A Taste of History
The Future of the Past: Reimagining How We Do History
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 4 - 6:30 p.m.
California History Center, De Anza College
This special fundraising event offered a new look at the California History Center and the role of local history in the future, based on the needs of our students and how we can reconnect the communities of the past and present to create a view of the future.
We showcased the California History Center’s work to bring history alive, through
- Panel Presentation: engaging the community as a living history lab
- Belonging and Identity Exhibit: Student work and exciting, new NEH-supported oral history projects
- Archives Exhibit: Accessing traditional archival materials
Also on the program:
- Welcome from De Anza College President Omar Torres
- Performance of various jazz standards by student a cappella group Vocal Flight
- Honoring librarian and archivist Lisa Christiansen for more than 37 years of service to CHC
- Savory and sweet catering from nearby businesses
- Wines from local producers
Click on arrows to advance gallery. Click on any photo to view in full size.
Presented in partnership with the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, with generous support from Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust, Recology South Bay, and San Jose Water. Refreshment generously provided by Talavera Tacos, with wines from Prolific Vines Vineyard, House Family Vineyards, and Kings Mountain Vineyards. Proceeds support De Anza student multimedia, oral history and archival projects that preserve and share our local history. Archival projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Panel Presentation:
Community as a Living History Lab
Tom Izu, executive director emeritus of the California History Center (CHC), led a panel presentation on the experiences of CHC researchers, interns and community members. The discussion highlighted the unique and humane nature of archives and libraries as both physical and social spaces. Together, the panelists considered ways that the CHC has always had an open door to all generations of people to talk and ponder the past and its meaning, how it impacts the present – and what we dream for the future.
About the Panelists
Uriel Barrón-Bryant is a De Anza student and a Humanities Mellon Scholars intern at the California History Center.
Margaret Butcher is a community member, volunteer and generous supporter of the California History Center.
Mae Lee is chair of Asian American and Asian Studies, and project lead for a Voices of Silicon Valley oral history project.
Exhibit:
Belonging and Identity
California History Center exhibit “Belonging and Identity" combines the stories and personal art of De Anza’s Pride Center students – led by Jamie Pelusi, Pride Center faculty director, with images from instructor Lisa Teng’s photography students.
Photogaphy
Students from Lisa Teng’s photography class explore themes of identity and sense of belonging through self-portraits, using meaningful objects that reflect their sense of identity and belonging.
Portraits were taken on film and are accompanied by written statements by the students.
Together, these images offer a heartfelt glimpse into how students see themselves and the communities they belong to.
Pride Center
This exhibition looks at storytelling as a way of exploring identity and belonging. Students from the De Anza Pride Center create a “space of belonging” in the Trianon’s exhibit hall.
The space is encompassed by a gallery of artworks and stories about LGBTQ+ identity. Work on display includes interviews from “The Pride Project”, one of three tracks of Voices of Silicon Valley, an oral history gathering project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Exhibit:
Accessing Archival Materials
Early 20th Century Everyday Life in Santa Clara Valley
The historical past as understood by (archivist, researchers, etc.) continues to grow, seemingly without end, filling boxes and shelves and data drives. Preservation and accessibility to the public is crucial, because without this record our society cannot hope to gain knowledge from the past and create new ideas for guiding us into the future. For over 50 years, CHC has been an advocate for the importance of gathering and preserving this important source of public knowledge, playing a unique role in this issue by connecting community to campus life to make it accessible. See a curated collection of our materials, and learn how we are managing our collections.
Glimpses of Postcards
An excerpt of the California History Center collection of postcards, focusing on local cities such as San Jose, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Saratoga. Postcards were donated by Louis E. Stocklmeir, James C. Williams, and others. See a slideshow of postcards with images and correspondence side-by-side, with correspondence and notes transcribed. Postcards transcribed by archivist Saroj Bangaru, slideshow designed by Saroj Bangaru and Anya Nazarova.
View slideshow of postcards with transcripts of correspondence
Historical Video
Video Tape 174 “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” written and narrated by Don Brice. Edited and captioned for the 2025 "A Taste of History" exhibit by archivist Saroj Bangaru and student employee Anya Nazarova.
Selection of Books
A selection of books from the expanding Stocklmeir Regional History Library, curated by California History Center staff, volunteers, and friends. See the timeline of library expansion below.
Entertainment
Student a cappella group, Vocal Flight, perform a variety of jazz standards. In image above, left to right: Xingyuan Vuong, Frank Grengo, Joshua Hackworth, Caroline Poso, Alana Lin, Amara Lin,
Celebrating Lisa Christiansen
Lisa Christiansen has served as the California History Center’s librarian and archivist
for over 37 years. To us, she is the social heart of the center.
She warmly welcomes everyone who stops by and engages in thoughtful conversation. Being so intimately familiar with the center’s library and collections, she pulls resources from the shelves that offer insight into any question or curiosity that is brought up. Please join us in celebrating Lisa and her extensive contributions to living history at CHC.
About the California History Center
The historical record resides not just in traditional archival records and books, but also in the minds of living people, expressed through forms of social connection and interaction. The California History Center is now exploring how to create openings in various communities to find new knowledge that will come out of dialogue and interaction.
This effort centers the CHC as part of a shift in paradigms of how we see "doing" local history work. CHC's model is not a passive, one-way process of downloading knowledge into minds. It does not objectify and essentialize concepts into historical factoids. It is a way of educating through open dialogue utilizing a framework that social and community spaces provide, and the minds and spirits of the community members that inhabit those spaces.