Explore the Museum

Explore the restless nature of the human species in this new exhibit featuring objects and artifacts from around the globe.  From the unrecorded migrations of our earliest ancestors, to landing a man on the moon, the ability to move from place to place and to adapt to new environments and challenges is part of the human experience.  We are travelers.  We go places.  Join us to explore these journeys – the paths we walk, the cultures we encounter, the impacts we have, and the understanding we develop along the way.

Nearly all of the Great Plains tribes and many of the Great Basin tribes comprise the large cultural group known as "Tatanka Maka" (“Buffalo Nation” in the Lakota language.) This exhibit showcases examples of objects made by Native people from regions across North America to demonstrate how resources and environment impacted the material culture of different Native nations.

Artifacts from Inca, Moche, Chimú, Chancay, and other pre-Inca cultures, as well as replicas and hands-on displays.

Anadromous fish were an important seasonal food source for the Native American groups living in prehistoric Idaho. Using a mix of artifacts, replicas, and historical accounts, this exhibit focuses on the tools and techniques developed to harvest these fish from Idaho waters.

Beneath our feet lie fossils and minerals with stories to tell about the ancient Earth.  This exhibit features numerous real and replica minerals and fossils, including crystals, dinosaurs, marine reptiles, and the Huntington Canyon Mammoth.

The Herrett Center exhibits aren't confined to just the galleries - explore our collection os works displayed throughout the Herrett Center's grounds and outdoor spaces. 

Celebrate the creativity of the College of Southern Idaho community at the annual CSI Faculty & Staff Exhibition, now on display in the Jean B. King Art Gallery through August 1.

This annual exhibition showcases original artwork created by CSI faculty and staff, highlighting the many talents found across campus. Here you'll discover a diverse collection of artistic styles and mediums, including paintings, drawings, quilts, miniatures, pottery, and much more.

For over 150 years, Immigrants from the Arab world have shaped and enriched the American experience. Yet I Am Deeply Rooted Here: Stories from Arab America is a powerful 12-poster exhibition from the Smithsonian and the Arab American National Museum that explores the diverse journeys, cultural cobntributions, and enduring legacies of Arab Americans.

The exhibition's title is drawn from a 1926 poem by Kahlil Gibran, one of the most influential Arab American poets of the 20th century. Born in Lebanon in 1883 and immigrating to the United States in 1895, Gibran wrote in To Young Americans of Syrian Origin:

"I believe that you can say to the founders of this great nation, Here I am, a youth, a young tree whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would be fruitful."

Through personal stories, historical context, and cultural hightlight, Yet I am Deeply Rooted Here presents the richness and complexity of Arab American life. The exhibition addresses the question of how Arab Americans identify themselves and highlights their place in US history.

Yet I am Deeply Rooted Here was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Smithsonian Affiliations and the Arab American National Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate.

The Wizard of Kimberly Road

This mini exhbit explores the life and legacy of Norman Herrett, whose curiosity and determination helped build one of Southern Idaho's most beloved museums. Follow the journey from the humble "observatory" he built beside his home in 1952 to the growing museum filled with interactive exhibits and handcrafed education displays - mostly designed and constructed by Herrett himself, often with limited resources. Through photographs, artifacts, and original exhibit pieces, discover how Herrett inspired generations of visitors with hands-on learning.

Sparking the Magic: Water in Southern Idaho

Discover the story behind the resource that transformed southern Idaho. In 1895, I.B. Perrine envisioned turning the arid Snake River Plain into fertile farmland through irrigation. A decade later, the completion of Milner Dam made that vision a reality, bringing water to thousands of acres on both sides of the Snake River Canyon and paving the way for the growth of Twin Falls and the Magic Valley.

Through a collection of photographs, this mini exhibit explores how water shaped the landscape, economy, and communities of southern Idaho - and why irrigation remains the foundation of the Magic Valley story.