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Exhibits

Current Exhibits

In addition to long-term exhibits, the Burke Museum also presents special exhibits that rotate several times a year. From conservation photography, to recent discoveries in natural history, to the finest traditional and contemporary cultural arts, Burke exhibits invite all visitors to examine the critical issues of our time.

Special Exhibits

Displays

Why Study Evolution?

Mar. 19, 2012 –

A new display at the end of the Life and Times exhibit highlights Burke Herbarium curator Dick Olmstead’s research on the diversity of plants in the verbena family within the broader context of evolution. It is the first in a series of displays planned over the next few years to spotlight NSF-funded research of Burke curators who are tackling ongoing questions about the evolutionary processes that give rise to biodiversity. The centerpiece of the introductory section is a “Tree of Life” that illuminates Charles Darwin’s metaphor for how all living things are related. Reconstructing the Tree of Life is a goal of evolutional biology and a starting point for understanding the processes that give rise to biodiversity.

Location: Life and Times of Washington State exhibit

Long-term Exhibits

Erna Gunther Ethnobotanical Garden

sword fern

Ongoing

With more than 100 species of plant life from both sides of the Cascades, the garden features plants important to Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest.

Location: East side of the Burke Museum, near the front entrance

Life and Times of Washington State

woman in Life and Times gallery

Ongoing

Over 500 million years of geological history! Lethal lava, grinding glaciers, and rampaging reptiles—marvel at the natural forces that shaped Washington's landscape, and at the amazing animals that once lived here...

Pacific Voices

Pacific Voices

Ongoing

Over 17 different cultures represented. Immerse yourself in the lives of native peoples from around the Pacific; learn about their arts, ceremonies and personal stories.