Supported by a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights program, the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble is producing a new concert of original songs and video inspired by the stories of the multi-cultural populations of Maxville and Vanport, two unique Oregon towns deserving a more prominent place in the telling of the state’s history.

This year-long project, includes community discussion events in Portland and Joseph in the fall of 2017, a performance tour to La Grande, Enterprise and Baker City in April 2018 and Portland in May, a studio album, short documentary film and two performances in Portland in conjunction with the Vanport Mosaic. It employs a five-member creative team in a collaborative process that hopes to speak with the communities that are connected to these stories, not for them.

Crossroads Carnegie Art Center and Baker Heritage Museum, in partnership, are pleased to host this wonderful event on Saturday, April 14, at the Baker Heritage Museum at 2480 Grove St. Social time with a no-host bar will begin at 5 p.m., with dinner being served at 6 p.m. The event will be in the grand ballroom of the Museum and there are only 100 tickets available. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are on sale for $50.00 a person at Crossroads, Baker Heritage Museum and with board members of both organizations. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Celebrating and building understanding of our shared history, it showcases the remarkable talents of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble and vocalist Marilyn Keller, with video by Kalimah Abioto.

The artists will share the stories of the African- American experience through the lens of two unique communities:  Maxville, a former logging community in Wallowa County, and VanPort, a wartime housing development in Portland that, in the late 1940s would become a lightning rod of racial prejudice and, later, the site of one of Oregon’s most significant natural disasters.

Gwen Trice, Executive Director of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center in Joseph, will introduce the event and be on hand to answer questions. Jazz/Gospel singer Marilyn Keller will sing new material with lyrics by S. Renee Mitchell and composer Ezra Weiss, accompanied by the 12-piece Portland Jazz Composers ensemble.

The Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble is a 12-piece jazz ensemble which commissions and performs original works by its members and by other jazz composers in the Portland music community and beyond.

Crossroads and the Baker Heritage Museum will each host small silent auctions at the event to raise funds for their youth programming.

“Crossroads is thrilled the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble called wanting to do this event in Baker City, said Ginger Savage, Executive Director of Crossroads. “We immediately contacted the Baker Heritage Museum as we could not think of a better venue for this lovely event. The event combines music, storytelling, film making and a better understanding of the heritage and history of Oregon and is small fundraiser for our programs.”

”The Baker Heritage Museum is excited to be a part of the From Maxville to Vanport program. These stories and experiences are important to the history of our area, and we’re honored to be a partner in highlighting these topics within our community,” adds Carly Annable, Director of the Baker Heritage Museum. “The chance to offer such a multifaceted performance within Baker County is an opportunity we were not going to pass up.”

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center Hand to Heart Scholarship Fund, which allows people of all ages to access Crossroads classes regardless of their ability to pay. Proceeds will also go the Baker Heritage Museum’s Youth Programs, including their Museum Summer Camp and staffing for their wonderful youth events and field trips.”

The mission of the Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble is to operate a large musical ensemble, to commission and perform original works by members of the ensemble and by other jazz composers in the Portland music community and elsewhere, to act as a forum for the development and presentation of works for large ensemble by established and emerging jazz composers, and to engage and enrich community awareness and appreciation of contemporary music.

• March 1-8, 2017 / Maxville Heritage Center – Joseph, Oregon
• March 10 – 16, 2017 / Arts Center East – La Grande, Oregon
• March 17 – 23, 2017 / Four Rivers Cultural Center – Ontario, Oregon
• March 24 – 30, 2017 / Baker Heritage Museum – Baker City, Oregon
• March 31 – April 7, 2017 / Eastern Oregon University – La Grande, Oregon
• April 8 – 21, 2017 / Blue Mountain Community College – Pendleton, Oregon
Please contact the local chambers of commerce for addresses.

Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “A Place for All People” highlights key artifacts that tell the rich and diverse story of the African American experience. From the child-size shackles of a slave and the clothing worn by Carolotta Walls on her first day at Little Rock Central High School to Chuck Berry’s Gibson guitar, “Maybellene,” and the track shoes worn by Olympian Carl Lewis, the exhibition presents a living history that reflects challenge, triumph, faith and hope. Admission is free.

