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Wednesday, June 17, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
High Desert Museum reopens
The High Desert Museum
was to reopen to the public
on Wednesday, June 17. In
accordance with state and
local parameters, new prac-
tices will be in place at the
Museum to ensure the health
of visitors and staff.
<We9re cautiously opti-
mistic about welcoming
visitors again for the first
time in three months,= said
Museum Executive Director
Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. <We
miss our community and of
course are excited for visi-
tors to return. We9re commit-
ted to reopening in a manner
that is responsible to visitors
and staff while also provid-
ing the inspiring High Desert
Museum experience people
value.=
The Museum closed on
March 17 as part of mea-
sures aimed at mitigating
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Museums are now allowed to
open again under the state of
Oregon9s guidelines.
<We view the health of the
public and staff as a top pri-
ority,= said Museum Board
Chair Ryan J. Hagemann.
<Staff have analyzed every
aspect of our facility to ensure
we have the best possible
safety procedures in place.=
As part of reopening, the
Museum will require visitors
and staff, both in front of and
behind the scenes, to wear
face coverings. They will not
be required for those who
experience health issues or
disabilities that make wearing
a face covering difficult, as
well as for those younger than
age two. They will also not be
required for wildlife curators
in certain situations.
Visitors will also expe-
rience other changes at the
Museum: Physical distancing
signs and reminders are pres-
ent throughout the grounds.
The number of people at
any given time inside certain
exhibit spaces will be limited.
Hands-on elements in exhib-
its remain closed for the time
being, as well as a few other
areas of the Museum, such as
the <Whose Home?= indoor
play space.
And while the Museum
encompasses both indoor
and outdoor space, the num-
ber of people visiting at any
given moment will be capped
to ensure adequate space for
physical distancing.
A timed entry system
with advance ticket purchase
is being put in place to help
manage visitor numbers:
Find details at highdesert
museum.org/tickets. Some
tickets will also be set aside
on a first-come, first-served
basis for Museum members
and walk-ins.
<This time is uncharted ter-
ritory for all of us,= Whitelaw
said. <We9ll be observing and
assessing what works and
adjusting as needed as we
navigate these first couple of
weeks.=
For those most at risk if
they contract coronavirus, the
Museum will open an hour
early on Sundays at 8 a.m.
This hour is for vulnerable
populations and their families
only. Those interested in visit-
ing during this time can sign
up at highdesertmuseum.org/
vulnerable-populations-hour.
More information about
new safety measures at the
Museum can be found at high
desertmuseum.org/reopening.
New experiences await
at the Museum. Visitors will
enjoy a exhibition yet to be
seen by the public called
< N a t u r a l Wa n d e r m e n t :
Stewardship. Sovereignty.
Sacredness.,= a collection of
portraiture by photographer
Matika Wilbur (Swinomish
and Tulalip). The exhibition
that debuted on March 20, dur-
ing the Museum closure, will
be extended to September 7.
Wilbur journeyed 250,000
miles creating images of
Native Americans from the
nation9s more than 562 fed-
erally recognized tribes. The
photographs, black and white
with coloration, feature indig-
enous people of all ages,
dressed in contemporary and
traditional clothing, often in
natural landscapes.
The resulting photog-
raphy and the stories of
her subjects highlight con-
temporary Native America
and the ways that native
people seek to protect ances-
tral ways of life. Learn more
at highdesertmuseum.org/
natural-wanderment.
The run of the original
High Desert Museum exhi-
bition <Infinite Moment:
Burning Man on the
Horizon= has been extended
to January 3, 2021. The exhi-
bition had been in the gal-
lery less than two months
at the time of the Museum9s
closure. Visit highdesert
museum.org/infinite-moment.
The Museum9s Kids
Camps are also slated to pro-
ceed with modifications for
safety in place. The Museum
has been communicating with
caregivers about camps. Slots
remain open in several camps:
To learn more go to high
desertmuseum.org/
kids-camp.
The public may continue
to enjoy the Museum9s vir-
tual offerings at highdesert
museum.org/resources, a
hub for virtual field trips,
educational activities for
children to do at home and
other resources. A virtual
launch of Ellen Waterston9s
new book, <Walking the
High Desert: Encounters
with Rural America along
the Oregon Desert Trail=
will take place on the eve-
ning of Wednesday, June 17.
Find registration information
at highdesertmuseum.org/
walking-the-high-desert.
LETTERS
Continued from page 7
To The Editor,
On Saturday, June 13, about 90 Sisters residents held a sec-
ond vigil/demonstration for justice in memory of George Floyd
and all those who preceded him in death at the hands of police
and vigilantes, named and unnamed.
The day was windy and cold with occasional light rain, but
that didn9t dampen the enthusiasm of those participating. The
demonstrators included all ages from children to seniors. There
were participants on all four corners of Spruce and Hwy. 20.
Being Saturday, the traffic on Hwy. 20 was heavy. Response of
those passing by was very positive in support although there
were a few detractors hand signaling their disagreement or
shouting words out of their windows that cannot be repeated
here. This only reinforced the sense of need for such vigils.
After arriving home from the vigil, we were greeted with
the images of the shooting death of another unarmed, young
African American in Atlanta, Georgia. His name, Rayshard
Brooks. His crime, falling asleep in a Wendy9s drive-through
line. He was shot in the back after breaking away from the
two police officers and fleeing. In today9s climate of killings, I
can only imagine his fear. After the shooting, they were filmed
altering the crime scene before investigators arrived, by pick-
ing up all of their shell casings.
This morning, Sunday, we were greeted by two new sto-
ries of African American men being found hung from trees in
Southern California. One, Robert Fuller, was in Palmdale, near
the city hall and the other, Malcolm Harsch, in Victorville near
the library. The police called them suicides but the coroner in
Palmdale refused to call that death a suicide. Only then was an
investigation opened. The other in Victorville has not even had
an autopsy yet. These are stark examples of institutional rac-
ism. This is what our demonstrations are about.
W. Joe Weick
CITY OF SISTERS
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