2022 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, social reformer and founder of American landscape architecture. Friends of Columbia Park is excited join the National Association for Olmsted Parks and parks enthusiasts across the country in celebrating Olmsted's legacy of landscape design and public parks - both across the country and right here in Columbia Park - with a series of presentations and events led by local experts and historians.
The presentations will be held in the Columbia Cottage, located near the south entrance of the Park. We are pleased to offer both in-person seating for masked, vaccinated guests as well as live streaming and recording so that people can watch remotely. Reservations are required for in-person attendance, as seating will be limited to allow for COVID-safe spacing.
The presentations will be held in the Columbia Cottage, located near the south entrance of the Park. We are pleased to offer both in-person seating for masked, vaccinated guests as well as live streaming and recording so that people can watch remotely. Reservations are required for in-person attendance, as seating will be limited to allow for COVID-safe spacing.
Postponed (TBD)
Building Equitable Access to Parks: A Parkside Chat
with Adena Long and Jonathan Blasher
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Friends of Columbia Park is excited and honored to welcome Jonathan Blasher, parks and nature director for Metro, the regional government of greater Portland, and Adena Long, Director of Portland Parks and Recreation for a Parkside Chat at the Columbia Cottage in North Portland’s Columbia Park. Directors Blasher and Long will share their stories about how they have come to their respective leadership roles in the parks and nature field, highlight how their agencies are building toward equitable access to parks and nature in an historically white dominant arena and provide perspectives on how we all can do a better job of supporting the full spectrum of our communities to get out, be active, feel safe and enjoy the outdoor beauty around us.
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PAST EVENT: May 11, 2022 at 7 PM
Columbia Pool, Community Space, and Community Healing: The Perils and Promise of North Portland Aquatics
with Beatriz Itzel Cruz Megchun and Mary-Margaret Wheeler-Weber
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In this lecture, Ms. Wheeler-Weber will provide an overview of the historical context of Columbia Pool and its closure. University of Portland, Professor Itzel will describe the rich social context of community interactions at the Columbia Pool, showing how a diverse group of individuals regarded the space and created meaning there, leading to its significance as a site that supported social and cultural wellbeing as well as physical health.
The dialogue will touch on relations of struggle embodied in everyday practice before and after the pool’s closure. And at a time when the City of Portland has proposed a new North Portland aquatics center that will take 5-7 years to build, the audience will be invited to imagine what may be gained and lost in the future of North Portland aquatics. |
PAST EVENT: March 9, 2022 at 7 PM
An Evening with William J. Hawkins, Author of 'The Legacy of Olmsted Brothers in Portland, Oregon'
with William J. Hawkins
Renowned architectural historian and author William J. Hawkins will talk with neighbors about the Olmsted park and landscape design footprint in Portland and the history of the Portland Park system, the topic of his book The Legacy of Olmsted Brothers in Portland, Oregon.
His beautifully illustrated book traces the development of Portland's system of parks and parkways and the Olmsted Brothers' lasting influence on our neighborhood greenspaces.
His beautifully illustrated book traces the development of Portland's system of parks and parkways and the Olmsted Brothers' lasting influence on our neighborhood greenspaces.
PAST EVENT: February 9, 2022 at 7 PM
A Screening of the PBS Film “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America” and Q&A with the Originator and Consulting Producer
with Laurence Cotton
To Olmsted, a park was both a work of art and a necessity for urban life. Olmsted's efforts to preserve nature created an environmental ethic decades before the environmental movement became a force in American politics. With gorgeous cinematography and compelling commentary, this film presents the biography of a man whose parks and preservation are an essential part of American life.
Laurence Cotton, a writer, historian, and filmmaker, served as principal researcher and consulting producer for this film. Following a screening of the popular 2014 film, Cotton will speak briefly on Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and career and the legacy of the Olmsted Brothers company’s landscape designs across America.
Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America is a co-production of WNED PBS, Buffalo/Toronto and Florentine Films/Hott Productions.
Laurence Cotton, a writer, historian, and filmmaker, served as principal researcher and consulting producer for this film. Following a screening of the popular 2014 film, Cotton will speak briefly on Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and career and the legacy of the Olmsted Brothers company’s landscape designs across America.
Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America is a co-production of WNED PBS, Buffalo/Toronto and Florentine Films/Hott Productions.
PAST EVENT: January 12, 2022 at 7 PM
He Paints with Lakes and Wooded Slopes - Frederick Law Olmsted and Landscape Design in the American Progressive Era
with Suzanne Bishop
Olmsted was famous for designing many well-known parks, campuses, and housing developments including Central Park in New York City. To Olmsted, parks were as much about the mental, physical, and social health of communities as they were about aesthetics and his theories about the restorative benefits of time spent in nature and the democratic value of public parks are now proven.
Presenter Suzanne Bishop is a Portland native and a Vice Chair on the Garden History and Design Committee at the Garden Club of America. She is a student of the history of Oregon gardens and landscapes and looks forward to sharing Olmsted’s history and accomplishments.
Presenter Suzanne Bishop is a Portland native and a Vice Chair on the Garden History and Design Committee at the Garden Club of America. She is a student of the history of Oregon gardens and landscapes and looks forward to sharing Olmsted’s history and accomplishments.