January 15–December 18, 2026
VIEW Exhibition Booklet
The Center of Southwest Studies (Center) at Fort Lewis College (FLC) is pleased to present Constellations of Place, a major exhibition rooted in the landscapes and layered histories of Southwest Colorado. Guest curated by scholar, writer, and independent curator, Dr. Meranda Roberts (Yerington Paiute, Chicana), Constellations of Place features a selection of over 60 textiles, pottery, beadwork, 2D works, and mixed media pieces from the Center’s permanent collections alongside the work of 13 invited contemporary Native American, Indigenous, and Latinx artists.
Constellations of Place, an exhibition made possible with generous support from the Belonging Colorado initiative of The Denver Foundation and the Greater Good Science Center and is in partnership with the America 250-Colorado 150 Southwest regional “Power of Place” project.
Loaned works span mediums of sculpture, tapestry, screenprint, video projection, digital collage, painting, photography, beadwork, and textiles from the artists:
ABOUT THE GUEST CURATOR
Dr. Meranda Roberts, a citizen of the Yerington Paiute Tribe of Nevada and Chicana, is a scholar, a writer, an educator, and an independent curator whose work sits at the intersection of Indigenous history, museum studies, and visual culture. Guided by Indigenous methodologies and anti-colonial pedagogy, Dr. Roberts is committed to reconnecting museum collections with descendant communities and reshaping the way institutions engage with Indigenous histories and futures.
Prior curatorial projects include serving as co-curator and guest curator for such major institutions as the Field Museum of Natural History (co-curator, Native Truths: Our Stories. Our Voices.); Idyllwild Arts’ Native American Arts Festival (guest curator, Still We Smile: Humor as Correction and Joy); the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College (guest curator Continuity: Cahuilla Basket Weavers and their Legacies); and The Church (Eternal Testament, co-curated with Shinnecock artist, Jeremy Dennis).
Dr. Roberts holds a Ph.D. in History and an M.A. in Public History from the University of California, Riverside, and she serves on the Scholarly Advisory Committee for the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum.
Learn more: https://merandawriteshistory.com/
PRESS
Since its opening, Constellations of Place has been getting some wonderful attention from across the region. We’re grateful for the thoughtful coverage and the many conversations the exhibition has sparked. Below are links to features and reviews.
-
Art Helps Reconciliation efforts at Fort Lewis College, Chadd Scott, Essential West Magazine, Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery (July 29, 2026)
-
Dazzling New Exhibit in the Center of Southwest Studies, The Independent, Fort Lewis College, Preston Roundy, (Mar 6, 2026)
-
Bridging the Divide: An ongoing exhibition at Colorado’s Fort Lewis College unites a region through Indigenous art, Native American Art Magazine (April/May 2026)
-
Center of Southwest Studies’ Exhibit Rooted in Landscape, People, and History of Southwest Colorado, Jamie Wanzek, Rocky Mountain Community Radio/KSUT (February 13, 2026)
-
New Art Exhibitions Offer Creative Interpretations of Native Survival and Endurance, hosted by Art Hughes, Native American Calling Podcast (February 6, 2026)
-
Review: FLC’s Center Southwest Studies Mounts Major Exhibition, Judith Reynolds, The Durango Herald (January 28, 2026)
-
Constellations of Place exhibition Invites Reflection on Belonging, History and Land at Fort Lewis College, FLC News (January 27, 2026)
-
Baker’s Art Featured in New FLC Exhibit, Divine Windy Boy, The Southern Ute Drum (January 23, 2026)
-
Constellations of Place, Paige Sparks, Durango Local News (January 19, 2026)
-
Layers of History: ‘Constellations of Place’ Honors Years of Statehood, as Well as People Who Came Before, Missy Votel, Durango Telegraph (January 15, 2026)
-
Center of Southwest Studies Presents ‘Constellations of Place’, Southern Ute Drum (December 24, 2025)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Appreciation is shared to all the guest artists whose creative expression enriches and defines the themes of this exhibition. Many thanks to the following for support with artwork loans, preparation, and installation:
As a museum, archives, research library, and the official archival and archaeological repository for Fort Lewis College, the Center of Southwest Studies offers educational and engaging enrichment through our many collections of material objects that connect the past to our ever-evolving present. The Center is sincerely grateful to the following whose donated works are represented in Constellations of Place:
- Richard and Mary Lyn Ballantine
- Stephen Britko
- Helen Sloan Daniels
- Bill and Sue Hensler
- Kenneth and Nancy Goodhue-McWilliams
- The Family of Robert F. Keel
- C.L. Hickman
- Warren Levingston
- E.E. Mckean
- J.J. Musser
- Mrs. Alfred (Betty) O’Meara, Jr.
- Marianne Spencer Pearlman & Joe Pearlman
- Judith Rueb
- Jill Soens
image slider caption: Kachina Song Blessings, Michael Kabotie (Lomawywesa -"Walking in Harmony"), Hopi Pueblo, Center of Southwest Studies collection 1994:04010