BEND, OR -- The High Desert Museum has been awarded a large federal grant to create a learning hub for children, families and community groups. "The museum is planning an expansion, to grow along with our amazing community," says Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, "And part of that expansion is doubling our classroom space, our learning spaces. This $238,000 will be part of that project." She tells KBND News, "We'll be able to double the size of our kids camps in the summers, we have K-12 classes all year long, we do teacher professional development workshops, we're part of a four-year National Science Foundation study on how to bring the best STEM - Science Technology Engineering and Math - workshops to families in rural areas." Completion of the expansion is likely a couple of years away.
Whitelaw says the last major renovation was in the late 90's, "The museum has always been looking ahead: what is our community going to need now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now? And what do we need to be doing now to make sure that we stay that relevant and catalyzing resource for Central Oregon." She tells KBND News the museum has again outgrown its facility, "It opened in 1982, when Bend had 17,000 people here. We have three classrooms that, right as I'm speaking, have three amazing groups of kids campers in them." The museum just hit a new attendance record with almost 225-thousand visitors a year.
The High Desert Museum is the only Oregon facility outside Portland to receive this round of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. OMSI and the Portland Art Museum were also awarded grants. "These are very competitive grants and to have three of Oregon's cultural anchors receive about $750,000 is a badge of honor for the museum sector in this state," says Whitelaw.
