OCHC Mission
The Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission discovers, celebrates and commemorates Oregon’s diverse literary and cultural legacy, raising awareness through media, memorials, and public events.
The formation in 1988 of the OCHC reflected the interests of several Oregonians in the literary and cultural history of our state and region. Portland Mayor Bud Clark’s edict inaugurated the group formally, and IRS not-for-profit status was granted OCHC in 1993.
OCHC believes in the importance of cultural memory, assuring the past a place in the present. As our culture continues making critical choices about the wide-ranging issues of the day, it is vital that we bring the wisdom and experience of our forbears into the discussion.
Our cultural understanding perhaps best serves us as a touchstone, as a road map of where we’ve already been and gone; why we have, for example, our unique public beach law, our environmental orientation, our excellent public libraries. It can also help us identify where we’ve misstepped, and how our creative figures recorded the experience for future reference.
All content Copyright OCHC unless otherwise noted.