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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2015)
Careers July 22, 2015 Page 11 Arts & ENTERTAINMENT World at War: A State Transformed Exhibit tells of shipyards, internment and other impacts “World War II: A World at War, A State Transformed,” a new ma- jor exhibition at the Oregon His- torical Society, 1200 S.W. Park Ave., features rare documents and artifacts from world and mil- itary leaders including Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and also shares stories of the impacts of the war on Oregonians. The exhibit brings artifacts and manuscripts on loan from the Portland-based Mark Family Collection, including a very rare Nazi Enigma machine, the mil- itary uniforms of Gen. George Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhow- er, the only copy of the Atlantic Charter personally signed by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, and a life preserver from the U.S.S. West Virginia, which was damaged at Pearl Har- bor. Letters and manuscripts pro- vide a lens onto the many events of World War II, from prominent battles to critical political deci- sions. Notable documents include handwritten letters from General Americans, and the only World War II casualties to occur in the continental U.S.—the result of a Japanese balloon bomb. Continuing in the museum’s North Wing Gallery is a visual- ly stunning exhibition of propa- ganda posters, which opened this past February. Also on loan from the Mark Family Collection, these posters provide a unique glimpse into an era before tele- vision and internet when artists and marketers were challenged to communicate to the general public in a way that would sim- ply and enduringly convey im- portant messages. The Oregon Historical Society is open seven days a week, Mon- days through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $11 but free to OHS members and Multnomah County resi- dents thanks to a generous dona- tion from Columbia Sportswear. All United States military veter- World at War, A State Transformed, puts a lens on many events of World War II, including the incarcer- ans will receive free admission ation of Japanese Americans from West Coast cities, including Portland, as shown in the photo from throughout the run of the exhibit. Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Eisenhower to his wife Mamie and letters from Senator Mark Hatfield, a Naval Lieutenant during the war, to his parents. The exhibit also focuses on Oregon, a state transformed during the mid 20th century. Items drawn from the Oregon Historical Society’s archives and from collections across the state tell of events that dramatically changed Oregon, including the social impact of the Kaiser ship- yards, the internment of Japanese A welding mask from the Kaiser Shipyards and a life vest from the military ship Star of Oregon are among the artifacts from ‘World War II: A World at War, a State Transformed,’ a major new exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society.
