Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes
New exhibition shares Nez Perce stories that deepen our understanding of the region | Opening at OMSI Jan 10
Media Contact: Amanda Rain
arain@omsi.edu | P: 503-797-4510
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[PORTLAND, OR – January 6, 2026] – A new exhibition coming to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on January 10, Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes, shares Indigenous stories that inform and illuminate relationships with the land, offering powerful insights that deepen our understanding of the Northwest. The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture and Oregon Origins Project.
Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes invites visitors to see the region through Nez Perce, or “nimíipuu,” knowledge and stories. The Nez Perce hold their landscape in reverence, understanding it as a living being that provides spiritual sustenance as well as nourishment and resources. Their stories are handed down through generations and record real geological features and events known, and some unknown to Western science until recently.
“Monsters of the Abyss takes visitors on a journey spanning millions of years, from prehistoric oceans to the present day, through real fossils, live animals, and hands-on, interactive experiences,” shares Akiko Minaga, OMSI’s Vice President of Learning Experiences. “In this exhibition, guests will learn about extinction-level events, dig for fossils, and see the aquatic “monsters” in our own oceans, rivers, and lakes that still exist today.”
This exhibition invites the visitor to practice “Two-Eyed Seeing”—experiencing a landscape from two cultural perspectives. Visitors will discover how:
- Nez Perce, Cayuse, Yakama and other Plateau Tribes’ stories documented Ice Age floods that scoured the Columbia Basin 17,000 – 15,000 years ago, earthquakes that shook eastern Oregon, interactions with Ice Age animals, and more.
- Coastal Tribes witnessed the great subduction zone quake of 1700 and have preserved accounts of earthquakes for more than 15,000 years.
- The Klamath people witnessed and recorded the eruption of Mount Mazama and the creation of Crater Lake more than 7,700 years ago.
Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes is a collaboration between nimíipuu storytellers, linguists, and elders, along with geologists and nimíipuu photographers, all of whom generously shared their knowledge and love of the landscape.
“Oregon Origins Project is proud to partner with the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture and OMSI to present the Josephy Center’s first-ever exhibit in Portland,” said Matthew Packwood, Executive Director, Oregon Origins Project. “This exhibit is a groundbreaking exploration of Nez Perce oral histories and how they inform our understanding of the area’s ancient geology. We’re thrilled to help bring this unique interweaving of Indigenous traditions and science to audiences in the Portland metro area.”
“As people who live in the Pacific Northwest, we know Indigenous knowledge is vital to our understanding of and ability to protect and preserve our regional landscape,” shares Akiko Minaga, Vice President of Learning Experiences at OMSI. “This extraordinary exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in more than 16,500 years of Nez Perce stories and knowledge, allowing a greater understanding of this landscape and its people. We are honored to present this exhibit that we believe will truly resonate with our community.”
Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes is open at OMSI from January 10 through February 16, 2026 and is included with museum admission.
Press images and attributions for the exhibit can be found here.
Interviews available in-person on January 9
Interviews possible other times via Zoom
Museum Hours of Operation
Tuesday–Friday & Sunday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed most Mondays between mid-September to mid-June
About OMSI
Founded in 1944, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is one of the nation’s leading science museums and a trusted educational resource for communities throughout Oregon and the region. Through museum exhibitions, public programs, traveling exhibitions, and digital learning, OMSI nourishes a lifelong love of science, curiosity, and learning among its diverse audiences. The upcoming OMSI District will be a one-of-a-kind neighborhood with innovation, culture, and science learning at its heart. For general information, call 503.797.4000 or visit omsi.edu. Connect with the museum on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Oregon Origins Project
Founded in 2022, Oregon Origins Project is an innovative arts and culture nonprofit which explores the ancient origins of the state of Oregon through creative expression. The project provides a platform for Indigenous artists and culture bearers to share their living traditions and artistic work, and offers an opportunity for artists of all disciplines and backgrounds to create new work inspired by the state’s origins. Oregon Origins Project is headquartered in Portland and active across the state of Oregon, the latter with an emphasis on reaching audiences in smaller communities with arts and culture events relevant to them. Visit oregonorigins.org and connect with the project on Facebook and Instagram.
About the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture
The Josephy Center for Arts and Culture (JCAC) is a gathering place to celebrate, promote and inspire arts and culture for all Wallowa County residents and visitors. The Josephy Center provides access to fine art, outlets for creative expression, opportunities for meaningful social connection, and a deeper understanding of the history and heritage of Eastern Oregon and its original peoples. JCAC inspires and celebrates emerging and experienced artists, performers, artisans, scholars, students and educators; acts as an incubator for new works of art; and builds relationships with Nez Perce artists and elders. The Center is an arts and cultural window between artist and visitor, Native and local, past, present and future.