[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2026-05-21

Thu May 21 13:04:07 PDT 2026

Oregon Heritage News 2026-05-21
In this Issue:

  *   Oregon Heritage MentorCorps Q&A on applying for a mentor, June 3, 12pm
  *   Oregon Heritage MentorCorps Q&A featuring oral histories, June 17, 12pm
  *   Recent posts on the Oregon Heritage Exchange blog featuring landscape architecture preservation and youth volunteers
  *   May is National Historic Preservation Month - Check out some of these resources to help with preservation efforts
  *   Paula Gangopadhyay, CEO of Pittock Mansion, wins national award
  *   The Japanese American Museum of Oregon becomes a Smithsonian Affiliate
  *   Museum Learning Hub call for instructors
  *   Erin Borla of the Roundhouse Foundation Named to 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy List
  *   Next America 250 Oregon Commission Meeting: June 4

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Oregon Heritage MentorCorps Q&A on applying for a mentor, June 3, 12pm
Whether you're a small museum, a community archive, or burgeoning cultural institution Oregon Heritage wants you to know you don't have to go it alone. MentorCorps can connect you with heritage professionals in your field to help support your challenging projects and find you resources to take the next level. Want to get one step closer to best practices? Join our program coordinator to find out how at the online MentorCorps Application Q&A.
Date: June 3rd, 2026
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Register at: MentorCorps Application Q&A Session<https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9PnPzGCzTpGEVym3F0XeSQ>
Don't need to ask questions of the coordinator, but know you want to apply for a mentor this year? Save the date, because applications open July 1, 2026 on the MentorCorps<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/pages/mentorcorps.aspx> page.
You can still 'Be the "Me" in Mentor".
If you see yourself in a service role toward others in the heritage community, we'd love to have you join our team. Applications to be a mentor are currently open.<https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/c307c9d8d0a94cf886f28353e3b4ef5e> We're always looking for folks who are passionate and skilled in heritage fields and want to share that with the rest of Oregon.
Have challenges that can't wait until July?
Check out our technical resources page<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/pages/technicalresources.aspx> or email the Technical Resources Coordinator: cam.amabile at oprd.oregon.gov<mailto:cam.amabile at oprd.oregon.gov>. We can help get you the resources you need to move you in the right direction!

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Oregon Heritage MentorCorps Q&A featuring oral histories, June 17, 12pm
MentorCorps Q&A | Oral Histories
June 17, 2026 | 12pm to 1pm
Register Here!<https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/w4SdrJ8UT7y00MeQwRWl0w>
Chris Petersen is the Archivist for Oral History and Digital Projects at Oregon State University and will be our host for May's Mentor Q&A session. Q&As are where you, the heritage community, get to ask your burning questions in an open forum with field experts and get direct help. If you're working on an oral history project, or planning to, or just looking for best practices advice - join us.
For an easy to follow best-practices guide, check out Chris and colleague, Kate Thornhill's "Doing Oral History on a Shoestring" how-to-guide.<https://researchguides.uoregon.edu/doingoralhistory>
Additional Upcoming MentorCorps Q&A webinars:

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Recent posts on the Oregon Heritage Exchange blog featuring landscape architecture preservation and youth volunteers

  *   Elk Rock Garden: The Art of Collaboration from the Past to the Present<https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/w4SdrJ8UT7y00MeQwRWl0w> - Celebrates the history of Elk Rock Garden's intentional landscape architecture and collaborative learning opportunities to preserve it.
  *   A Community of Young History Lovers<https://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/?p=5666> - Celebrates Oswego Heritage Council's relationship with youth volunteers and recognizing their dedicated efforts.

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May is National Historic Preservation Month - Check out some of these resources to help with preservation efforts
It's Preservation Month! Getting started on community preservation work can be fun, and challenging all at the same time. Here are some resources to help.

  *   How well do you know what historic sites and structures exist in your community? Search the Oregon Historic Sites Database<https://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/> to find out.
  *   Conduct a historic building inventory. Use the What's Up Downtown guide<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/Upper_Story_How-To_Guide_Final.pdf> and accompanying template<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/Upper_Story_Template_Downtown%20Building%20Inventory.xlsx> to learn how.
  *   Building preservation takes funding. Have you looked at Oregon Heritage's preservation grants lately<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/oh/pages/grants.aspx>?
  *   Preservation isn't just about buildings, but it's significant places and sites. For example, here's our Ways to Protect an Historic Cemetery<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/HB09_Ways_to_Protect_Historic_Cemetery.pdf> Heritage Bulletin.
  *   Curious about window repair, weather envelops, historic landscape character, or meeting secretary of interior standards - watch Restoration Specialist Joy Sears' video series<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/oh/pages/technicalresources.aspx#seven>

The National Register of Historic Places is a treasure trove of structures, sites, districts, and significant places across the country. Nominations to the register can be time consuming, but there are resources to be able to help.

  *   Looking at nominating a property or district to the National Register of Historic Places? Oregon's Multiple-Property Documents<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/OR_MPD_list.pdf> can help speed up your documentation process.
     *   What is an MPD you ask? This Heritage Bulletin<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/HB42%20MPD.pdf> and Overview Video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4hdYQWVQo4> have the details.
  *   Documenting properties with women's history in mind? Check out this Women's Labor History context report<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/OR_WomensLaborHistory.pdf>.
  *   Preservation guidelines for National Register properties are found in the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Read them here.<https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/secretary-standards-treatment-historic-properties.htm>
  *   Curious about the submission and approval process? Oregon State Historic Preservation Office created a flow chart<https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/National%20Register%20Process%20Flow%20Chart.pdf> just for you.

