Lynn Fuchigami Parks and Judy Margles receive joint award
October 12, 2023
Portland, OR—Two long-time leaders of Portland museums were recognized for the significant impact they have made on both their institutions and the local community. Lynn Fuchigami Parks, executive director emeritus of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, and Judy Margles, director of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, were jointly awarded the Western Museum Association Leadership Award at the association’s annual conference in Pasadena, CA.
Lynn served as the executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon for nearly 10 years. It was a dream of hers to open a permanent, modern facility for the museum, ensuring that the organization would have a home in Portland’s historic Japantown in perpetuity. She was successful in that goal, raising $5 million within three years and overseeing the renovation of the new permanent home for the museum, along with the updated permanent exhibition and collection storage facility. Although she retired in 2021, Lynn continues to serve the institution as a consultant and builds upon her years of community leadership in many crucial Japanese American organizations. Her continued support and contributions help to preserve and protect the underrepresented history of Japanese Americans in Oregon and empower the next generation of leaders to use museums as a resource for social equality. Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, current executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, describes her predecessor: “Lynn is an incredible leader worthy of this award. She has tirelessly advocated for this history to be told and, beyond the walls of the museum, that Japanese American historic sites be honored and preserved. She has created opportunities for many and cleared the path for the next generation of leaders succeeding her.”
OJMCHE Director Judy Margles, who is retiring at the end of 2023, has led the museum for 24 years—which over the decades included moving from a “museum without walls” to several Portland locations before the penultimate move in 2017 to the current flagship location on the North Park Blocks. During those years, Judy also oversaw significant museum growth in education and outreach including the merger in 2014 with Oregon Holocaust Resource Center, which enriched the museum in countless ways: as stewards of the Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Portland’s Washington Park thousands of visitors now tour the Memorial; with a statewide Education team in place there is both in person and virtual resources on lessons from the Holocaust; and the museum continues to be the only community repository for the Jewish experience in Oregon. Under Judy’s leadership, in June 2023 the museum reopened, after completing a successful fundraising campaign, with expanded galleries and a new core exhibition Human Rights After the Holocaust, that enhance OJMCHE’s power to accomplish its mission “to teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust,” by including today’s experience of hate, racism, discrimination, and persecution. As Judy noted at WMA, “we ask visitors the question, how do you turn hope into action? As I prepare to end my tenure as OJMCHE’s director, I urge all of all of us to create opportunities that testify to our hope so that we can all work together to create our better future.”
The Western Museums Association Leadership Award recognizes and acknowledges exceptional individuals who have made a significant impact in their institution or community. The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to serving diverse communities, promoting social justice or challenging institutional structures. Both of these former executive directors spearheaded efforts to bring their community museums to a wider audience and with it a greater understanding of the difficult histories that they tell. With the retirement of these two leaders, this award is a recognition of their many years of successful and devoted leadership in their respective communities and Portland’s cultural landscape.
About the Japanese American Museum of Oregon
The mission of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, educate the public about the Japanese American experience during WWII, and advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans. Formerly known as the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, our museum is a venue for culture and research as well as an invaluable resource for exploring Nikkei experiences and their role in Oregon’s multicultural community. Our permanent exhibit space highlights Issei immigration and early life in Oregon, Nihonmachi (Japantown), and the experience during World War II through Nikkei life today.
About Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education explores the legacy of the Jewish experience in Oregon, teaches the enduring and universal relevance of the Holocaust, and provides opportunities for intercultural conversations.
About the Western Museums Association
The Western Museums Association (WMA) is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to serving museums, museum professionals, and related institutions by providing vision, enrichment, intellectual challenge, as well as a forum for communication and interaction. Through training and educational programs, the WMA empowers the diverse museum community of the West to cultivate leadership and enable institutions to remain relevant in a dynamic world.