Museum of Natural and Cultural History

This portrait of Rose Jackson was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Rose is painted legs up, wearing a dark green dress, and set against a rusty orange background. She is a Black woman resting her hand on a pile of laundry.

Rose married John Jackson, a stagecoach groom in Oregon City. They moved to the Waldo Hills east of Salem and raised two children. The portrait artist Jeremy Okai Davis chose the green of her dress both to experiment with new colors and also to symbolize prosperity and new beginnings. 🎨

A black and white photograph of Rose Jackson, a black woman. The photograph shows her from the knees up. She's facing the camera, wearing a long-sleeved dark dress with a white collar, and resting her hand on what looks like an arm chair.

Meet Rose Jackson, one of the Black pioneers featured in ReEnvisioned: Contemporary Portraits of our Black Ancestors. Rose came across the Oregon Trail in 1849 with her enslavers. She was freed upon arrival and supported the family through the first winter by working as a laundress.🏛️🧵 #blackhistory

Learn about how artist Sam Roxas-Chua Yao transforms Chinese history in Oregon into sound, ink, and poetry! If you love history and art, this talk is for you. 🎨✒️🏛️

📅 March 12
⏰ 6pm

A close up of a larger painted family portrait by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. This picture focuses on a middle-aged Black woman looking off to the side and seated regally. Next to her stands a young Black female child wearing a hairbow and a light blue dress.

This portrait of Beatrice Morrow Cannady was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Beatrice is a young Black woman set against a dark blue background. She is painted from chest up and is wearing a dark red top.

This portrait of Rose Jackson was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Rose is painted legs up, wearing a dark green dress, and set against a rusty orange background. She is a Black woman resting her hand on a pile of laundry.

These three are America Waldo Bogle, Beatrice Morrow Cannady, and Rose Jackson.

This portrait of Letitia Carson was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Letitia is painted from legs up and is set against a teal background. The word “HOMESTEADER” in block print is visible at the top of the canvas. Letitia is a young Black woman wearing a straw gardening had and holding a large bouquet of colorful flowers.

This portrait of Louisa Sewell was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Louisa is painted sitting down against a red orange background. She is a Black woman wearing a blue dress with small white flowers and is holding a baby wearing a flowing white baby outfit.

This portrait of Sybil Harber was painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. The artist’s style is similar to pointillism, with the people and their clothes made up of “pixels” of different colors. Sybil is painted waist up and set against a bright orange background. The word “Midwife” in block print is barely visible at the bottom of the canvas, blending in with the cream and light blue of Sybil’s dress. Sybil is a young Black woman.

Happy International Women's Day to the women of ReEnvisioned: Contemporary Portraits of our Black Ancestors, painted by Jeremy Okai Davis. These women shaped Oregon from the beginning of colonization. These three are Letitia Carson, Louisa Sewell, and Sybil Harber.

Another shot from photoshoot day!

At least at our museum, it's fun for the whole family (adults included)!

Several adults in their 20s and 30s surround an activity table outside. The one person under 20 (a baby) is playing with a bin full of water.

One woman and man in their late-20s and early-30s play a fun fishing game outside, proudly displaying a laminated "fish" that they "caught."

(It turns out everyone enjoys doing the educational activities meant mostly for children.)

(PS, for anyone wondering, I DO recommend scheduling museum photo shoots with your friends and their children, even if you don't run a museum social media account)

Two young parents hold up a baby to look at a giant sloth fossil skeleton

How to fall in love with the world, step 1: come to the museum.

Eugene, go see this exhibit! Jeremy Okai Davis talks about his stunning portraits of some of Oregon's earliest Black pioneers.

Brown fur mukluks with cloth lining, diamond motif around openings, with pompoms at the end of the brown yard tassel-closures.

Seal gut basket with a red leather trim around the top. There is a blue whip stitch around the center of the basket. Along the blue whip stitch are little red pieces of leather with fur attached evenly spaced around the basket.

Ivory story knife decorated with black ink filled scrimshaw.

It's cold out there! These objects show us a lot about life in the Arctic during the 20th century—bring the kids in your life by the museum on Saturday, February 21 to journey into the far north and discover how animals and people have thrived in this icy environment for thousands of years.

Behind every portrait there is a story. Join us for an artist talk with artist Jeremy Okai Davis to learn more about the process behind ReEnvisioned!

📅 February 26th
⏰6:00 pm
📍MNCH Galleria

Very cool! Have you seen our online galleries yet? We have several basketry ones that have some pretty incredible closeups: mnch.uoregon.edu/collections-...

A picture in color of lion dancers making their way through the museum's Explore Oregon exhibit. Delighted children watch. Photographer: Jack Liu

A black and white photo of lion dancers on a street in Portland, Oregon. Two men watch. Image courtesy of Oregon Historical Society Research Library, bao18385.

The lion dance is a tradition of Lunar New Year! The museum's 2025 opening reception for Roots and Resilience and this 1939 performance in Portland are just two examples of the long history of Chinese Americans in Oregon ushering in good luck and fortune. Happy Year of the Fire Horse!

