The Environmental Center

Oregon Origins Project
2026-06-25 19:30 - 2026-06-26 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Oregon Origins Project presents a bold and multifaceted exploration of Newberry Volcano in central Oregon, the largest volcano in the Cascade Range. The June 25-26, 2026 program includes a new work for contemporary dance inspired by the caldera, an evening of Northern Paiute legends and stories, an exhibition exploring geology and transformation, and a special guided tour of the volcano for ticket holders. Tickets are flexible pricing with a minimum ticket price of $10.

Thursday, June 25 at 7:30pm: Stories of the Northern Paiute, a special gathering led by Wilson Wewa, the tribe’s spiritual leader and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Wewa’s presentation will range widely across the central Oregon landscape, including Wayahoo Panoona, 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.

Friday, June 26 at 7:30pm: Echoes of Eruption, a new contemporary dance work commissioned by Oregon Origins Project from choreographer/composer Samuel Hobbs and performed by Hobbs’ innovative dance company push/FOLD. This substantial new work will take audiences into the molten heart of Newberry, layering and folding bodies in a sculptural exploration of churning magma, with a musical soundscape evocative of the glassy textures of the nearby Big Obsidian Flow.

Following the performance, University of Oregon geologist and Bend resident Daniele McKay will offer a multimedia guided tour of the caldera’s past, present, and future, illuminating the remarkable variety of volcanic features at Newberry and how it has shaped and continues to shape central Oregon. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the creative team.

Also, don’t miss Visual Echoes, a companion exhibition of visual artworks at the Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts Annex between May 1-June 26, 2026.

Oregon Origins Project VIII: Echoes of Eruption is supported by the Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, Clabough Foundation, Tower Theatre Foundation, Waypoint Hotel, Reed College Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program, Brooks Resources, Discover Your Northwest, and the Central Oregon Geoscience Society.
