The Museum At Warm Springs

06/22/2026

We are shocked and sad to share the news of the passing of Susan, an integral leader in the Museum field through ATALM. Condolences who all knew here. A vibrant leader in the field.

Dear ATALM Community,

It is with heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our Founding President and CEO, Susan Feller.

For more than two decades, Susan dedicated her life to strengthening and supporting Tribal archives, libraries, museums, language programs, and cultural institutions. Through her vision, determination, and unwavering commitment, she founded the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM), transforming a simple but powerful idea into a national organization serving Indigenous communities across the United States and beyond.

Susan believed deeply in the power of Indigenous communities to preserve, protect, and share their histories, languages, cultures, and traditional knowledge. She understood that cultural institutions are not merely repositories of information and artifacts, but living centers of community, identity, and resilience. Throughout her career, she worked to create opportunities for those working in cultural institutions to learn from one another, build professional networks, access resources, and strengthen their institutions.

As we mourn Susan's passing, we also celebrate a life devoted to service, collaboration, and the preservation of Indigenous cultures and knowledge. We are grateful for the vision she shared with us and for the organization she created. Her influence will continue to guide our work and inspire our community for years to come.

On behalf of the ATALM Board of Governors and staff, we extend our deepest condolences to Susan's family, friends, and all who knew and worked with her.

The ATALM Board wants to reassure our community that our work will continue. ATALM remains committed to the mission and vision that Susan established, and preparations for ATALM2026 in Spokane will continue without interruption.

To ensure continuity in operations and leadership during this transition, the Board has appointed ATALM Chief Operating Officer, Melissa Brodt, to serve as Interim President/CEO. Having worked side by side with Susan since ATALM’s founding, Melissa brings a strong understanding of the organization and will guide ATALM forward with the support of the Board and staff.

In the coming weeks, we will share information about opportunities to honor Susan's memory and celebrate her extraordinary contributions to the field.

With gratitude and remembrance,
The ATALM Board of Governors

06/17/2026

Many years ago, I worked at another organization where we supported OMSI and Salmon Camp. My in-laws were involved as councilors at the beginning and they are amazing adults now. It is a strong and wonderful to see the support of the kids so they can learn about natural resources and sciences. It is great to see the support they are receiving now from our leadership.

06/17/2026

We are in a critical "hot" season. Please be careful. Be ready. Be alert.

Bend and the surrounding area are currently under a Red Flag Warning. 🟥

This means weather is so hot, dry, and windy that a single spark can cause a fast‑moving wildfire. The National Weather Service issues these when critical fire weather is expected within the next 12–24 hours.

Right now is when our choices matter most in wildfire weather:
🏡 Clear defensible space. Remove dry leaves, pine needles, and debris from roofs, gutters, and around your home to reduce fuel. Move combustible items like patio furniture, décor away from your home of bring them inside.

🔥 Avoid anything that creates sparks. No mowing, grinding, outdoor equipment, fire pits, or BBQs — even parking on dry grass can ignite a fire.

🎒 Keep your “Go Kit” ready. Have essentials, documents, medications, and supplies packed in case evacuation orders come quickly.

📢 Stay alert. Follow local updates and be ready to act early if conditions worsen. Sign up for emergency alerts at Deschutesalerts.org

Let’s stay vigilant, Bend!

06/17/2026

Oregon’s only contribution to a time capsule organized for the America250 commemoration is a pin by Lillian Pitt, an artist from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs known for her focus on Native Americans’ 12,000 years of history. In a statement, Pitt says she’s gratified that the work wil...

06/09/2026

Teri was an amazing weaver and artist. She was part of the revival of the Ravenstail robe, as was her remarkable mother Marie Law who is a weaver, an artist, and woman who hired teenagers to help her build her house one summer while her husband fished. She also made her own carving tools to fit her hands, because the only one she could find were too big for her hands. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JE4VdBVNp/

"Two hundred years ago, the Northern geometric weaving once practiced across Tlingit and Haida communities fell silent. Colonial disruption, trade cloth, and forced assimilation interrupted the intergenerational transmission of technique. The robes survived in fragments, in museum drawers, in photographs, and brief references in manuscripts, but not in living hands. Today, that silence has been broken."

Read more in "Reweaving the Raven: The Return of Yéil Koowú" available in our Spring 2026 issue.

Pictured: Teri Rofkar, Chas' Koowu Tla'a (Tlingit, Raven moiety, 1956–2016), dancing in a ravenstail robe that she wove. She was a 2009 NEA National Heritage Fellow. Photo: Tom Pich. Image courtesy of the National Endowment for the Arts (CC0).

06/07/2026

Oregon sent this little item as tribute to the pre USA history of the Oregon Territory. Lillian Pitt artist.

Oregon is burying a handcrafted pin by Native American artist Lillian Pitt in a national time capsule marking 250 years of history.

06/06/2026

https://www.orartswatch.org/lillian-pitt-art-memory-home-at-the-museum-at-warm-springs

The artist's final exhibition comes home to the community that nurtured her and celebrates a career that transformed Indigenous visibility and public art in the Pacific Northwest.

06/05/2026

The yarns out and orderly for weavers to get their colors for designs.😃

06/05/2026

A good day weaving with your class. They have a great start and conclusion. Kelly Palmer is teaching the basket hat weaving. Patłapa. These classes happened over several weeks. Everyone who signed up enjoys weaving. Each weaving master has different techniques that they worked out from their own needs and learned from their teachers.

06/05/2026

June 2nd, Lillian visited the exhibit. The reception hosted by The Ford Family Foundation was packed and she did not have a second to ponder the exhibit. She was deeply moved by the event.

At the exhibit, she was impressed with the excellent presentation. She enjoyed the catalog and said it was well written and she didn't know how well she was regarded. It was a pleasant early afternoon.

The exhibit has many artworks for sale by Lillian and by her kindred artists. Beautiful prints and paintings by Phillip Cash Cash, James Lavadour, and Elizabeth Woody. Many glass pieces by Lillian. You can email for the list of works for sale with small images. [email protected].