(Artwork | Courtesy of High Desert Museum)
The High Desert Museum’s daily programs are back on schedule, including the popular outdoor flight program Raptors of the Desert Sky. Here’s a schedule of daily talks. To ensure physical distancing, space is limited. First come, first served. Visitors are asked to inquire at admissions upon arrival.
Daily Schedule
1904 Miller Family Ranch
10am-4pm (Monday-Saturday)
9am-3pm (Sunday)
Meet the Millers as they welcome you into the past. Explore how this working family lived, help with chores and play games!
Tuesdays-Saturdays
Fish Tales — 10am
Learn about High Desert fish species, their natural history and how to tell the difference between different types of fish.
Raptors of the Desert Sky — 11:30am
Enjoy our signature outdoor flight program! Watch as hawks, owls, falcons and even a turkey vulture fly right overhead. Listen to the stories of these birds as a Museum curator narrates the action and introduces the hunting strategies and natural behaviors of these spectacular birds of prey. Click here for more details.
Mammal Encounter — 1pm
Get nose-to-nose with a mammal of the High Desert, from a porcupine to a badger, and discover how they have adapted to thrive.
Bird of Prey Encounter — 3:30pm
Enjoy a close-up view of a magnificent bird of prey! Discover how to identify these aerial predators and how we ensure their future in the High Desert. In the Birds of Prey Pavilion, learn about raptors’ fascinating adaptations and meet one up close.
Sundays-Mondays
Fish Tales — 10am
Learn about High Desert fish species, their natural history and how to tell the difference between different types of fish.
Mammal Encounter — 1pm
Get nose-to-nose with a mammal of the High Desert, from a porcupine to a badger, and discover how they have adapted to thrive.
Bird of Prey Encounter — 3:30pm
Enjoy a close-up view of a magnificent bird of prey! Discover how to identify these aerial predators and how we ensure their future in the High Desert. In the Birds of Prey Pavilion, learn about raptors’ fascinating adaptations and meet one up close.
Special Events
Lazinka Sawmill Demonstration
Saturday, August 8, 11am-3pm
Full steam ahead! Discover how critical this steam-powered sawmill was to homestead families in the High Desert while seeing it in action. Space is limited. Please inquire at Admissions when you arrive at the Museum.
FREE with Museum admission
Virtual High Desert Rendezvous
Saturday, August 29, 6:30-7:30pm
We’re moving this year’s High Desert Rendezvous to the virtual world, and ATTENDANCE IS FREE! Experience our signature fundraising gala from the comfort of your home. We’ll gather online for an exciting program, including a unique online auction and raffle, a behind-the-scenes peek of the Museum and a special message from a surprise celebrity guest! Funds raised at this year’s virtual event will help support the Museum’s educational programs, ensuring the Museum continues to be a place where people and landscape thrive together. Help make this year’s High Desert Rendezvous and success and share this event with all your friends! Register at highdesertmuseum.org/hdr.
Temporary Exhibitions
2020 Art in the West
Opens Saturday, August 1!
Don’t miss the annual juried exhibition and silent auction featuring traditional and contemporary art that celebrates the landscapes, wildlife, people, cultures and history of the High Desert. View the complete collection on our website. Bidding will be accepted online this year! The exhibition and auction bidding closes on October 3.
Free with Museum admission. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/art-in-the-west.
Infinite Moment: Burning Man on the Horizon
Extended through January 3, 2021
Most of the year, the 1,000 square miles of the Black Rock Desert in northwest Nevada sit isolated. In early August, a temporary city of 80,000 begins to emerge as people arrive to erect colossal works of art. At summer’s end, a community gathers dedicated to self-expression and transformation. It is Black Rock City and the Museum is giving visitors a glimpse into the phenomenon called Burning Man. The exhibit explores the history, art, culture and impact of the event.
Free with Museum admission. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/infinite-moment.
Natural Wanderment: Stewardship. Sovereignty. Sacredness.
Extended through September 7, 2020
Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip), an artist and storyteller, has set out to “change the way we see Native America.” The exhibition of Wilbur’s photography features portraits that illuminate stories about honoring and protecting ancestral ways of life and connections to the land. Wilbur thoughtfully engages with those she photographs, listening to her subjects’ stories and asking them to take part in their self-representation.
Free with Museum admission. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/natural-wanderment.