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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01.31.25
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join us to celebrate the opening of our new exhibition, Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland. Hear from Michael Holloman (Colville Confederated Tribes), associate professor of art history at Washington State University, about Matsura’s life and the people he photographed. 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Doors open at 5:30 pm, talk at 6:00 pm (more…)
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02.01.25
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Japanese-born photographer Frank Matsura became a beloved member of the Okanagan community in the early 1900s. Matsura’s playful personality and humor alongside his relationships with people are evident in his photographs, which represent some of the most accurate and nuanced images of Native people during this period. They capture dynamic cross-cultural exchanges as Native people (more…)
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02.03.25
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The American bullfrog is one of the most problematic invasive species worldwide. Since its introduction in the U.S. West in the 1930s, it has spread throughout many of Oregon’s waters and wetlands, including the Little Deschutes River. With the Oregon spotted frog now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, bullfrog removal from the (more…)
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02.07.25
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Get ready to rev your engines for this year’s Prohibition Party! We’ll explore the 1920s shift from old-school courting to the fast-paced world of public dating. With live music, dancing, a costume contest and plenty of roaring romance, it’s your chance to party like it’s 1924— when the business of romance became an increasingly public (more…)
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02.08.25
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Have you ever wondered what animals live near your home? This workshop teaches the basics of recognizing tracks and signs, how to use trail cameras to document animals without disturbing them, and ways you can share what you find with scientists through community science projects. At the end of the workshop participants will have the (more…)
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02.09.25
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Last chance to see! Exhibition Closing Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation (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.
