University of Oregon
UO Home | Dept Index

The Museum of Natural and Cultural History

Oregon—Where the Past is Present

Welcome to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, where 15,000 years of human history and 200 million years of geology are at your fingertips.

Museums are places of wonder, essential to the cultural fabric of modern human societies. A good museum is cherished by the communities it serves, a center of research and education, a magnet for tourists and other visitors, a purveyor of history and knowledge to the broadest possible audience, and the protector of our common cultural heritage.

We invite you to visit us in person, or experience highlights of our collections in the web galleries.

Current Exhibits

Silent Spaces: Photographs by Jon Meyers

Journey with Eugene photographer Jon Meyers to the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, exploring the ruins of Hovenweep and Chaco Canyon.

Site Seeing: Snapshots of Historical Archaeology in Oregon

Through December 2013

From a nineteenth-century working-class family in Portland to a Chinese mining community in Jacksonville, this exhibit tells the stories of five historical sites recently excavated by museum archaeologists.

Oregon - Where Past is Present

Oregon - Where Past is Present

Experience 15,000 years of Northwest cultural history and 200 million years of geology. Realistic environmental displays portray four geographic regions of Oregon, each a different time in history and a different season of the year.

Tradition Keepers: Cornhusk Weavings by Kelli Palmer and Joy Ramirez

MNCH, in collaboration with Oregon Folklife Network (OFN), showcases the work of two awardees from the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program: cornhusk weaver Kelli Palmer and her apprentice, Joy Ramirez.  The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, initiated by OFN, supports the sharing of traditional arts betwee