXPO staff during this day. This is an original drawing by the military of the Assembly Center. ARCHITECTURE OF INTERNMENT pop-up exhibit LAND ART – CURATED BY RIDHI D’CRUZ We will re-member this place alive through various stories of place curated over the seven years of this festival. We will re-member this place alive into a future that includes re-seeding our intentions and imaginations for land justice. To support this re-membering and re-seeding, we will collaborate with some land-artists to make paper and cordage out of blackberry vines as a way of honoring this place as it is now, thorns and juicy berries alike. We will seed our intentions and imaginings of what healing and liberation is for this place into paper made from blackberry, with seeds and words. Land Artist Collaborators: daniela del mar of letra chueca press, Chlöe Hight, Jenn Woodward from Pulp and Deckle Song Artist Collaborator: Tonya Abernathy who sings with Grupo Masato Other Collaborators: Jessica Rojas and Diego Hernandes from Metro Regional Government
We dedicate this day to this sacred place. The land. The water. The people. All of what makes this place, this place. This sacred place. This living place. Rooted in the memories of all that has happened. Reaching for the potency of all that is to unfurl.