Current Exhibits

From Africa to Asia to the Americas, female artisans are creating grassroots cooperatives to reach new markets, raise living standards, and transform lives.

Empowering Women provides an intimate view of the work of ten such enterprises in ten countries. This exhibition illustrates how the power of such grassroots collaborations transform women's lives, bringing together first-person quotes, stellar photographs, and stunning examples of the cooperatives' handmade traditional arts. 

For many years, the highlight of any behind-the-scenes tour at the Burke began with a visit to the paleontology and geology collections, where Wes Wehr joyfully shared perfectly arranged cabinet drawers of treasure – the focus of his study and inspiration. Wes shared his enthusiasm with scholars, schoolchildren, artists, art patrons and many others. He welcomed them all.  A serious scientist and an artist, Wes enjoyed bringing people together at the confluence of science and art. 

The Confluence of Science and Art: Wes Wehr's Inspiration is now on display in the lobby of the Burke Museum.

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.

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.

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...

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.