About

Alex Behr was inspired to create this project by her son, Yu Zheng, later named Eli Zheng Behr Hall, born in the foggy river city of Chongqing, China, in 2004. His dad and Alex adopted Eli in 2005, when he was 10 months old. His self-identity has shifted over time, yet he keeps tangible links, “sacred objects,” to his heritage on a skateboard shelf, a private altar. 

This website project does not center the adoptive parent over others, though Alex, an adoptive mother, created it and cannot escape her biases and life experiences. 

Each participant received as thanks their painted portrait by Christine Shields. 

Thanks

Much thanks to Regional Arts & Culture Council, whose Make-Build-Learn grant helped to create this website and supported the commissioned artwork by Christine Shields. 

Thanks to Christine Shields, whose humor, talent, and patience greatly helped Alex through the long months of putting this project together. The project would not exist without her.

Alex and Christine were invited to participate in California Dept. of Social Service’s National Adoption Month art show and reception in November 2022. Thanks to Laurel Cima, Heather Yetter, Heather Moore, and Christina Coloyan for their work in adoption services and their enthusiasm toward this project.  

Thanks to Chas Nielsen for taking Alex’s makeshift recording (involving two iPhones, one on speaker and one recording) and cleaning up three audio file excerpts for the site. (And for almost 35 years of friendship, but who’s counting?)

Thanks to Amanda Gersh for her home page copywriting help and encouragement on the mom (and writing) front.

Thanks to Jen Stady for her logo genius and years of mothering help and friendship.

Thanks to Stephen Blanquie, skateboarder and all-around web designer guru, who completely “got it” when we talked about this project and encouraged Alex to think about the project’s multigenerational story in larger ways. Hugs to Stephen’s family, shaped by adoption, too. 

Thanks to Sandy Walcott and Marty (Nomi) and Peter (Ohweoh) Behr for their constant love and timely donations.

And, of course, much gratitude to Elowyn Collins, Gloria Harrison, Lincoln Kwan Miller, William Smith, and Nick Stady for their willingness to share personal stories through the lens of sacred objects. And, as always, love and gratitude to Eli Zheng Behr Hall.

Alex Behr

Alex Behr is a writer/editor, teacher, and musician in Portland, OR. Her debut story collection, Planet Grim, was published by 7.13 Books. Her writing has appeared widely, including in Tin House, Salon, Oregon Humanities, Oregon ArtsWatch, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Gravity of the Thing, and Cleaver. She teaches creative writing residencies in Portland high schools through Literary Arts' Writers in the Schools Program and occasional youth workshops at the Portland Book Festival. She leads occasional writing labs through Corporeal Writing. For many years she played bass and keyboard in underground bands. www.alexbehr.com @Alex_Behr

Christine Shields

Christine Shields is an artist and musician from Northern California. She grew up in various locations, most of them rural, from the Central Coast to the Sierra foothills. A solitary life in nature, along with the influence of a vast range of Californians, including hippies, cowboys, bohemians and punks shaped her early life. At the age of 17 she moved to San Francisco, attended the Art Institute, and played in her first band as a drummer. Christine has created portraits for the Voice of Witness book series and Maggot Brain music/culture magazine, among many others. Her portraits have appeared in museums and galleries such as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and White Columns in New York, in addition to many other galleries nationwide. Her creative life, built around necessity and imagination, has taken many forms including painting, comics, music and illustration. She currently resides in Sacramento, California. She lives in Sacramento. www.christineshields.net.

Before you go …


Donating will help keep and expand the project. Funds will further help to reimburse the artist for her time and effort creating the portraits. 5% of every $100 will go toward nonprofits that provide resources for all members of the adoptive community.

Credits

Portraits: William Smith, Gloria Harrison, Lincoln Kwan Miller, Eli Zheng Behr Hall, Elowyn Collins, Nick Stady ©Christine Shields, 2022. All rights reserved. Other credits and captions noted seen on desktop view.