ABSTRACT
In May 2013, the Oregon Jewish Museum (OJM)1 in Portland opened the exhibition Settling In.2 This exhibition sought, among other objectives, to counter dehumanizing images of immigrants as sweatshop laborers, prostitutes, and gang members, which are ubiquitous in news media and popular culture. In order to reveal deeper similarities and differences that have shaped the immigrant experience in the USA, Settling In showcased two waves of immigrants who arrived in Portland a century apart. Russian and Eastern European Jews in the early 1900s benefited from Neighborhood House, a settlement founded by the National Council of Jewish Women; contemporary immigrants from Burma, Cambodia, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, and Somalia find support at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). This effort to compare immigrants’ experiences through the lens of two organizations engaged the museum both in the national controversy regarding immigration policy and in debates over museum theory and practice. In the following pages, I first describe political and practical challenges that the OJM encountered during research and development. I will then trace some effects of the exhibition itself and review our post-exhibition evaluation. Finally, I will reflect at some distance on Settling In and its impact on our museum and community as well as its significance for other museum practitioners.
