(Young visitors engage with the exterior of the new exhibition, Sensing Sasquatch. Visitors are invited to put their own Sasquatch sticker on the back of the vehicle | Photo by Todd Cary)
Spring break kicks off at the High Desert Museum this Saturday, March 23, with special programming throughout the week and the opportunity to see engaging temporary exhibitions.
One of the Museum’s most anticipated wildlife programs, Sky Hunters, returns to the E.L. Wiegand Pavilion in the Donald M. Kerr Birds of Prey Center on Saturday. Visitors can get up close with some of the Museum’s most inspiring raptors as they fly overhead in an intimate, indoor demonstration. Featured birds may include the new-to-the-Museum red-legged hawk and aplomado falcon, as well as perennial favorites like the barn owl.
While nine different birds will participate in Sky Hunters, four or five of them will fly in any single show. All animals in the Museum’s care are given choice and control over their participation in public programs as well as periods of rest and rotation. The program will take place twice daily through Saturday, March 30 with demonstrations at 11am and 1:30pm. Tickets are $7 and will be available at Museum admissions — and they go fast! Museum members receive a 20 percent discount. Sky Hunters is possible with support from Fly Redmond.
The Museum is also excited to present a brand new program made possible by Jordan Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation and in conjunction with exhibition Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. Special guest and local artist Sweet Pea Cole will be onsite on Wednesday, March 27 for Printmaking Impressions, a chance to create art with an Andy Warhol aesthetic and High Desert flare. Using various stamps designed by Cole and crafted by Bend Rubber Stamp & Printing, Museum visitors of all ages can look forward to bringing colorful portraits of the Museum’s wildlife to life in a few fun and easy steps. The program is free with Museum admission and runs between 12-3pm.
Also, the clock is ticking on the opportunity to see Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species. The exhibition’s last day is Sunday, April 7.
Spring break visitors will also have the chance to experience other temporary exhibitions. The newest original exhibition, Sensing Sasquatch, explores the past, present and future of Sasquatch from an Indigenous lens. Native peoples of the Plateau have long known about, encountered, depicted, and told stories about Sasquatch. Works by five Indigenous artists tell these stories: 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).
While engaging with this exhibition, Museum visitors can expect to use all their senses, including smell. The gallery’s sensory elements are reflective of the overwhelming and otherworldly experience that is an encounter with this “non-human” other. Sensing Sasquatch will be on exhibit through January 12, 2025 and is free with Museum admission. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/sensing-sasquatch.
Another temporary exhibition, Timber Culture, will be open throughout spring break. Curated by the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, Timber Culture tells the story of Maxville — a logging town that sprung up against the Wallowa Mountains as the timber industry boomed across the High Desert region a century ago. Although Timber Culture is a traveling photography exhibition at its core, the Museum’s exhibitions team added their own special touches. The exhibit features historic objects from the Museum’s collection illustrating everyday life in the era as well as a few hands-on interactives for kids like a wash basin with wash boards and a cross section of a massive old growth ponderosa pine tree.
Alongside these temporary exhibitions and special programs, the Museum will offer multiple daily talks for visitors to enjoy. Guests can take a walk around the grounds with one of the Museum’s naturalists during the Nature Walk at 10:30am or get to know the Museum’s otters during the Otter Encounter at 1pm. During the daily Mammal Encounter at 3pm, guests can meet one of the ambassador mammals in the Museum’s care — like a porcupine — and learn about the adaptations that enable them to thrive in High Desert habitats.
To plan your trip to the High Desert Museum this spring break, visit highdesertmuseum.org/visit-bend-oregon.
About the Museum:
The HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.