The High Desert Museum invites visitors to experience the culmination of a yearlong program that dove into the diverse perspectives of wildfire in Central Oregon. Explore the artistic voices of young students in Kids Curate, open now through Sunday, June 1.
Every year, Kids Curate integrates art, science and history into classrooms and field-trip experiences with one Central Oregon elementary school over the course of the school year. The program culminates in an exhibition created by the students on the Museum’s walls. Caregivers and families celebrate the students’ work at an exhibition opening event.
“Students engage with the topic deeply through hands on experiences to better understand many viewpoints throughout the year,” said Bonnie Lee and Oliver P. Steele III Curator of Education and Engagement Molly Wilmoth. “We’re grateful to partner with the educators at a school to provide this intensive and in-depth learning experience.”
Third and fourth graders from La Pine Elementary School in La Pine, Oregon, participated in this year’s project. Months of learning have culminated in a series of artwork. Each of the students’ canvases depicts a unique perspective on wildfire, a phenomenon of particular interest after last year’s Darlene 3 fire in their community. With the help of Museum educators, La Pine teachers and experts, the students explored our complicated relationship with fire in the High Desert.
As a result, more than 100 pieces of art will adorn the walls of the Desertarium Gallery at the Museum. The exhibition is an external representation of the internal process.
Museum educators first met with the students in October 2024 and continued to meet with them every other week. Through different educational disciplines – from science and art to social studies and history – the students learned about wildfire on the landscape and then translated those perspectives into art. This ranged from fire as a threat to fire as a helpful, natural process. Their new understandings of fire are highlighted through the exhibition.
As part of the Kids Curate program, the Museum included two outside voices to help the students in their yearlong learning. Ariel Cowan, regional fire specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, helped the students explore fire as both scientists and community members. She took part in the students’ field trip to the Museum in late February 2025, providing information on how fires can damage structures in a community but also spur new forest growth.
Artist Jake Kenobi, also known as Spring Break Jake, visited La Pine Elementary three times during the year to share his techniques with the students. From how he creates his artwork to the incorporation of feelings and emotions onto the canvas, Kenobi invited the students to see fire as more than just heat and combustion.
After gathering materials in the forest at the Museum, Kenobi assisted students in creating “studio potions.” Acrylic paint supplemented with pinecone bits, soil, pine needles and manzanita leaves adorn the canvases on display.
In addition, Kids Curate provides participating students with the pride of publicly and prominently displaying their artwork and the tools needed to continue their artistic practice.
More information about the Kids Curate program can be found at highdesertmuseum.org/kids-curate.
The 2025 Kids Curate program and exhibition is made possible by The Bloomfield Family Foundation, Braemar Charitable Trust/Trust Management Services LLC, the Chambers Family Foundation, the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the PGE Foundation and the Oregon Arts Commission. Additional support comes from Bennington Properties.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.