The Museum of Culture and Environment approaches our diverse and changing world with an interdisciplinary perspective, examining human life, culture, and our interaction with the environment. The Museum is located in Dean Hall on the Central Washington University campus.

The Museum is closed for Winter Break. We will re-open at 5:30 p.m., January 4, 2019.

Current Exhibitions

Diary of a Dust Mite (Dean Hall Lobby)

Being the First: LatinX Pioneers in Public Service (Window on Central)

Museum Club members install Thanks for the Memories, an exhibit they curated. It will be on display January 5 - January 19, 2019.

Keep up to date with the Museum newsletter! Subscribe for quarterly updates and occasional event reminders. Read the latest issue: March 23, 2018.  

Upcoming Events

 5:30 p.m. January 4, “[Game] Night at the Museum”
Create new memories in Dean Hall to celebrate the opening of “Thanks for the Memories”, a new exhibit curated by the Museum Club of CWU. Get nostalgic and play your favorite games from childhood to adulthood while snacking on free food!

5:00 p.m. Jan. 31 Opening For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights
Join the MCE staff along with CWU students, faculty, and staff as we celebrate the opening of For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this exhibition features compelling and persuasive images and objects from Civil Rights history that changed how Americans viewed race, racism, and the struggle for equality. Join us for music and refreshments as we celebrate this exhibition, which will run from Jan. 30 – March 16, 2019

5:00 p.m. Feb. 7, 3:00 p.m., Feb. 14, 11:00 a.m., Feb. 21 “Walking in Our Shoes: Tours of For All the World to See with CWU’s Black Student Leaders”
For All the World to See invites visitors to explore potent images and objects from the Civil Rights era that influenced how Americans perceived race and the struggle for equality. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the exhibit through the eyes of CWU’s Black student leaders, who will provide guided tours on the following Thursdays: Feb. 7 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.), Feb 14 (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.), and Feb. 21 (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

5:00 PM Feb. Feb. 21 “Being Black in Ellensburg: Stories from CWU’s Black Students, Faculty, and Staff”
What are the experiences of Black people in Ellensburg? Hear the voices of Black students, faculty, and staff from CWU as they share stories about their lives in Ellensburg, Washington in this story-slam event.

5:00 PM Feb. 28 “Intersectionality and Solidarity: A Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Masonya Bennett”
“Intersectionality” describes the ways in which identities—race, class, gender, and sexuality—interact and connect within society. Dr. Masonya Bennett’s research explores intersections between Black, Latin American, and Caribbean identities in Charlotte, North Carolina.  But how do these identities intersect within Ellensburg? Join Dr. Bennett along with a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community members as they discuss the important issues faced by communities of color and consider new forms of solidarity going forward.

5:00 PM  March 7 Media Matters: Latinx Media and Social Change
Join the MCE and members of the Latinx media as we consider the importance of Spanish-language television and radio within our region.