The Coast Salish Museum of Fine Arts (CSMoFA) is set to bring Indigenous futurism to audiences with its annual exhibition in collaboration with Indigenous Creatives Collective, “Temporal: Stories of Indigenous Present, Re-imagining Indigenous Futures.”
This multi-media event opens on October 2nd, 2026 and running through December 11th, at the Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts (TCMOFA) and serves as a radical act of reclamation for Indigenous stories and arts.
Opening reception on. Oct. 2nd from 6-9 PM features performances, interactive features, indigenous foods, and a chance to meet the artists.
About Temporal:
"Temporal" refers to the present time, of earthly matters rooted in the now. In many museums and galleries, and institutions, Indigenous people are often portrayed as relics of the past—ephemeral and disconnected from present life. This disconnection from the now allows spaces to censor us or tell our stories for us without our consent or input. We are seen separately from our art, our stories, and all the experiences that shape who we are, and instead are seen as living artifacts confined to whatever walls others have built around us.
What does NOW and a FUTURE look like when only WE define us?
This show highlights real people and real stories of Indigenous presence in the now: who we are, the ones we love, the stories we tell, the homes we live in, and the marks we leave behind that shape the future. Our own voices, our own space. It envisions a future where we exist in the moment on our own terms. Taking up space, commanding the present.
CSMOFA is an indigenous takeover of a Museum in Thurston County. Curated and created by Indigenous artists who call the Pacific Northwest home. In partnership with Indigenous Creatives Collective, the artists in this exhibit represent many Tribal Nations and generations across the Northwest.
We are here, we have been here, and we will always be here.
The participating artists include:
● Tammie Dupuis (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation)
● Justin Olmstead (Santa Ynez and Barbareno Chumash)
● Liz Chikayaasix̂ Morrow (Unangax̂ – Enrolled with Naknek Native Village)
● Epiphany Couch (spuyaləpabš (Puyallup)/Yakama)
● Carissa Eich (Navajo)
● Cynthia Matherson (Comanche)
● Traci Jones (Tulalip Tribes)
● Inanna kʷaɁowišč tyee McCarty (Makah Tribe (enrolled), Tsawout First Nation (descendant))
● Mikiʻala Souza (Kanaka ʻŌiwi/Native Hawaiian)
● Megita Denton (Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan)
● Daniel R. Smith (Swinomish)
● Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc, Cherokee)
● Ash Frantz (Makah)
● Stefan Gonzales (Prio/Manso/Tiwa)
All artists in this exhibition are part of the Indigenous Creatives Collective’s Indigenous creative roster, which can be viewed at https://www.indigenouscreatives.org/.
The Indigenous Creatives Collective is a driving force behind this exhibition, committed to supporting Indigenous creative sovereignty and rematriating 2 acres of urban land connecting communities through art. ICC prioritizes the voices of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ individuals, and young people, uplifting Afro-Indigenous, multiracial, and displaced urban Natives, and all who have been overlooked.
Opening Date: 10/2/2026 Location: Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts, 120 Olympia AVE NE in Olympia, WA. Admission: Free admission.
Open hours are: Fridays 2pm to 7pm, Saturdays 12pm to 4pm, Sundays 12pm to 4pm Exhibition Dates: October through December
CSMoFA is funded in part by generous support from the Inspire Olympia Grant and the Washington State Arts Commission.