🏛️🏺🧪MNCH and UNR researchers published a paper exploring the long history of sewing in the Great Basin. Archaeologist and lead author Richie Rosencrance gave an overview of the archaeology here: shorturl.at/81m72

Celebrate #Oregon's birthday by nominating an organization or individual for the museum's stewardship award! It recognizes a project that involves the community in meaningful ways and aligns with the museum's mission to inspire stewardship of our past, present, and future. tiny.cc/6nxy001

Elizabeth smiles at the camera. She's wearing blue vinyl gloves and holding up a woven basket. 

A screenshot of the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology. The article title is visible and reads "Elizabeth Kallenbach -Trailblazer" 

Elizabeth Kallenbach has been named as a "Trailblazer" by the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology! Her research expands the ability to identify fibers, providing a more complete understanding of the plants people in the Great Basin and Oregon have used for more than 14,000 years.🧪🏺🏛️

A stock photo of a cute little mouse peering over green grass. Text reads "The Past is the Key to the Future: Oregon's Fossil Rodents and the Impacts of Environmental Change; Thursday, February 12, 6:00 p.m. Humans’ impact on the environment is reshaping climates and landscapes. To understand these changes and guess at our future, we must look back to the deep past. Join paleontologist Samantha Hopkins as she explores how changes recorded in Oregon’s rich fossil record help us understand the ecological impacts of environmental change.    Included with regular admission; free for MNCH members and UO ID card holders. Show your Oregon Trail or other EBT card for an admission discount. "

Close to Eugene? Join us next Thursday, February 12 at 6pm for a talk about how studying Oregon's tiny fossil rodents helps us prepare for the impacts of climate change. #fossilfriday 🧪🏛️

Publication alert! New research from MNCH and University of Nevada, Reno analyzes the oldest-known sewn hide and fine bone needles, helping us better understand the complex lives of humans in Oregon's high desert 12,000 years ago. Read the paper here: shorturl.at/HX3E0 🧪🏺🏛️

It's up through the end of March (Sunday, March 29, is its final day). Hope you can make it!

A wooden box folds out into a bronze scale. 

A case full of tea cups and bowl fragments. 

A case with rusted pointy tools and a label reading "railroad spikes: Buck Rock Tunnel, Jackson County, 1880s"

Workers immigrating from China built many of the industries we consider quintessentially Oregonian: hop farming, seafood canning, gold mining, railroads. Our exhibit Roots and Resilience tells some of their story. Check out the online exhibit here: shorturl.at/vWxK8

A painted portrait of the historical photo from the last post. It's Louisa Sewell, a young Black woman, seated and holding a Black child in the classic Madonna and child pose. The background is a vibrant rust orange with patterns of "pixelated" dots. Louisa's dress is a deep-hued blue with white flowers. On the right of the canvas are three stripes: pink, white, and brown.

The local newspaper of the time, Grant County News, mentioned Louisa as building a croquet course, hosting parties, and making homemade ice cream. The stripes on this portrait, painted by Jeremy Okai Davis, are a reference to Neapolitan ice cream. /🧵🏛️🎨

An old photograph of a young black woman sitting and holding a child. The pose is reminiscent of the classical Madonna and child pose. Louisa, the mother, is wearing a fitted dress with a flower pattern. Photo credit: Grant County Historical Museum.

Meet Louisa Sewell: One of Oregon's Black pioneers featured in ReEnvisioned: Contemporary Portraits of our Black Ancestors. Louisa moved to Canyon City in Grant County to live with her husband Columbus, a wealthy miner and businessman in 1868. #history #blackhistorymonth🧵

Our opening night was incredible! Thank you to everyone that came out. 🎉 ReEnvisioned is now open! Come see the stories that are often left out of Oregon's history. These ten portraits will reshape how we remember Oregon's past.🖤✨

#universityoforegon #art #museum #oregonhistory #blackhistory

@uocas.bsky.social masters student and paleontologist Andy takes us behind the scenes to break down the tools she uses to work on Wally #paleosky #fossilfriday ⚒️🧰 🐋✨ 🧪🏛️

A graphic with a picture of Mariah Rocker and text reading "Black Pioneers Revealed: The Stories behind the ReEnvisioned Exhibit with Mariah Rocker from Oregon Black Pioneers. Thursday, January 29. 6:00 p.m." 

There are 17 Black Oregonian pioneers represented in ReEnvisioned: Contemporary Portraits of Our Black Ancestors. Join Mariah Rocker from @oregonblackpioneers.org on January 29 to meet the people behind the portraits. 🏛️

check out this starter pack we put together, too:
go.bsky.app/Ko2Bvky

Lauren takes a selfie with a shelving unit full of animal skulls and horns. 

Robyn takes a landscape selfie in front of the mammoth sculptures on a beautiful sunny day. Emerald takes a selfie with Chris and Marlene in a laboratory.

Jon, wearing a hard hat and high visibility gear, takes a selfie in the forest. Andrew stares at a squirrel skull resting on his fist. 

And here's what I was actually supposed to be doing today! Happy #MuseumSelfieDay from a staff that provided me with a lot of squirrel content!

A squirrel sits on a tree branch in the museum courtyard. Its fluffy red tail hangs down, ostensibly for balance but really for cuteness. It's eating something with its cute grabby hands...probably my lunch.

Alright, thanks for reading my #SquirrelAppreciationDay photodump. Thanks to Andrew (archaeologist) for the modern skull photoshoot and Sam (paleontologist) for the fossil skull photoshoot and for finding a real acorn for scale.

Lastly, thanks to the campus squirrels. Stop taking my lunch.