Our Fairview...
Rowing is the closest I will ever come to flying. On calm, flat days my battered old oars make twin circles of ripples that spread out until they intersect behind the stern of the boat. I’m forever retreating from that gentle disturbance, the water smoothing itself into glass again as I go.
Rebecca Solnit, Bird in a Cage, Harpers Magazine, March 2016 issue
Many artifacts and records from Fairview have been lost or destroyed, and just last week Pierce Cottage was destroyed by fire of unknown origin. As the visible reminders of Fairview disappear, we must ensure that its history is not forgotten or sanitized.
(Sara Gelser, Erasing Fairview's Horrors, The Oregonian Opinion, Jan. 30, 2010)
Ripples occur when the surface of water is disturbed. This rippling spreads to include an ever widening and intersecting circle, connecting both past, present, and future. Mention Fairview Training Center and you will get a wide range of reactions. By invoking the visual metaphor of the ripple, we see clearly that the histories of Fairview are always open and unfolding, inviting new interpretations, intersections, voices, and perspectives.
Our Fairview… is a series of conversations, events, and projects centered around remembering Fairview Training Center, that support artistic and creative contributions to the past, present, and future legacy of institutions like Fairview.
Fairview Training Center (1908- 2000), once a state-run institution for individuals with neurological differences, has a complex legacy. Using a diverse array of visual, narrative, poetic and performative methods, this project will amplify, preserve, and share the archive through events, exhibitions, audio recordings, writing and publications.
In 2010, Senator Sara Gelser Blouin advocated that, "as the visible reminders of Fairview disappear, we must ensure that its history is not forgotten or sanitized." (Erasing Fairview's Horrors, The Oregonian Opinion, Jan. 30, 2010) Our Fairview… will gather stories through a series of workshops and events using traditional interviews, artistic means for sharing memories, and open conversations.
Read about the project on Oregon ArtsWatch:
Unpacking the Fairview Training Center by Hannah Krafcik
Our Fairview... is funded by the Creative Heights Initiative of the Oregon Community Foundation
and through a fiscal partnership with Cornerstone Associates, Inc.
This project will unfold over a two-year period in 2024-2026. Want to be involved or share your story? Contact bburris1000@gmail.com or jillrbaker@gmail.com
The list of who we are will grow as more voices and stories are added.
Bruce Burris - Project Founder and Director
Jill R Baker - Assistant Director
Paul Meuse - Researcher
Friends of the Project include: Living Studios, Jonathan Bucci, Julia Bradshaw, Anna Fidler, Sarah Wolf Newlands, Marne Lucas, Dardinelle Troen, Hannah Krafcik, Travis Johnson, Ed Wong, Ben Gardner and more to come.
