A Pacific professor takes her work to Austria after several years of dedication
The salt region of Austria was named one of Europe’s “Capitals of Culture” for this year, making it a hub for all things art, history, and culture. Tucked within this region, is a very special exhibit, engineered by one of Pacific University’s professors, Lorely French.
Through the help of grants and Pacific’s summer research programs, Professor Lorely French and one of her students, Hayden Christensen, were able to spend a large chunk of their summer in Austria, breathing life into an exhibit which showcases the life of Ceija Stojka, a survivor of the Holocaust and an Austrian artist. Not only displaying powerful artwork, the exhibit also shares Stojka’s harrowing life story.
“I mean it’s been twenty years that I had interest because I met her when she was alive,” Professor French shared. “So, I met her, and knew her art, and then my co-curator heard about all these notebooks.” Stuffed away into the apartment of Stojka’s son were more than 30 notebooks filled with her stories, ideas, and artworks. These books were the beginning of Professor French’s project that has bloomed into the exhibit in Austria. She’s spent the last several years transcribing the notebooks, into both a more legible German, as well as into English. This summer, senior Christensen helped her with the transcription and together they’ve made it through twelve of the thirty-three notebooks.
“I went over in June of 2024 and we went to Vienna,” explained Professor French, “and we made sure that the works got transported.” She continued, “and then [Christensen] came over and met me June 30.” The pair weren’t entirely sure what to expect when it came to getting the exhibit set up. They had spent many months and had several Zoom meetings to discuss which paintings would be used, where the exhibit would be held, and what the opening and closing dates would be, but their roles were much more involved than simply planning. “[Christensen] helped with everything,” Professor French acknowledged. “He said it was more physical than he thought.” The duo did everything from mopping floors to displaying presentations of Stojka’s life. Every side task such as cleaning, lifting heavy objects, and preparing food for the opening evening was completed by Christensen and Professor French with grace.
“I definitely enjoyed it,” Professor French expressed with gratitude. The opening evening was a big hit, drawing a crowd of over 300—and in the weeks since, traffic hasn’t slowed down. Professor French plans to continue with transcribing the remaining Stojka journals, while Christensen used this experience as a chance to consider potential career paths. As a history major, he’s considered becoming a history teacher, but since this exhibit he’s expressed his interest in museum work as well. “I feel like we were a good team,” said Professor French in reference to her and Christensen’s teamwork on the project. “I really respect his talents and skills.” The duo doubtlessly made the exhibit a huge success, teaching visitors about Stojka, and furthermore demonstrating the value of student-teacher collaborations.
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