Bask in the sunshine surrounded by ponderosa pine trees in the outdoor playscape at the Museum! The area engages children’s playful side while encouraging them to learn about the lifecycle of a ponderosa pine tree. At every stage of the tree’s life — from cone to seed to adult — it plays an important role in the forest’s ecosystem. Even after the tree’s death, the pine tree remains in the forest as a snag or log and provides critical habitat for plants and animals.
Author: Althea Gouker
Patterns at Play: Fractals in Nature
February 22, 2025 – October 5, 2025
Patterns at Play: Fractals in Nature is an original exhibition that invites you to take a closer look at the universe’s curious practice of self-organization. An immersive, family-friendly experience, the exhibit encourages you to build your own patterns while an animation creates new fractals right before your eyes. Visitors should expect to play, touch, listen and watch in this whimsical exploration of nature.
Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland
February 1, 2025 – September 7, 2025
At the dawn of the 20th century, the Indigenous peoples of North America regularly faced narratives that they would soon disappear, be it from artists, academics or politicians. Yet Japanese immigrant and photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) approached his artistry differently. He arrived in the U.S. in 1901 and made Okanogan County, a rural expanse of High Desert in northern Washington state, his home. There, he grew strong relationships with the area’s tribal communities. The resulting body of work includes some of the most visually powerful and nuanced images of Indigenous people from the era.