Exhibits | Center of Southwest Studies

Location: Center of Southwest Studies, Main Foyer

The Memories We Carry with Us was curated by CSWS Intern Alysha Arrates (Ute Mountain Ute), a sophomore at FLC studying Native American and Indigenous Studies and Museum Management. The installation combines photographs and clippings from the Center's archives with creative works and personal items from Indigenous students currently attending Fort Lewis College. Arrates hopes that others can feel inspired by this display, which pays homage to the thriving Indigenous students at Fort Lewis College. The exhibition will be on display through November 2024.

Location: CSWS Stairwell

In May 2023, curatorial fellow Elise Boulanger (Osage Nation) co-taught a Maymester EXCEL course with internationally renowned artist Nanibah Chacon (Diné, Chicana) at the Center of Southwest Studies. Students participating in this Maymester course designed and painted a mural informed by research conducted in the Center’s museum collections and conversations about cultural celebration and belonging, thoughtful representations of non-dominant cultural values and worldviews, and connection to land. The mural, which embraces Traditional Cultural Knowledge, references a Navajo sampler-style textile and incorporates historical and contemporary weavings from the Center of Southwest Studies’ Durango Collection® of Southwest textiles, sash belts from the collaborating artists’ communities, and other Center collections items.