MONMOUTH, Ore. — The Western Oregon University History Club collaborated with the Independence Heritage Museum to assist in photographing the city’s textile collection. This effort supports a crucial update to the museum’s database, which has faced delays due to staffing challenges.
Amid severe budget constraints in the City of Independence, the participation of WOU students offers invaluable support while providing them with hands-on, applied learning opportunities to enhance the skills they have acquired in the classroom.
Amy Christensen, director of the Independence Heritage Museum, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “Having students in the museum to photograph our textile collection is meaningful in several ways. For one, textile work is slow, careful preservation, and it’s work we have struggled to make time for at the level we would like. Students will be directly handling historic garments, quilts, flags, and other smaller cloth items to help us take images for our database. These images will make the items more accessible to the community, as they’ll be at a quality we can use for online exhibition and improved record keeping.”
Christensen added, “I love that they’ll be solving problems alongside us. We don’t have a professional photography setup, so figuring out how to properly light and capture large pieces is part of the project. Preservation work in a small museum like ours is thoughtful, personal, and often creative.”
This partnership not only aids the museum in meeting its preservation goals but also enriches the educational experience of Western students, preparing them for future careers in history, museum studies, and beyond.
###
About Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University, established in Monmouth in 1856, proudly stands as Oregon’s oldest public university. Hosting around 4,000 students, Western embodies a mid-sized, NCAA Division II institution, with approximately 80% of its students hailing from within the state. Notably, its diverse student body comprises individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, veterans, and non-traditional learners. Western stands as the preferred campus in Oregon for those pursuing an enriching education within a nurturing, student-focused environment, characterized by faculty-led instruction. Where YOU belong.