Oregon Origins Project

06/05/2026

Plotting future collaborations with project director Matthew Packwood and Stephanie Stewart Bailey, Curator of Art and Experiences at the World Forestry Center... More to come!

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

Coalition celebrates breach of levee, adding a connection to traditional waterways.

06/03/2026

Meet the Oregon Origins Project VIII: Echoes of Eruption creative team!

Samuel is the founder and Artistic Director of push/FOLD and the Union PDX – Festival of Contemporary Dance. Their work integrates contemporary dance, original music, and somatic practice, shaped by synesthetic perception of sound and movement and a longstanding interest in negative space, athletic form, and dream states. Samuel’s works have been presented in festivals including the Dancing on the Edge Festival (Vancouver, BC) and the International Festival of Contemporary Dance (Mexico City). In 2023, they were named an Oregon Performing Arts Fellow by the Oregon Arts Commission. In addition to their artistic work, Samuel is an Osteopathic Manual Therapist specializing in pelvic health, movement re-education, and visceral, neural, and vascular manipulation. They serve the Portland arts community as a board member of the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition and work closely with fellow arts leaders through the Portland Arts Leaders Coalition and the PDXDance Coalition. Samuel regularly leads workshops on Arts Access at regional conferences and recently spoke at the national Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) conference in New York City. Their advocacy and mentorship work centers service, equity, and collective leadership within the regional and national arts ecosystem.

Samuel has created a substantial new 30-minute dance snd music work for 𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 on Friday, June 26 at 7:30pm. This innovative and powerful work takes audiences inside the volcano, layering and folding bodies in a sculptural exploration of churning magma, with a musical soundscape evocative of the glassy textures of the Big Obsidian Flow.

Don't miss the world premiere performance on June 26 at the Tower Theatre in Bend. One night only! Tickets start at $10 and are available now at oregonorigins.org.

📷: Samuel Hobbs

06/01/2026

COMING TO THE JOSEPHY CENTER THIS SATURDAY!

The Nez Perce Story Continues
June 6 – July 25, 2026

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 6
2–4 PM

Presented by The Josephy Library of Western History & Culture and a wonderful Nez Perce support team, this upcoming exhibition celebrates the creativity and cultural heritage of Nez Perce artists. Through a diverse collection of contemporary and traditional works, the show highlights the living artistic traditions and innovative voices of the Nez Perce community. Join us for the opening reception on June 6 from 2–4 PM to meet the artists, enjoy light refreshments, and experience this powerful cultural showcase.

05/31/2026

Meet the 𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗩𝗜𝗜𝗜: 𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 creative team!

Wilson Wewa (Northern Paiute/Palouse) has been involved with tribal language, culture, and lifeways throughout his life. He was raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon. As a child he spent countless hours hearing the stories of his family, tribe, and past lifeways as they pertained to his life. Later, Wilson traveled extensively with his family and especially his grandmother to other parts of the Great Basin where he met many other Northern Paiute elders that added to his knowledge of his people. He continues to be called upon by his people as an orator, storyteller, and funerary officiate. Wilson works for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as the Senior Wellness Coordinator, a position he has held since 1980, and is consulted by other tribes and organizations in the United States on elders’ issues. More recently, he was invited as a guest lecturer to the prestigious College of William & Mary in Virginia to speak on Native American issues that related to health, spirituality, environment, and treaty rights as they pertain to water and land. He also works with the University of Oregon and Oregon State University as a consultant on Northern Paiute history and ethnobotany. He is author of the book 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘶𝘵𝘦 (Oregon State University Press, 2017). Wilson was the first presenter for our very first program 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 and continues to be called to lecture at museums and venues around the Northwest.

Don't miss Wilson's wide-ranging multimedia presentation Oregon Origins Project VIII: Echoes of Eruption - Stories of the Northern Paiute on June 25 in Bend! His talk will range widely across the central Oregon landscape, including Wayahoo Panoona (Newberry Volcano), as he shares oral histories, legends, accounts of war, and recent events related to the Northern Paiute presence in the lands that have been their homeland since time immemorial. A Q&A will follow Wewa’s presentation.

Join us! Tickets start at $10 and are available now at oregonorigins.org.

05/24/2026

We had a wonderful day in Bend visiting with some of our community partners for our upcoming program Oregon Origins Project VIII: Echoes of Eruption. Our thanks to the Tower Theatre Foundation, Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts, and Discover Your Northwest for the warm welcome, inspiring conversations, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Join us on June 25 and 26 for a celebration of Bend's own Newberry Volcano through dance, art, geology, and Indigenous culture! Tickets at oregonorigins.org.

Photos (L to R):
Matthew Packwood/Oregon Origins Project, Karen Walsh/Discover Your Northwest - Central Oregon, Scalehouse's 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 exhibition (on view now!) Scalehouse Gallery
Clara Williams, Emily Albright/ The Tower Theatre
Matthew Packwood, Christi Zorrilla Soto/Scalehouse, 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 Scalehouse

05/21/2026

Thank you to Bend Source for their coverage of our upcoming events. Oregon Origins Project VIII: Echoes of Eruption is almost a month away now — get your tickets now at oregonorigins.org!

A summer program explores the Newberry Volcano, 20 miles south of Bend, the largest volcano by area in the Cascade Range. The two-day event June 25-26 includes contemporary dance inspired by the caldera, an evening of Northern Paiute stories, a geological exhibition and a guided tour of the volcano....

05/13/2026

Thank you KTVZ News for spreading the word! Reserve your tickets now at oregonorigins.org.

The Oregon Origins Project will present "Echoes of Eruption," a multifaceted program exploring the Newberry Volcano through arts, sciences, and Indigenous living traditions.