Creating Together: A new vision for the permanent exhibition on the Indigenous Plateau at the High Desert Museum

FAIN: GI-297118-24

High Desert Museum (Bend, OR 97708-5035)
Dana Whitelaw (Project Director: August 2023 to present)

Implementation of a 4,500-square-foot permanent exhibition on the peoples, history, and cultures of the Indigenous Plateau, and a two-year Position in Public Humanities.

The High Desert Museum requests a $400,000 Implementation Grant for the reinstallation of our 4,500 square foot permanent exhibition on the Indigenous Plateau and $100,000 for a two-year Position in the Humanities. Through a dynamic new exhibition, visitors will learn about the Lighted Earth as the foundation of Plateau philosophy and law in which light gives everything life and as a result, we are all connected and have a responsibility to care for each other. Building from this theme, visitors will learn about Plateau lifeways, cultures, histories, and knowledge the same way a Plateau child learns—through experiences, observation and storytelling. Creating Together is bringing together Native knowledge holders and humanities advisors to create an innovative experience that will transform how visitors see the world around them. The Position in the Humanities will advance the long-term impact of the exhibition through Interpretive and Education Guides and extensive public programming.