“The annual festival is a highlight of Portland’s cultural calendar, blending history, culture, arts and activism into a living and highly creative memorial.”
– Oregon Arts Watch / Bob Hicks

In these times of collective amnesia and erasure, remembering is resistance.

On the 78th anniversary of the flood that destroyed the city of Vanport, join us for exhibits, tours, performances, and conversations lifting up the stories that shape the world we live in and imagining a future where we all belong.

For questions, sponsorship, partnerships and volunteering opportunities,
get in touch with the festival organizer Laura Lo Forti at laura@vanportmosaic.org.


STORY HARVEST

Did you or a family member live in Vanport?
Your memories matter. We invite you to contribute to the Vanport Mosaic Living Archive. For over a decade, we’ve been collaborating with the Vanport former residents and descendants to preserve and amplify this essential chapter of Oregon’s history. Together, we’ve built the largest existing archive of Vanport oral histories, with over 100 stories already recorded.

Throughout the Festival the Vanport Mosaic team will digitize your scrapbooks, photos, and artifacts about Vanport, and conduct interviews.

Contact our Program manager Greta Smith at greta@vanportmosaic.org

(Photo by Julie Keefe: Ms. Betty Jones at the annual Vanport Reunion.)


2025 Festival save the date.jpg

 

 

PROGRAM (in progress)

FRIDAY, MAY 22 · 7:30 PM

From Maxville to Vanport: A Celebration of Oregon's Black History

Location: Lana Miles Performing Arts Center (Roosevelt High School), 6941 N Central St

Tickets: Buy tickets ($5–$35)

A multimedia concert of songs and short films telling the story of two historic Oregon towns — Maxville, a logging town built in 1923, and Vanport, built to house shipyard workers in 1942 — that became places of opportunity and refuge for Black Oregonians. Composed by Ezra Weiss with lyrics by S. Renee Mitchell and films by Kalimah Abioto. Performed by vocalist Marilyn Keller with the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble.

SATURDAY, MAY 23

ANNUAL REUNION FOR VANPORT RESIDENTS, FLOOD SURVIVORS & DESCENDANTS

Private event by invitation only

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 · 9:30–9:45 AM

City of Portland's Proclamation for a Vanport Day of Remembrance

Location: Portland City Hall

Admission: Free and open to the public

Join Vanport survivors and descendants, and Vanport Mosaic memory activists, as we commemorate the anniversary of the Memorial Day flood that destroyed Vanport in 1948.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 · 6:00 – 8:00 PM

LOST CITY, LIVING MEMORIES: VANPORT THROUGH THE VOICES OF ITS RESIDENTS

Location: Alberta House

Tickets: Register here

Screening of short oral history documentaries from the Vanport Mosaic collection, featuring special guests from the Vanport community. With a live musical performance by the Northwest Freedom Singers.

THURSDAY, MAY 28 · 3:00 PM

A Ripple Through Time: The Legacy of Vanport in Albina

Location: Kennedy School — tour meets outside the Kennedy School gift shop

Tickets: Register here

On the tour, you'll explore the property and learn about the resiliency of the historically Black neighborhood of Albina in the decades following the Vanport Flood.

THURSDAY, MAY 28 · 6:00 – 7:30 PM

BIRDWATCHING & HISTORY WALKING TOUR

Location: Force Lake, 11415 N Force Ave

Tickets: Register here

Join Marti Clemmons, archivist and historian at Portland State University, and Bo Lyons (BIRDHERS) as we explore a space where history and nature intersect.

FRIDAY, MAY 29 · 6–8 PM

Memories In The Taking

Location: Alberta House

Tickets: Register here

A staged reading of selected narratives from the SHARP study — Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-imagery — accompanied by historical neighborhood images and era music. Created by life-long Portlander Dr. Raina Croff (OHSU), the project engages older Black adults with and without memory loss in walking the Albina district with old photos, prompting conversational reminiscence about living and working there before gentrification. Directed by Raina Croff and Clarice Bailey.

SATURDAY, MAY 30 · 9:30 – 3:30 PM

WHAT VANPORT TEACHES WORKSHOP

Location: Historic Alberta House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave.

Tickets: Register here

A hands-on workshop for educators bringing Vanport's history into the classroom. Engage as a learner, exploring past student projects, experimenting with place-based learning strategies, and gaining practical facilitation tools to share with your students and colleagues.

SUNDAY, MAY 31 · 2–4 PM

Closing Community Celebration

Location: Alberta House

Admission: Free and open to the public

Hosted by Chisao Hata. Join us to mark the close of the 11th Vanport Mosaic Festival in community.

OPEN GALLERY HOURS

Exhibits at Alberta House

Location: Historic Alberta House, 5131 NE 23rd Ave

Admission: Free entrance>

Open hours:

  • Sunday, May 24 · 2–5 PM
  • Monday, May 25 · 2–5 PM
  • Wednesday, May 27 · 4–6 PM
  • Friday, May 29 · 2–5 PM
  • Sunday, May 31 · 10 AM–1 PM and 4:30–6 PM

Vanport: A Surge of Social Change

A curated collection exploring Vanport's lasting legacy.

The Climate Refugees of Vanport

Paintings by Henk Pander.

Impressions of Vanport

Artwork created by 3rd grade students at Buckman Elementary and Sauvie Island School.