Credit: Frank Sakae Matsura, Wapato Smithins Family, c. 1903-1913. Courtesy the Okanogan County Historical Society/Dean Davis Photography

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits From the Borderland

Old Town Chinatown

When

Ongoing

Days vary, Times vary

Cost: Starting at $8.00

Where

Japanese American Museum of Oregon

411 NW Flanders St STE 100
Portland, OR 97209
Entrance on NW 4th Ave.

The following description was submitted by the event organizer.

Portraits from the Borderland features photographs from the studio of Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913), alongside period-specific regalia from Indigenous communities of the Columbia River Plateau. Arriving in newly incorporated Okanogan County from Japan in 1903, Matsura became a popular portrait photographer for families in the area and managed to create some of the most visually potent and nuanced images of Indigenous peoples from the era.

A photographer by training, Frank Matsura arrived in newly incorporated Okanogan County, Washington, from Japan in 1903. He set up shop in this remote area of a state that had been admitted to the Union only 14 years earlier. Charming and popular, he soon found himself in the role of trusted community photographer. He documented many families, celebrations, and regional events of note, often collaborating with his subjects to infuse his portraiture with a sense of humor and warmth.

Among his documentation of local life, his photographs of Columbia River Plateau Tribal community members stand out and are the focus of Portraits from the Borderland. Over 20 of these portraits, enlarged to 33 by 46 inches, will be on display. Alongside them, the exhibition will feature cultural objects from the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture’s premier American Indian Collection, examples similar to the regalia found in the portraits.

Frank S. Matsura: Portraits From the Borderland is organized by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and was curated by Michael Holloman (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), Associate Professor, Washington State University, and Anne-Claire Mitchell, Associate Curator of Special Projects, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. It is generously supported by Art Bridges.