Past Events

Center of Southwest Studies Exhibition Gallery 

Free and open to the public (early arrival is suggested to secure a seat).

The Department of Native American & Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at Fort Lewis College will hold its inaugural fashion showcase in the Center of Southwest Studies Exhibition Gallery, highlighting wearable creations made by students in the semester-long course Native American Art & Culture, co-taught by Esther Belin (Diné) and Dr. Majel Boxer (Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Reservation). 

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum

Light Refreshments Provided

Join us for an evening of reflection and storytelling as we honor the remarkable legacy of Dr. Duane Smith at Fort Lewis College.

A beloved professor, historian, and prolific author, Duane Smith left an indelible mark on students, colleagues, and the broader community. His passion for history, quick wit, and dedication to teaching shaped generations of students and brought Colorado’s past to life through more than 50 books and countless lectures.

This special event will feature a panel of colleagues and friends sharing personal remembrances, followed by an open forum where attendees are invited to share their own stories. We welcome all who knew Duane or were touched by his work to join us in celebrating his life and contributions.

This event was made possible through a generous gift from Al Harper.

Location: Art Hall 156 (Printmaking Lab), Art & Design Building

The Center of Southwest Studies is pleased to bring to campus innovative Diné textile weaver and Fort Lewis College alum, Venancio Aragon, for a demonstration of natural wool dyeing using native and invasive plants. Venancio will share the same process he uses to create the wool skeins for his incredible polychromatic textiles. This opportunity is free and open to the community. Drop in and meet Venancio and learn about his studio practice as a dynamic Navajo textile artist, made even more fascinating with his background in anthropology and his experiences as a Fort Lewis College alum of the Native American and Indigenous Studies program.

Location: CSWS Rm #271 (upstairs conference room)

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR FLC FACULTY AND LOCAL EDUCATORS! 

Bring your lunch and join us at the Center of Southwest Studies for an overview of Object-Based Learning and ways you can integrate the Center’s dynamic collections into your teaching practice. This hourlong session will also include brief presentations by the Center’s 2023-’24 Teaching Fellows, Paige Belinte (Diné), MEd, and Candace Nadon, PhD, who will share how they worked with the Center’s collections to enhance their students’ learning experiences.

Location: CSWS Gallery, Free

The producers of Native Braids will perform an excerpt of an upcoming episode--a story exploring the backstory and enduring success of professional speed skier Ross Anderson (Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache). Following the performance, we'll have a Q&A with Ross Anderson, who holds numerous national and world titles, and is currently still the fastest American on skis at 154.06 miles per hour. Anderson was raised in Durango and grew up skiing runs at Purgatory Resort before finding a passion for speed skiing at the age of 22. Following an impressive career as a professional athlete, Anderson made history once again in 2024 when he became the first Native American to be inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Native Braids is an audio storytelling project created by independent producer Adam Burke in collaboration with KSUT Tribal Radio. The project brings together an array of Native American voices from across the Southwest through conversations and storytelling. Learn more about Native Braids.

Location: CSWS Lyceum, Free 

The Center of Southwest Studies will host a free screening of the recently released documentary, Navajo Solar Sunrise, which tells the story of the Navajo Nation’s transition to clean energy through a community solar project. A panel discussion will follow the screening with the film’s director, Angelo Baca (Diné/Hopi), along with Dr. Laurie Williams (Professor of Physics and Engineering and founder of the FLC Navajo Nation Solar Initiative) and Camille Keith (Diné), Engineering ‘22 (FLC Marathon Solar Fellow).   

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: 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.