Picturing the Past II: Sharing Chinese American History through Archaeology, Art, and Song

This program highlights the role of artists in interpreting historical research with archaeologist Chelsea Rose, artist Dale Hom, and musician Jon Lee.

Archaeologists, historians, and artists are working across the state to bring Chinese American history and heritage to light. This panel will discuss the recent findings and collaborations of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, highlighting the important ways in which artists can help translate the experiences of Chinese Oregonians and their legacies, including the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities we face in bringing the past back to life.

PRESENTERS
Chelsea Rose is the director of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology and a historical archaeologist who focuses on the settlement and development of the American West. Chelsea is a Principal Investigator and co-founder of the award-winning Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, was a guest co-editor of the Oregon Historical Quarterly issue dedicated to the Chinese diaspora, and co-edited Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America, available from the University Press of Florida.

Dale Hom is a retired land and resource manager who worked for thirty-seven years with the USDA Forest Service. He was responsible for partnering with the Wing Luke Museum to interpret Chinese heritage on federal lands. He earned his B.S. degree in forestry from the University of Washington in 1976. He serves as a community historian, is a member of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project Advisory Committee, and enjoys writing and illustrating graphic novels about the Asian Pacific American experience.

A fourth-generation American-born Chinese and Pacific Northwest native son, Jon Lee crafts songs and stories that connect people and places. He loves to share his music with any listening audience, and memorable gigs have taken him to the Liberty Theatre in Astoria, the Wallowa County Courthouse, the French Glenn Hotel, the Matlock Grange Hall, and the Oregon State Penitentiary, with numerous festivals, coffee houses, bars, and house concerts along the way. Musical inspiration comes from night skies, moving water, endearing daughters, enduring friendships, black coffee, slow food, sharp steel, and straight grain. He has recorded four albums of handcrafted, locally sourced, mostly organic songs.

Hidden Histories II is organized and moderated by the Portland Chinatown Museum in partnership with the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project.