"Spirit of Vanport" Core Team at the Inauguration

Vanport Descendant and Artist Shalanda Sims, Vanport Mosaic Story Midwife Laura Lo Forti, and Community Weaver Chisao Hata at Portland State University Vanport Building at the inauguration of "The Spirit of Vanport".

In December 2021, after 73 year from the flood that destroyed their homes and community, Vanport survivors and former residents gathered in the newly constructed Vanport Building in downtown Portland, and celebrated with us the Vanport Mosaic permanent tribute to The Spirit of Vanport in the lobby.

When the shrinking community finally gathered in the lobby of the new public building (named after Vanport), they marveled at the large-scale mural that represented the mosaic of their experiences. They found their quotes and names on the panels, next to those of friends who had passed away. After almost 75 years, the silenced history of Oregon’s like Katrina has a home. The Spirit of Vanport lives on.

This large scale mural with panels sharing history and quotes from our oral history collection is a tribute to the legacy of this vibrant community, and at the same time an accessible entry point to Oregon’s history of exclusion and discrimination.

The permanent tribute to the Spirit of Vanport was curated and facilitated by Laura Lo Forti in collaboration with Chisao Hata and Shalanda Sims.
Mural by Alex Chiu. Steel panels by Bryan Potter Design.
Made possible by Portland State University.