About the Museum
Plan Your Visit
Check out current exhibits and daily programs, find directions, rates, hours and more.
Education
Teach & Learn
Lifelong learning starts here! Explore teacher trainings, memorable field trips and unique school programs.
Join the HDM Family
Make an Impact
Volunteer, become a member or donate to support arts, education, wildlife and more.
Wildlife, History & Art
Otters, porcupines, owls, oh my! Encounter wildlife up close, explore the history and culture of the wild West and take in beautiful art. The High Desert Museum is a cultural gem set on 135 acres of awe. It’s no wonder visitors voted us one of the best things to do in Bend Oregon!
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
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12.07.24
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
December 7, 2024 – April 6, 2025 Featuring more than one dozen contemporary works, accomplished painter Hilary Baker explores the complex relationship between manmade spaces and native wildlife. Highlighting iconic architecture and wildlife as both prominent and enigmatic, each work invites an encounter and raises questions about our own proximity to wildlife. (more…)
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12.10.24
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Join us for a live webinar to learn actionable insights designed to maximize your charitable impact while reducing taxes. Dougal Williams, CFA, Chief Wealth Officer at Vista Capital Partners, will be presenting. The webinar will conclude with a brief Q&A session, and we welcome your questions in advance. 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Free, RSVP (more…)
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12.12.24
4:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Flannel is the fabric of the season! Don your grungiest flannel as you explore our new Blood, Sweat & Flannel exhibition after hours. Grab a treat at the Rimrock Café, enjoy holiday discounts at Silver Sage Trading, take a few silly photos in our photo booth, decorate holiday cookies and more! 4:00 pm – 7:30 (more…)
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12.19.24
4:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Attention animal lovers! Hightail it to the Museum after dark for watercolor crafts, a look at our new exhibition from artist Hilary Baker—who will be here to greet you—a Museum scavenger hunt, cookie decorating and more. Oh, and don’t forget to “paws” for a photo in our photo booth! Animal-themed outfits are highly encouraged. 4:00 (more…)
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12.25.24
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Happy holidays! (more…)
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12.26.24
4:00 pm - 7:30 pm
This is your ticket to get the entire family out of the house in their pajamas! Take family pajama portraits in our photo booth, enjoy story time with your kiddos, decorate holiday cookies, savor beverage tastings from regional craft vendors and more. This is the final Winter Nights of the year! 4:00 pm – 7:30 (more…)
Changing
Exhibits
3.2.24 -
1.12.25
Art, History
Sensing Sasquatch
Native peoples of the Plateau have long known about, encountered, depicted and told stories about Sasquatch. Sensing Sasquatch explores Sasquatch’s past, present and future in the High Desert region through an Indigenous lens. Works by five Indigenous artists will be on view, including: Phillip Cash Cash, Ph.D. (Nez Perce, Cayuse), HollyAnna CougarTracks DeCoteau Littlebull (Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Cree), Charlene “Tillie” Moody (Warm Springs), Frank Buffalo Hyde (Nez Perce, Onondaga) and Rocky LaRock (Salish).
9.20.24 -
2.9.25
Art, History
Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship
Featuring nearly two dozen works from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation, this exhibition highlights sculptural and two dimensional works by one of the Northwest’s most celebrated artists, Rick Bartow (Mad River Band of the Wiyot Tribe, 1948 - 2016.
11.2.24 -
6.29.25
History
Blood, Sweat & Flannel
Flannel is more than a fabric. Flannel shirts, jackets and undergarments have played an important role for laborers in the High Desert. Workers have donned flannel as they logged trees and roped cattle. Later, grunge counterculture adopted flannel as a nod to nonfashion. Blood, Sweat & Flannel explores the region’s labor history though the lens of the beloved fabric.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services named the High Desert Museum as one of six recipients of the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.
The Museum was recognized for providing dynamic programming and services through community outreach, working to create programs that offer rich educational programming and expand museum access.
