Fort Okanogan to open

Fort Okanogan will hold one of its centennial series at its interpretive center Sunday afternoon, July 14, beginning at 1 p.m.

The theme of this presentation will be “West Meets East: Frank Matsura as Artist, Photographer, Japanese.”

The new exhibits installed at Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center (FOIC) by the Colville Confederated Tribes will be an opportunity for visitors to see some of the 1,500 originals film and glass-plate negatives in the local collection. Another 1,500 film and glass-plate negatives are held at Washington State University.

One-hundred-year-old photographs of the local area will be shown to compare to selected Japanese scenes.

Karen Beaudette will speak about Japanese artistic conventions that echo in Matsura’s photographs.

The rich history of the Northern and Southern Okanogan tribes depicted at Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center, along with history of early 19th Century fur trade in the valley, comprises the deep roots of two cultures in the Okanogan Valley.

Matsura’s work contributes another cultural perspective through his photography.

The FOIC was established in 1960 as a state park in commemoration of Fort Okanogan, a fur trading fort established originally by the Pacific Fur Company in 1811. The state operated the facility for many years and towards the end of 2010, the facility was deeded over to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

During the summer of 2012, the exhibits were completely renovated, and the FOIC is now open for visitors. Open times are Thursday through Sunday, 10-6 p.m.