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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Prineville prolific Western author Rick Steber claims that the Bend’s High Desert Museum has banned his books because they are moving in a different, more progressive direction, triggering a call on social media. But the museum, which is only 40 years old, claims that it is not about politics or censorship, only that its books were simply not sold.

Here is Wednesday’s complete post by Rick Steber on his Facebook page, and a statement the museum sent to NewsChannel 21 in response:

The High Desert Museum has banned the books of award-winning local author Rick Steber. He has published more than fifty books, with sales of more than two million copies and he has a well-deserved national reputation in the literary world. When Don Kerr started the museum, one of the first articles he added was the books of Rick Steber, saying that his work was “a correct representation of contemporary and historical life in the High Desert.”

Alison Luce, Retail Lead at the museum’s Silver Sage Trading Store, announced the museum’s heavy censorship, writing in an email: “It has been found that Rick Steber’s books are no longer aligned with the museum’s forward direction. . ” When asked to explain what she thought was “aligned with the forward direction of the museum,” she declined to comment further.

Executive Director Dana Whitelaw said the High Desert Museum is working to promote events such as Burning Man and authors who advocate for “social justice.” She said: “Instead of taking a historical perspective, the High Desert Museum will now focus on global climate and contemporary diversity. I’m not saying we ban Rick Steber books, what I’m trying to say is that we no longer have them in our gift shop. When asked if she had ever read a Rick Steber book, the executive director replied, “I do not need to.”

The High Desert Museum has assets of 27 million dollars and an annual budget of almost six million dollars. Most of these funds are derived from government and federal government subsidies and donations. According to Rick Steber, “I was a strong supporter of the High Desert Museum, and they were asked to hold talks there on several occasions, but I’m dead set on this ‘new focus’ of the current staff and board of directors. Museums boycott until the museum returns to the mission statement of its founder, Don Kerr. “Our mission is to inspire and promote a wise stewardship of the region’s cultural and natural resources. The more people know about this region, and the origins of the region’s past, the better equipped they are to decide the course of its future.

To express your concerns about the draconian censorship imposed by the High Desert Museum, please contact w.e.g .:

Dana Whitelaw at 541-382-4754 ext.326

Email – dwhitelaw@highdesertmuseum.org

Nelson Mathews, Chairman of the Board at (503) 241-0151 x227

Email – nmathews@westernrivers.org

Recently, author Rick Steber publicly questioned the track and practice of the High Desert Museum about a decision to stop new purchases of his books for our Silver Sage Trading Gift Shop. This decision was made during a broader inventory of business offers and their profitability.

We appreciate Mr Steber’s work over the years and applaud him for having sold more than 2 million copies of his books. But the fact remains that of the tens of thousands of books sold in our Silver Sage Trading gift shop in the last decade, less than 1 percent of them were written by Mr. Steber.

Out of respect for Mr. Steber, Executive Director Dana Whitelaw spoke directly with him about the decision. Unfortunately, the museum’s account of that conversation varied greatly from the accounts that Mr. Steber shared on social media.

As a private nonprofit institution, and true to founder Don Kerr’s vision, we believe in sharing a wide range of perspectives and stories about the High Desert region that spans the Intermountain West. We try to bring topics forward to bring curiosity, dialogue and discussion. We believe that people have different views and also respect for one another.

We do not believe, however, that the characterization of the storage of an income-generating gift business even stems from “draconian censorship” as Mr Steber claims.

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year, we remain focused on achieving our mission “to inspire and teach a great deal through innovative, interdisciplinary experiences, connecting with and engaging in dialogue across the High Desert.”

We strive to accomplish this mission on a day-to-day basis, which also ensures that the Silver Sage Trading Gift Shop includes a wide selection of retail products that are both attractive to our patrons, associated with our current exhibitions and programs, and generate revenue for the Museum. He says we ban his books. In fact, we simply do not carry them anymore. Mr Steber’s framing of this situation was inflammatory, inaccurate and unfortunate.

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