We might have mentioned once or twice that this season marks Milagro’s 30th anniversary, and from now through September, our history history will be on display at the Oregon Multicultural Archives !

Archivist Natalia Fernández and intern Katrina O’Brien from OMA (part of the Oregon State University’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center) have spent the last 10 months poring over, organizing and cataloging the company’s history into a collection that will be housed and available to the public in the SCARC. Just this past weekend, Founding Directors José Gonzalez and Dañel Malán (as well as board member John Rodarte) were in Corvallis for the unveiling of an exhibit of items and photographs that tell the story of Milagro. They include props and costumes from shows, production shots, publicity posters and more.

Although Milagro was first approached in the fall of 2012 about participating in an exhibit of Latinos in Oregon, this collection is the result of a process that began in earnest on February 28, 2013, when Milagro hosted a presentation by the American Theatre Archive Project for the local theatre community. Little over a year later, with plenty of documentation along the way, Milagro continues to lead by example, showing other arts organizations the importance of preserving records, ephemera, and production materials.

“I was very impressed with the representation of the touring and
educational programs.  I especially liked the display of the masks and
costumes from [Milagro Tour‘s 2004 production] mipueblo.biz, which were connected to a video clip from
the play,” Malán said of the exhibit.

You can visit the exhibit in the 5th Floor Atrium of the SCARC (121 The Valley Library, OSU, Corvallis, OR) M-F 8:30-5:00 and read online about Ms. Fernández and Ms. O’Brien’s experience assembling the collection.