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ProgramsThink & Drink
Oregon Humanities’ 2015 Think & Drink series kicked off February 5 with renowned essayist and fiction writer Barry Lopez in conversation with Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities. Catch audio and video from the sold-out event below.
Conversation Project
Oregon Humanities is looking for people eager to traverse the valleys, mountains, and deserts of our state’s thirty-six counties as Conversation Project discussion leaders, bringing Oregonians together across differences, beliefs, and backgrounds to exchange words and ideas.
Since 2009, the Conversation Project has worked with more than 200 nonprofits across the state to offer more than 500 discussions on topics as varied as racial… Continue reading
ProgramsThink & Drink
Tickets are now available for Oregon Humanities’ 2015 Think & Drink series at Portland’s Alberta Rose Theatre. This year’s guests include Barry Lopez, Walidah Imarisha, and Eula Biss. General admission tickets are $10 each or $25 for the remaining three events in the series, and are available online at albertarosetheatre.com. Preferred seating tickets, which include guaranteed seats in the first five rows and admission to pre-show… Continue reading
ProgramsSpecial Projects
Portland-area veterans and others who are interested in exploring the effects of war are invited to register for two upcoming programs.
How War Affects Us
Monthly program, open to all, begins February 3
Portland-area veterans, family members of veterans, and anyone who wants to understand the effects of war are invited to register for “How War Affects Us,” a free monthly discussion program at the American Legion Post 134 in… Continue reading
Programs
On October 23, 2014, author Cheryl Strayed joined Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities, at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland for a conversation about the experience of having her private life become public through a best-selling book and major motion picture. Click here to watch a video of the event.
Cheryl Strayed is the author of the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, the novel Torch,… Continue reading
What's New
Oregon Humanities is included in Oregon Business magazine’s 2014 list of 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon in the small organizations category (fewer than 20 employees).
Oregon Business examined more than 180 nonprofits and ranked the organizations based on results from confidential employee surveys that measure workplace satisfaction in categories including benefits, management, trust, work environment, and career… Continue reading
Special Projects
Oregon Humanities is a cosponsor of Deschutes Public Library Foundation’s third Author! Author! literary series, taking place from September 2014 to May 2015. The series features writers Jess Walter, Garth Stein, Ann Patchett, and Piper Kerman, who will discuss their work, literature, and the writing process.
General admission tickets are $20 each. Those tickets, as well as preferred seating tickets that include access to a… Continue reading
Oregon Humanities is ranked nationally as one of the top twenty-five employers in the country to be honored with a 2014 When Work Works Award for the organization’s use of effective workplace strategies associated with employee health, well-being, and engagement.
OH is one of eighteen Oregon employers to receive the award, as selected by the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Annual Report
Thanks to the supporters who made gifts in 2013 and helped us connect Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. Download our Annual Report below to read about the impact your dollars have had on the state.
What's New
On July 10, 2014, historian Stephanie Coontz joined Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities, for a conversation about government regulation of marriage and family life in America at the Mission Theater in Portland, Oregon.
Coontz teaches history and family studies at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and serves as director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families. She… Continue reading
Magazine
For the summer 2015 issue of Oregon Humanities, we want to hear your stories and ideas inspired by the word “safe.” Describe the pleasures and problems of being trustworthy or cautious, of being risk-taking or controversial. Tell us what… Continue reading
Blog
On a sunny Valentine’s Day, I joined about two dozen people in a meeting room at the Kenton Branch of the Multnomah County Library for a community discussion on race and policing led by Lewis & Clark College professor Reiko Hillyer. (The… Continue reading
Magazine Extras
The cool quiet of my car is blessed solitude before my workday. The drive to Portland begins in darkness and silence. I don’t turn on the radio. I prefer the lull and hum of the roads and freeways. Although it’s still warm, day and… Continue reading
Blog
In his paintings and prints, Roger Shimomura sets his Japanese ancestry against the backdrop of popular American icons. Through the bright colors and graphic styles of Japanese ukiyo-e prints and pop art, Shimomura explores… Continue reading
Blog
As part of my new internship at Oregon Humanities, on a Tuesday evening in early February, I attended a community discussion on race and policing at the Central Library in downtown Portland, led by Elliott Young, a professor of history… Continue reading
Blog
February in Oregon means the legislature is in session, which means people in Salem are talking. Mainly they are talking about bills—what should and should not be legal—and also about money—where it should go and where it shouldn’t. Both… Continue reading
Blog
Anyone who travels across Oregon and experiences the beauty of its landscape understands why Oregonians are proud to call this place home. As a recent arrival many years ago, I was struck by the deep sense of pride and attachment… Continue reading
Blog
In December of 2014, the Oregon Symphony performed a classical holiday concert that I thought my friend would like to attend as a gift. I bought the tickets and we went together to have some girlfriend time. As we entered the mezzanine,… Continue reading
Blog
Writer Barry Lopez kicks off the first Think & Drink of 2015 on February 5 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland. At Think & Drink, Lopez will discuss reconciliation, resistance, justice, and place with Adam Davis, executive director… Continue reading
Blog
“Americans should pay more attention to injustice in this country,” said one of the women in our class, while the others nodded and murmured their agreement. We were in week three of a five-week series of classes I was teaching that… Continue reading
Current job openings
We are looking for old souls with raw talent, fresh insights, and an insatiable desire to connect Oregonians to new stories, ideas, and perspectives. As an intern, you will be joining a creative, dedicated, curious staff of can-doers. Your role: create, edit, and disseminate all sorts of content that will see the light of day in print and online. Duties may include the following:
• Write… Continue reading
How Oregon Humanities Changes Lives
As a senior at Pitzer College double majoring in political studies and urban studies who also works at an issue-advocacy firm, 2010 Idea Lab alumnus Braden Bernards keeps busy.
Braden says he was introduced to interdisciplinary, discussion-based, big-question education at Idea Lab, Oregon Humanities’ summer program for rising high school seniors, where he and the other students studied the pursuit of happiness. “All the… Continue reading
How Oregon Humanities Changes Lives
My grandmother taught us not to be afraid to go after knowledge,” says twenty-two-year-old Daniel Smith. This spring, Smith’s family—including his grandmother, McCleda Dixon—watched him graduate from Oregon Humanities’ Humanity in Perspective (HIP) program, a free college course for low-income adults offered in partnership with Reed College and Willamette University.
Store
Originally published in 1991, The First Oregonians: Second Edition is revised and expanded for a new generation of Oregonians. It provides a comprehensive view of Oregon’s native peoples from the past to the present. In this remarkable volume, Oregon Indians tell their own stories, with more than half of the book’s chapters written by members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes. Using oral histories and personal… Continue reading
Volunteer
From stuffing envelopes to helping at events, we love our volunteers and appreciate their support.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Oregon Humanities. If you would like to take part in one of the opportunities listed on this page, indicate which one on your application. If we don’t have any volunteer opportunities listed, we’ll keep your application on file. If your qualifications and availability meet requirements to… Continue reading