Oregon Has A Brand New Native American Cultural Exhibit At The High Desert Museum
By Christy Articola|Published February 06, 2023
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
The High Desert Museum in Bend is fantastic. This museum showcases a little bit of everything when it comes to Oregon history, nature, and culture, and it is always developing new and interesting exhibits for its visitors. Most recently, it has curated a new exhibit called Creations of Spirit which just opened in January of 2023. This brand new Oregon attraction will be open through October 1st. The exhibit celebrates the utilitarian artistry of present-day Native American artists who use traditional methods to create beautiful objects. Read on to learn more about this museum and about this very special exhibit in particular.
The High Desert Museum is fantastic! It opened in 1982. At that time, it was just one small building on 135 acres. In 1989 it expanded; a 28,000-square foot facility was built to provide room for this non-profit's rapidly growing collection. Since then, the main building has expanded further to 53,000 square feet.
Today, the museum hosts approximately 170,000 visitors per year. It's a Smithsonian Affiliate Institution and it has more than 30,000 artifacts in its collection.
You can also learn about the natural history of this region and about the animals that live in the high desert. Wildlife exhibits feature river otters, desert tortoises, a porcupine, and birds of prey.
The outdoor area at the High Desert Museum is as interesting as the inside; you'll find many exhibits there too. Be sure to plan enough time for your visit. There's so much to see.
The Creations of Spirit exhibit that opened in January 2022 is worth a visit on its own. The museum invited seven Native artists to create commissioned works for it. The focus of the exhibit is to create, display, and put to use artistic, indigenous pieces of art that are created using traditional methods. You'll be so impressed by their beauty.
Phillip Cash Cash, Ph.D. (Cayuse, Nez Perce) made traditional Plateau flutes similar to this one to help teach others about their cultural significance and the music of his people.
Several other artists participated as well - you'll have to visit yourself to see the beautiful things that they made! As you can see, this exhibit is very unique and very powerful. You'll love learning about these creations, their creators, and the cultures from which they came.
You’ll love everything about the High Desert Museum, but you’ll especially love this very special exhibit. Plan a visit to the High Desert Museum today!
