Past Events

Location: CSWS Lyceum and Courtyard, Free and Open to the Public

Hosted by the Center of Southwest Studies and Reed Library

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Free and Open to the Public

In this year of the 150^th anniversary of La Plata County, author and historian Andrew Gulliford will provide an overview of the women, men, and places unique to La Plata County since its inception in 1874. Gulliford will tell tales of Buffalo soldiers, female jackpackers, prospectors, miners, gunslingers, farmers, ranchers, and businessmen who started railroads, restaurants, and banks. He will discuss a toll road, the start of the U.S. Forest Service, a famous murder, and the long shadow of the Ku Klux Klan. He will describe our evolution from being a rural and remote agricultural and industrial county to a tourist and mountain bike mecca with second homes, a four-year college, and a growing economy. The audience can ask questions, tell stories, and help speculate on the next 150 years of our outstanding Colorado county.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Gallery, Free and Open to the Public

How can we team up the arts and sciences to creatively engage climate change across disciplinary perspectives and with communities? 

The Center of Southwest Studies has partnered with the University of Colorado Boulder to present the exhibition, Coloradans and our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change, currently on view in the Center's galleries through February 7, 2025. As part of this exhibition, the Center is excited to convene a panel of guest artists and scientists to discuss how artistic practice can engage with the scientific understanding of climate change and create meaningful content that addresses these issues we face collectively.

Join us for an evening of discussion and ideas, and walk away inspired!

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Gallery

Join us in celebrating the summer solstice on Thursday, June 20. At the dawn of the solstice, a spiral of sunlight from the Center's solstice window makes its way across the gallery walls, creating an impressive display. Arrive early to ensure you don't miss the display! Light refreshments will be provided, along with music by keyboardist Jonas Grushkin.

Location: Community Concert Hall, Fort Lewis College

Free and open to the public.

Join us for a special preview of the Solstice Project's latest Chaco film, Written on the Landscape: Mysteries Beyond Chaco Canyon, with an in-person introduction by Craig Childs. The film addresses the Ancestral Puebloan culture's complex astronomy, which reveals a legacy of scientific observation and spiritual tradition that continues to have a powerful impact on the American Southwest.

This event is sponsored by the San Juan Basin Archeological Society, the Durango Public Library, the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies, and the Community Concert Hall. 

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum

Join us for an engaging presentation focusing on the Aztec Ruins Historic Inscriptions Project, funded by the National Park Service through Archaeology Southwest. This event highlights efforts to document and preserve historic inscriptions at Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Celebrate Star Wars Day by visiting the Return of the Force exhibition at the Center of Southwest Studies!

Saturday, May 4, 2024
Open House: 9:00 AM – Noon
Free and Open to the Public

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Fort Lewis College and via Zoom

Sponsored by the Center of Southwest Studies and FLC's Adventure Education Department

Historian and explorer Steve Allen discusses his many years investigating the canyon country of Southern Utah, addressing his family’s history of desert exploration, his interest in documenting history on the ground, and his thoughts about the ongoing battles over land protection in Utah.

Steve is a widely recognized expert on the human history of the canyon lands of Southern Utah. His popular 'Canyoneering' series of hiking guides is considered a “go-to” source for accurate information.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Fort Lewis College

Sponsored by the CSWS & FLC's Diversity Collaborative

Join us for a special screening of Making of buffalo soldiers: reVision, a film following eight well-known contemporary artists from around the U.S. as they create the dynamic and thought-provoking exhibition buffalo soldiers: reVision at History Colorado's Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center. Led by artist Chip Thomas, the contributors to buffalo soldiers: reVision explore the complicated legacy of Buffalo Soldiers, the all-Black Army regiments established in 1866 following the Civil War. Stationed in places like Colorado's own Fort Garland and Fort Lewis, these regiments played an active role in American westward expansion and the displacement of Indigenous populations.

The film screening will be followed by a discussion with Johnny Taylor Valdez and artists Chip Thomas, Esther Belin, and Rosie Carter. The panel will be moderated by Eric Carpio, director of the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center.

Light refreshments provided. The Center's exhibition gallery will be open prior to the event from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Gallery, Fort Lewis College

Ron Garnanez is a Diné (Navajo) shepherd and fiber artist from Waterflow, New Mexico. Raised in Oak Springs, Arizona, Ron is well known for his weavings and his love of Diné culinary traditions. Ron began to weave and work with wool as a child, learning the art of weaving from his grandmother. Ron has also been a sheep rancher all his life. He and his family have raised over 200 head of Navajo Churro sheep and goats, keeping the tradition of sheep ranching alive. Ron works with the Diné Bé’Iiná, Rainbow Fiber Co-op, and Peach Tree Project of Santa Fe, and has been recognized by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture for his weavings. This event is open to the public.