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Exhibits | Center of Southwest Studies

EXHIBITS & EVENTS Exhibits
Current Gallery Exhibits
The Land of Stories

The Land of Stories

Multilingual storytimes at Delaney Library

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The last few weeks have been busy here—the gallery opening was a great success! Today our Library and Archives Technician, Michael Long, and his partner Louise Turner, are expecting their first baby, Silas Mason. Congratulations, and good luck!

Last week we had our first Southwest Storytime, a bilingual Spanish/English program with books, music, and crafts for the 4-year-old classroom from our on-campus Campbell Child and Family Center. The inaugural kids’ storytime featured volunteers from Jen Rider’s class on “Southwest Language Immersion for Teachers.” The student teachers, in four groups, prepared children’s books to present in both English and Spanish, along with a great variety of songs and crafts. See the photo above for examples of the kids’ Giving Trees, Magic School Buses, One Fish Two Fishes, and Brown Bears and other-colored animals. Our hope is to continue the bilingual Southwest Storytime weekly, with student volunteers from the Teacher Education and Spanish departments if possible, as a service for Campbell Center children and other children from the community.

Two weeks ago we had our second successful Hané Gathering, with 17 FLC students, staff, and community members in attendance. Candra Yazzie led the story session with help from Leland Belone, who also taught us how to play the Stick Game (see photos below). Part of the gathering involved learning about Diné language and culture by hearing stories about stars and the universe; part of the gathering was a chance for everyone to tell their own stories. People shared stories from the Diné, Southern Ute, Lakota, and other cultures. One parent brought his children because, as he said, living in town can make it a challenge to hear family stories from elders. Others enjoyed the opportunity to be told stories as adults—we never outgrow them, but we don’t always get a chance to hear them. The next Hané Gathering will be on Wednesday, 12 April, from 5 to 6 pm, and the story topic will be spring and planting. Bring your seasonally-appropriate stories to tell!

We’re looking for feedback about our event programming. Because of the human thirst for stories, we’re planning to apply for grants to support storytelling from a variety of local cultures. If you’re also interested in learning Diné Bizaad, please let us know so we can set that up, too (970-247-7135).

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Other Current Exhibits
Indigenous Futurity

Indigenous Futurity

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.


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Fort Lewis College
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