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Oregon School of Arts and Crafts records, circa 1895-2019

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon School of Arts and Crafts
Title
Oregon School of Arts and Crafts records
Dates
circa 1895-2019 (inclusive)
circa 1930-2019 (bulk)
Quantity
64.35 cubic feet, (15 cartons; 3 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case; 1 card box (12x6x4); 3 flat boxes (11x14); 1 flat box (13x16); 3 flat boxes (20x24); 1 flat box (16x20x5); 1 card file box (12x5x3); 3 oversize folders (30x42); 2 film reels; 32 banker's boxes; 1 flat non-archival box (18.5x23.5x0.75); 7 tubes; 42 loose rolls; 6 framed items; 1 loose album; loose papers)
Collection Number
Mss 2983
Summary
Records of the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, including administrative records, student work, and memorabilia. The school was originally founded as the Arts and Crafts Society of Portland in 1907, but changed its name in 1979, when it moved to a seven-acre campus on SW Barnes Road in Portland, Oregon. In 1996, the school changed its name again to Oregon College of Art and Craft. The school permanently closed in 2019.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Board and marketing records in Box 37 are restricted until 2026. Remainder of collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Julia Hoffman (1856-1934) founded the Arts and Crafts Society of Portland in Portland, Oregon, in either 1906 or 1907; the society officially adopted a constitution and elected officers in October 1907. The society was one of a number of arts and crafts societies that formed in Britain and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in response to the perceived decline in artistic quality caused by industrialization. For its first few decades of existence, the society often held classes in the homes of members, and in the early 1930s Hoffman opened up workshops on property she owned on Barnes Road as a place for artists to work and interact. In 1934, the society opened a permanent school space, which offered classes in metal work, pottery, sculpture, and weaving. It would later also offer calligraphy and book arts classes. The school was originally located in the Ainsworth Building on SW Oak, and then in the Kraemer building on SW Washington Street. In the 1950s, it moved to NW Flanders Street, and in the 1960s it moved to NW 18th and Hoyt.

By the 1970s, the school was serving as many as 400 students. In 1979, the society changed its name to the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, and moved to a seven-acre campus on SW Barnes Road. In 1994, the school added an undergraduate degree program, and in 1996, it changed its name once more, to the Oregon College of Art and Craft. In 2019, the school closed permanently due to financial difficulties.

Sources: Christen, Richard S., "Julia Hoffman and the Arts and Crafts Society of Portland: An Aesthetic Response to Industrialization," Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 109, No. 4, 2008; articles in the Oregonian, 1907-2019; Portland city directories, 1936-1964.

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Content Description

The collection consists of the records of the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, which was originally founded as the Arts and Crafts Society of Portland, and in 1996 renamed itself the Oregon College of Art and Craft. The collection includes records relating to the school's administration, properties, finances and fundraising, and exhibits and events; as well as newsletters and publications; course catalogs and schedules; publicity materials; memorabilia such as scrapbooks; and materials relating to individuals associated with the school. A substantial portion of the collection is an unprocessed addition of records that the Oregon College of Art and Craft donated to the Oregon Historical Society in 2019, after the school permanently closed. This addition includes images and examples of student artwork.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Oregon School of Arts and Crafts records, Mss 2983, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in eight series: Series 1. Administrative records; Series 2. Course catalogs and schedules; Series 3. Exhibit and event records; Series 4. Financial and fundraising records; Series 5: Individuals associated with the school; Series 6. Newsletters and publications; Series 7: Publicity and marketing records and memorabilia; Series 8. Special programs and projects; Series 9: Assorted and unsorted records; Series 10. Unprocessed additions.

Acquisition Information

Gifts of the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts/Oregon College of Art and Craft from 1994 to 1997 and in 2019 (Lib. Acc. 21962, Lib. Acc. 22436, Lib. Acc. 23146, RL2019-123).

Preservation Note

Audio, film, and video materials require special equipment to access. Contact library staff for assistance.

Processing Note

Collection was partially processed circa 1997. Additional processing and arrangement of materials donated prior to 2019 was performed in June 2022. Materials donated in 2019 are unprocessed.

Film and video materials were assigned individual moving image (MI) numbers by library staff prior to 2022.

Related Materials

Other collections at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library that relate to the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, particularly the time period when it was named Arts and Crafts Society of Portland, include: The Arts and Crafts Society of Portland records, Coll 806; and a vertical file, Art - Arts and Crafts Society.

Separated Materials

Some photographs and slides were separated to Photograph Collections, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Jeffrey A. Hayes
2022

CC0

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