Robin Coen's watercolor “Peering from the Prairie — Five Burrowing Owls” is one of the works the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph presents in the exhibit “Refugia of the Blue Mountains” June 13 through July 28, 2025. (Robin Coen/Contributed Photo)

Exhibit explores refuge for flora, fauna in Oregon’s largest ecoregion

JOSEPH — The Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph presents watercolor artist Robin Coen and award-winning nature writer Marina Richie’s “Refugia of the Blue Mountains” June 13 through July 28.

The opening reception is 7-9 p.m, at the center at 403 Main St. in Joseph, according to the announcement from the center.

The free evocative exhibit blends visual art and poetic narrative to celebrate “refugia”— safe havens for plants and wildlife through a period of unfavorable conditions, especially glaciation.  Glaciers carved the nearby Wallowa Lake thousands of years ago.

“Refugia” blends science, personal experience and a deep love for wild spaces to explore the rich biodiversity and ecological importance of the Blue Mountains — Oregon’s largest ecoregion and a vital wildlife corridor that connects the Rockies, Cascades and Great Basin, according to the center’s announcement. These ancestral lands of the Nez Perce, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Warm Springs and Northern Paiute hold layers of cultural and ecological significance.

Coen’s ethereal watercolor paintings reflect her roots in the Elkhorn Mountains of Eastern Oregon and her ongoing stewardship of Good Bear Ranch near Boise, the family homestead and site of a growing artist residency program. Her art captures fleeting moments in nature — an eagle in flight, a river’s curve, a hillside in bloom.

Richie, author of ”Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher” — winner of the 2024 John Burroughs Medal — contributes lyrical prose and poetry that speak to our shared responsibility to protect Earth’s remaining wild places. Her deep connection to the Blue Mountains, forged through decades of environmental work and storytelling, infuses each narrative with insight and reverence.

Ecologist David Mildrexler, Ph.D., will lend his expertise to deepen the understanding of refugia, globally and within the unique landscape of the Blue Mountains. His talk will explore how refugia serve as critical havens, providing cold water for fish and people, supporting carbon-storing forests and offering shelter for biodiversity. He’ll also highlight the vital role of beavers in creating fire-resilient habitats by raising the water table, demonstrating the interconnectedness of species and ecosystems in sustaining these wild refuges.

As part of the ”Refugia of the Blue Mountains” exhibit, the Josephy Center invites the public to a day-long event from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 14: Refugia of Joseph Canyon: Seeing Nature Through Art and Science.

This immersive program combines art, writing and ecology to explore how we observe and connect with the natural world.

The day begins with coffee and conversation at the center, where participants will hear from artists and scientists — including Coen, Richie, Mildrexler and plein air painter Jamie Dawson — on how close observation informs their creative and scientific practices.

The group then travels to Joseph Canyon north of Enterprise for a guided hike with opportunities to reflect, sketch and journal in place.

The event is free, open to ages 12 and up (with an adult) and RSVP is required.

Participants should bring lunch, water and a sketchbook.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience the landscape through a lens of artistic and scientific discovery and stewardship of the natural world.

For more information on the exhibit, visit, josephy.org/event/refugia-of-the-blue-mountains. For more about the day-long event, visit josephy.org/event/refugia-of-joseph-canyon.