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Oral history interview with Cherie Hiser, 1981 December 6

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Hiser, Cherie (Sheryl Kathryn), 1939-2018
Title
Oral history interview with Cherie Hiser
Dates
1981 December 6
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 32 min., 20 sec.))
Collection Number
SR 3125
Summary
Oral history interview with Cherie Hiser conducted by Jim Morris on December 6, 1981. Hiser was a photographer best known for her self-portraits.
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

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Digitization funded by the James F. Miller Endowment.
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Biographical Note

Sheryl "Cherie" Hiser, nee Jenkins, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1939. She studied photography under Minor White at the Museum Art School in Portland. In 1961, she and Keith Roger Christensen were married; they divorced a short time later. In 1963, she earned a degree in psychology. In 1966, she moved to Aspen, Colorado, and in 1968, she founded the Center of the Eye, a photography workshop. In 1967, she and David Hiser were married; they divorced in 1973. She returned to Portland, Oregon, in 1978. In Portland, she worked in hospital psychiatric wards as a mental health therapist, and also taught photography classes and workshops. In 1983, she and Timothy Green were married. In 1994, she founded PhotoWorks NorthWest in Portland; she was also a founding member of Photo Americas, now known as PhotoLucida. She retired from psychiatric work in 2001. She died in 2018.

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Content Description

This oral history interview with Cherie Hiser was conducted by Jim Morris on December 6, 1981. The interview was conducted as research for an article in an unidentified publication. In this interview, Hiser discusses her work as a photographer and talks about her technique. She speaks at length about her photography projects at the time of the interview, including portraits of gay men and tattooed people. She also discusses her self-portrait photography, and about her plans for future photography projects. She talks about learning to fly, about decorating her home, and about the health of her parents. She also discusses using photography as therapy. She describes taking her first photography class from Minor White; discusses her early photography work, including working as a newspaper photographer; and talks about her marriage to David Hiser, as well as some of her other relationships.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Cherie Hiser, by Jim Morris, SR 3125, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Photographs by Cherie Hiser are held by the Portland Art Museum.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Gay men--United States
  • Photographers
  • Portrait photography
  • Tattooed people
  • Women photographers

Personal Names

  • Hiser, Cherie (Sheryl Kathryn), 1939-2018

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews
  • oral histories (literary works)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Morris, Jim, 1953- (interviewer)
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