The poster exhibition and related public programs share the many stories of African American and African diaspora people and their contributions to the local community and the American story. Spearheaded by Gwen Trice, Maxville Heritage Center of Joseph, and aided by the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association (EOVA), the recruitment of venues and planning process for bringing this important exhibit to rural Oregon has taken place over several months and brought together a variety of arts and heritage interest groups. Sponsors of the exhibition in Oregon are Oregon Historical Society and US Bank. In addition to the venues, local sponsors include the EOVA and the Union County Museum.

The journey to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture began a century ago with a call for a national memorial to honor the contributions of African American Civil War veterans. After decades of efforts by private citizens, organizations and members of Congress, federal legislation was passed in 2003 to create the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Since then, thousands of artifacts have been collected to fill the inspiring new building that has risen on the National Mall.

Through its exhibitions and programs, the museum provides a shared lens to view the nation’s history and the possibility for hope and healing. It is a place where all can gather to remember, reflect and embrace America’s story: a place for all people. For more information, visit nmaahc.si.edu.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu.

2-13-17 FINAL #5 Regional Promo Poster for All PPL exhibit

Maxville Gathering Has Logging Heritage Theme

WALLOWA, OR. – The Maxville Gathering celebrates the logging tradition of Wallowa County Saturday, June 28, at the Nez Perce Homeland Project grounds outside of Wallowa. The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes a delightful mix of entertainment, historical information about logging in the area and the Nez Perce, booths selling homespun products and old-fashioned activities. Food options include smoked pork and chicken and grilled Columbia River salmon. The public is encouraged to bring fruit, salads ad desserts to share. There will be mule tours and a fly-over.

Maxville was a logging camp and villiage in the 1920s and ’30s, located 15 miles north of Wallowa, where white and black loggers (many brought in from the South) worked together. The villiage was complete with schools and baseball fields. The annual Maxville Gathering is an opportunity for the community to commemorate the county’s logging culture and history and its incorporation of a black community in the early 20th century. For more information on the unique community and the project to preserve its history, visit www.maxvilleheritage.org.

SolWest Fair

LA GRANDE, OR__Having outgrown its former location in Grant County, the SolWest Fair has moved to La Grande and will be held at the Union County Fairgrounds, June 27-29. The event’s keynote speaker is Cylvia Hayes, Oregon’s First Lady and CEO of 3EStrategies, a clean economy consulting firm. 50 workshops are available, with themes that include Solar, Homesteading, Hydropower, Wind Energy, Passive Solar Buildings, Cart Goats and HAM Radio. Live music is performed by Red Hot & Bue Jazz, Bitteroot, Bag of Hammers, and Homemade Jam. Enjoy local food, kids programs and regional beer. The event is presented by Oregon Rural Action. For more information, go to www.solwest.org, or contact organizers at 541.975.2411 or solwest@oregonrural.com.

Outdoor Club for Kids at Trail Center

BAKER CITY, OR. – The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is launching the 2014 season of “Thursday Outdoor Club for Kids” starting June 26. A special presentation each Thursday afternoon through August 7th introduces youngsters to different topics and skills about the great outdoors.

All sessions are from 1:30 to 3:00 pm and include an outdoor activity, light snacks and lemonade. Sessions are aimed at ages 8-12. Cost is $2 per person to cover costs of materials. Parents and guardians are welcomed to attend with youngsters.

Resource specialists and guest presenters will provide expert guidance for the following topics:  June 26, “Pioneer Days”; July 3, “Gold!”; July 10, “The Pollinator”; July 17, “Leave No Trace”; July 24, “Here Comes the Sun”; July 31, “Rock-o-Rama”; August 7, “Survival & Orienteering.”

Call 541.523.1843 or 541.523.1852 for more information or to pre-register. Enrollment is limited.

The Trail Center is located five miles east of Baker City, Oregon, on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. The Center is currently open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $8; for seniors it’s $4.50; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are accepted. Call 541.523.1843 for updates on programs and events. For more information about the Trail Center visit oregontrail.blm.gov.

Elgin Stampeders Rob The Train

ELGIN, OR__Passengers on the Eagle Cap Excursion Train this Saturday, June 28, should hide their valuables and keep their camera ready. The notorious Elgin Stampeders Gang plans to rob the train on horseback while it winds its way along the beautiful Grande Ronde River. Go to www.eaglecaptrainrides.com for more information or see the blog on this website.