Newberry Volcano arts and culture celebration to take place in Bend, here’s how you can attend
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Origins Project will present "Echoes of Eruption," a multifaceted program exploring the Newberry Volcano through arts, sciences, and Indigenous living traditions. The event will take place June 25th and 26th, 2026, at the Tower Theatre in Bend.
"Echoes of Eruption" marks the innovative arts and culture nonprofit's first program in Central Oregon. Oregon Origins Project Executive Director Matthew Packwood highlighted the significance of the event. "We're excited to present our first program in central Oregon by focusing on an extraordinary landscape at Bend's doorstep, Newberry National Volcanic Monument," Packwood said. "Newberry is a place of cultural significance to the Northern Paiute tribe and a hotbed of ongoing geologic activity including the caldera, Big Obsidian Flow, Lava Butte and more. We invite audiences to join us in an exploration of this remarkable volcano through the arts, sciences and Indigenous living traditions."
Founded in 2022, the Oregon Origins Project is a nonprofit that explores the ancient origins of Oregon through creative expression. The project provides a platform for Indigenous artists and culture bearers to share their living traditions and artistic work. It also offers artists of all disciplines opportunities to create new work inspired by the state's origins. The organization is headquartered in Portland and active across Oregon, with an emphasis on reaching audiences in smaller communities.
The program on Thursday, June 25th, will feature "Stories of the Northern Paiute," a special gathering led by Wilson Wewa. Wewa, the Northern Paiute tribe's spiritual leader and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, will present oral histories, legends, and accounts related to the tribe's presence in Central Oregon. His presentation will cover war accounts and recent events tied to the tribe's homeland.
On Friday, June 26th, the program includes the premiere of a new contemporary dance work, "Echoes of Eruption." This work was commissioned by Oregon Origins Project from choreographer and composer Samuel Hobbs. Hobbs' innovative company, push/FOLD, will perform the piece. Samuel Hobbs of push/FOLD Dance Company, expressed his connection to the project. "Through the investigation of the volcano and working with geologists and artists, this experience has distinctly shaped my choreography and sound creation," Hobbs said. "I feel honored to present a brand new work as we explore a much larger conversation about place, history and transformation inspired by the physical processes held inside Newberry Volcano." The performance will take audiences into the molten heart of Newberry, with bodies layering and folding in a sculptural exploration of churning magma. A musical soundscape evocative of the glassy textures of the Big Obsidian Flow will accompany the performance.
Following the dance performance, Daniele McKay will offer a multimedia presentation about the Newberry caldera. McKay, a geologist at the University of Oregon, will illuminate the remarkable variety of volcanic features at Newberry and how they continue to shape Central Oregon. Both the June 25th and June 26th programs will include a question and answer session after the event. The June 26th performance will also have a pre-performance talk at 6:30 p.m. with Hobbs and McKay.
Bend's Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts will expand the program with "Visual Echoes," an exhibition of visual artworks. This exhibition explores geology, transformation, and the echoes of time and place through visual form. It will be on view in the Scalehouse ANNEX Gallery from May 1st to June 26th, 2026. Marley Weedman Lorish, Executive Director of Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts, described the exhibition's purpose. "Visual Echoes highlights how artists interpret the forces that shape our region, translating geology and time into visual experiences that connect people more deeply to place," Lorish said. "We're excited to be in dialogue with Oregon Origins Project and contribute to a program that brings together art, science and story in such a meaningful way."
Additionally, Discover Your Northwest will offer a free guided tour of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument on Saturday, June 27th. This tour is available for Oregon Origins Project ticket holders.
The Oregon Origins Project has presented several past programs, including "Oregon Origins Project VII: wéetes waχ tim'íne," which explored the Nez Perce Tribe's relationship to the land. Other past events include "The Birth of Cascadia," "Keeping Traditions Alive," "Convergence," "Maa‑xuslh‑ghalh‑ta Tututni Dené," "Seven Wonders" and "Indigenous Voices."
Support for "Echoes of Eruption" is provided 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.
Tickets for the program are available for purchase at https://www.oregonorigins.org.
