The San Bernardino County Museum presents Evidence of Us, a new exhibition by artist E. Tyler Burton, on view from May 9 through September 6, 2026.
Evidence of Us explores the material record we are creating in real time. Through sculpture, projection, textile installation, cyanotypes and participatory elements, the exhibition invites visitors to consider what future archaeologists might discover about our present moment—an age shaped by plastic, consumption and accumulation. The works act as contemporary fossils, preserving fragments of everyday life and revealing how individual and collective actions leave lasting marks.
Throughout the exhibition, familiar materials—clothing, bottle caps, packaging and water bottles—are presented in new ways as artifacts. A projected fossil slice shifts in response to movement, suggesting how our presence influences the systems around us. A cube made from discarded clothing surrounds visitors in the afterlife of fast fashion, while cyanotype “blueprints” of plastic objects line the walls like scientific records. A growing column of plastic caps offers a visible measure of accumulation over time.
Collectively, the works invite visitors to see themselves not just as observers of history, but as part of it, encouraging reflection on what we are leaving behind and how it will endure.
“Tyler’s work transcends the everyday materials she uses, encouraging a deeper reflection on how the waste we produce will define us in the future,” says Curator of Art & Exhibits Dr. Casey Lee. “Her thoughts on material traces speaks to the museum’s rich collection of paleontological and archeological material. We are thrilled to be sharing Tyler’s beautiful and thought-provoking work, which we hope will inspire our visitors to think critically about how to shape our collective legacy.”
