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TWITTER TALK DONE RIGHT

October 13, 2020 by

Twitter talk quoted: replying to @DavidGillaspie Museums are shit places to gain an understanding of history because colonizers build and fund them. T. Roosevelt is famous for that “Only good Indian is a dead Indian” quote, but apparently not famous enough. You are an old white man with a colonizer perspective. Some nerve. Me: Hey […]

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SORTING HISTORY: WHAT MATTERS vs WHAT MATTERS MORE

September 19, 2020 by

Sorting history is the difference between hoarders and historians. If there were no difference, every garage full of crap would be a museum. And I say garage full of crap with all due respect, since I’ve got one piling up. In the end, that stuff tells a part of our story. But it doesn’t have […]

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INVISIBLE BEAUTY: WHAT WE DON’T SEE

April 25, 2020 by

Invisible beauty is all around when I take a walk with my favorite. From the lattice-like leaves of a tiny plant, to clouds, to Mt. Hood, it’s all around for the taking. One of our walks goes past a rosemary bush that needs more trimming than the owner can do, and we love rosemary chicken, […]

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OREGON HISTORICAL: JOB THREE OF FIVE

March 21, 2020 by

Oregon Historical is the third of a five part series inspired by a twitter post asking to list five jobs. From mill work, to army medic, a museum job was a perfect fit. The idea started from three thousand miles away.

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PREEMPTIVE CONVERSATION: SORRY, I WASN’T LISTENING

February 22, 2020 by

When is the best time for a Preemptive Conversation? Married men have different answers than singles, from both sides of the fence: Her side, and yer side.

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ART HISTORY FOR THE ART FANS

December 3, 2019 by

The two words, art and history, joined together as Art History, are too often dismissed as an elite thing, which is code for “who gives a damn.” “Oooo, art, tell me more,” said no one ever, unless the speaker had an agenda to fulfill, like trashing on something they don’t like. But art history is […]

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LIFELONG MEMORIES IN PARIS AND LONDON: ROLE MODELS FOR PORTLAND OREGON

September 27, 2019 by

Time spent in Paris and London brings comparisons and competition for lifelong memories. People who live in both cities, who have apartments and houses in each, are the best judges. Oddly enough I met just such people on a visit to Bruges, Belgium. What are the chances of meeting people in one country and seeing […]

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COLLECTORS, SMALL MIRACLES, GOOD LIGHTING

March 24, 2019 by

Collectors call an empty cabinet, “A blank canvas,” into which they start throwing things like a Jackson Pollock painting. To them it’s one of many small miracles to create. Every drip is important, every splash significant; every teacup and tray, too. At least that’s how they explain it when asked “At what age did you […]

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Historical Debris: A Record Of Time

July 23, 2018 by

    Most museums have a bar they set for accepting historical debris, artifacts, one of a kind deals, and whatever an important person touched or signed.   Paul Revere silver, the last breath of Thomas Edison, the Magna Carta? No one is making any more of that stuff, so that’s a bar too high. […]

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HOW TO INTERACT WITH RAJNEESH CULT MEMBERS ON PORTLAND STREETS

April 21, 2018 by

    Most days after work in the 80’s I walked the same way to my NW Portland apartment. The path took me past a place called the Martha Washington on SW 11th. I walked the same way so I could talk to an interesting woman from the museum.   Note to remember: All museum […]

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