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Paula Gangopadhyay, CEO of Pittock Mansion, wins national award
Paula Gangopadhyay, CEO of Pittock Mansion, has received the 2026 Distinguished Service Award from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) - the highest honor awarded to an individual in the U.S. museum profession.
View the press release<https://pittockmansion.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/paula-gangopadhyay-aam-award-recipient.pdf> for additional.
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The Japanese American Museum of Oregon becomes a Smithsonian Affiliate
The Japanese American Museum of Oregon<https://jamo.org/> (JAMO) has been accepted as a Smithsonian Affiliate, joining a network of more than 200 cultural, educational and research organizations across the United States, Puerto Rico and Panama. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, JAMO will collaborate on Smithsonian projects and programs that broaden efforts to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in Oregon.
Other Smithsonian Affiliates in Oregon include:

  *   Bend, Oregon High Desert Museum<https://affiliations.si.edu/affiliate-profile/?pid=2702> *
  *   Hillsboro, Oregon Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals<https://affiliations.si.edu/affiliate-profile/?pid=2839> *
  *   McMinnville, Oregon Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum<https://affiliations.si.edu/affiliate-profile/?pid=1860> *
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Museum Learning Hub call for instructors
The six U.S. regional museum associations are excited to announce an open call for instructor applications for a new series of online learning modules for the Museum Learning Hub<https://westmuse.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=292ba30672daddc0764d36f0a&id=d7c07a318f&e=f4886bfe41>!
The Museum Learning Hub is a nationwide initiative dedicated to providing free, self-paced training resources for small museums. The Workplace Transformation Through Management Training Initiative, funded by a National Leadership Grant for Museums award from IMLS<https://westmuse.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=292ba30672daddc0764d36f0a&id=7676e6893e&e=f4886bfe41>, will expand current offerings to include online workshops and resources to build the capacity of frontline and middle managers.
This initiative will produce 24 training sessions/workshops organized into six (6) online training modules for publication on the Museum Learning Hub, along with six (6) toolkits. Topics to be covered in the series include:

  *   Introduction to Management
  *   Interpersonal Relations, Wellbeing and Self-Care
  *   Strategic Thinking and Change Management
  *   Financial Management
  *   Project Management
  *   Employee Life Cycle Management

We are looking for subject matter experts with excellent online teaching skills to develop and present one-hour workshops and introductory sessions for 6 online learning modules. In addition to teaching the virtual workshops, instructors are expected to provide materials for inclusion in resource toolkits.
The deadline for applications is Friday, May 29 @ 8:59 pm PT.
More information.<https://www.midwestmuseums.org/mlh-mgmtseries-instructors/>
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Erin Borla of the Roundhouse Foundation Named to 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy List
Last week, it was announced that Erin Borla, Executive Director of The Roundhouse Foundation, was named to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list<https://time.com/collection/time100-philanthropy/2026/>.
View the press release here<https://roundhousefoundation.org/grant-stories/erin-borla-named-to-time100-philanthropy-list/>.
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Next America 250 Oregon Commission Meeting: June 4
The next America 250 Oregon Commission meeting will be on Thursday, June 4 at 3pm over Zoom; register here<https://t.e2ma.net/click/308jhp/zt0984xb/7nt2o1d> if you would like to join the live conversation. The meeting recording and minutes will be posted on oregon250.org<https://t.e2ma.net/click/308jhp/zt0984xb/ngu2o1d> approximately two weeks following the meeting.
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AALSH Webinar: Demystifying AI for History Organizations, June 4
Debates around artificial intelligence, use cases, and ethics are everywhere, including in the field of state and local history. With these powerful tools come serious concerns about bias, job loss, copyright, and environmental impact. Can AI tools help with administrative, research, interpretation, and presentation work at history organizations? Can we use them to help us understand, interpret, and share our collections and the historical stories we tell, and to help our communities understand the past and its value?
Join Robert Becker of the Keizer Heritage Museum, a small museum in Oregon, for a discussion on demystifying what AI actually is, what it can do in our field, and its limits. Come learn how responsible AI use can streamline workflows, aid with administrative and some interpretive work, and help your team serve the community more effectively.
Attendees of this webinar will also receive a free copy of Technical Leaflet #308, "AI for Local History Organizations."
Details
DATE: June 4, 2026
TIME: 3:00 - 4:15 pm EASTERN (Remember to adjust for your time zone)
COST: $25 members/$45 nonmembers
ACCESS: You will be provided with instructions on how to access the live event upon registration.
Learning Outcomes
During this webinar, participants will learn about:

  *   The development of AI technology and its possibilities for our field
  *   Examples and case studies of organizations using AI successfully and responsibly
  *   Practical tools, tips, and strategies for using AI appropriately in your work
  *   Concerns and challenges about transparency and integrity

Learn more and register.<https://learn.aaslh.org/products/demystifying-ai-for-history-organizations-live-webinar>

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Follow us on Facebook at @oregonheritage, on LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/oregon-parks-and-recreation-department/>, on the Oregon Heritage Exchange blog<https://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/>.
Oregon Heritage News is a service of Oregon Heritage, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that includes the State Historic Preservation Office. Learn more about our programs at www.oregonheritage.org<http://www.oregonheritage.org/>. The news editor can be contacted at heritage.info at oprd.oregon.gov<mailto:heritage.info at oprd.oregon.gov>.

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