Conversation Project

Reiko Hillyer

On Thursday, October 20, at 6:30 p.m., the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House will welcome Reiko Hillyer, who will present her talk “Marking Our Territory: How to Read Local Landscapes.” The program is part of Oregon Humanities’ statewide Conversation Project, which brings humanities scholars to Oregon nonprofits.

One of the most persistent ways people exert power over others is to control access to space. Drawing upon the fields of architecture, environmental studies, urban design, and public policy, Reiko Hillyer’s presentation will pose the following questions: How do we mark our territory? How do the built environments we create reflect our values and aspirations? Whom do we include and exclude in the process?

Touching on gentrification, the decline of public space, historic preservation, residential segregation, and suburban sprawl, Hillyer will lead a conversation about how to read the history of our communities through the landscapes we build and consider how we can be more aware of, and more engaged in, the creation of our surroundings.

Hillyer is a visiting assistant professor of history at Lewis & Clark College, where she recently won the Teacher of the Year award. She teaches twentieth-century U.S. history, African American history, the Civil War, women’s history, and the history of the American landscape.

The program was very well-received earlier this year in Portland. Admission is free to Shelton McMurphey Johnson House members. Non-members are asked to make a $5 donation.