Sojourners in a Golden Land:
The Chinese Presence
in Southern Oregon

Exhibition Statement

Two exhibitions examining the rapid rise and swift decline of the West’s Chinese population in Idaho and Southern Oregon opened at the Schneider Museum of Art on January 3, 2006.

The discovery of Gold in California in the mid 1800s brought thousands of people to the American West. Among those who came were many Chinese–mostly young men who believed a few years of mining would allow them to return home with a small fortune. That dream was realized for very few of these immigrants. Unable to afford passage home, most of these Chinese stayed in the west and became a significant labor force for woolen mills, garment manufacturers, mining operations and the railroads. In ensuing years due to the decrease of mining operations, the completion of many railroad lines, and racial discrimination, the Chinese populations disappeared from the more rural areas and migrated to larger cities such as Portland and San Francisco.

The Vanishing: Re-presenting the Chinese in the American West was organized by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum, Idaho. Using historic photographs, contemporary paintings, and individual histories, The Vanishing paid homage to a population and a history which has virtually disappeared. Paintings by Oakland based painter, Hung Liu, give face to specific Chinese that were in Idaho during the early 19th century. Liu uses photographs of local and Boise based Chinese found in historical libraries as the basis for her set of paintings. For decades, Lui has used her large-scale paintings as a means for exploring memory and truth, loss and recovery. Her paintings have become portraits of the forgotten Chinese who helped settle the Wood River Valley and the state. Also included was an installation by Rene Yung. This installation consisted of soap stamped with the word “remember” paying homage to the many Chinese who became laundrymen in early towns of the West as well as metaphorically exploring the idea of cultural memory and loss.

Sojourners in a Golden Land: The Chinese Presence in Southern Oregon was curated by Josine Ianco Starrels of the Schneider Museum of Art, working in conjunction with the staff at the Southern Oregon Historical Society. On loan from SOHS the exhibition featured historical artifacts from the area and a series of provocative portraits of Chinese immigrants taken by Jacksonville photographer Peter Britt. Through historical materials and contemporary artworks, The Vanishing and Sojourners acknowledged the significant contributions made by the Chinese to the development of our western communities.

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