Exhibits | Center of Southwest Studies | Fort Lewis College

January 15–December 18, 2026

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 will feature 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.

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.

Opening Thursday, February 11, 2027

The Center of Southwest Studies is pleased to present 32 recent additions to the Bill and Sue Hensler Contemporary Native Art Collection. Built over decades of collecting and cultivating close friendships with artists, these paintings and drawings join more than 1,500 works the Henslers generously donated to the Center beginning in the early 2000s, along with printed materials about over 900 artists and institutions that are housed in the Center’s archives. Together, this collection reflects their enduring commitment to artists and to bringing Indigenous perspectives and creative expression to wider audiences. 

Opening Thursday, February 11, 2027

A traveling exhibition from History Colorado, The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community looks at the little-known history of a predominantly Black farming community in southeast Colorado, and the legacy of the powerful women who built and sustained this close-knit community.