Past Events

Location: CSWS Gallery

Free and open to all! Light refreshments provided.

Parking on campus is free during the summer, May to August.

Join us in celebrating the summer solstice on Sunday, June 21. At the dawn of the solstice, a spiral of sunlight from the Center's solstice window makes its way across the gallery walls. Arrive early to ensure you don't miss the impressive display.

As the sun reaches the building, you are invited to join us in creating a cyanotype print in the Center’s courtyard!  All supplies will be provided, but bringing personal knickknacks and small objects is encouraged.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum (Room 120) 

Free + Open to All, Refreshments will be offered in the CSWS Reception Room 

The CSWS is pleased to partner with Dr. Rebecca Austin, Fort Lewis College Professor of Anthropology & Environmental Studies, for a special event that will share screenings of two episodes of the award-winning documentary series VS. GOLIATH: Appalachia and Greater Chaco. A brief intermission will be held between films, followed by a panel discussion at 6:00 p.m. with in-person and virtual guests.

Location: Robert Delaney Southwest Research Library and Archives

Free and open to all.

Celebrating Earth Day & FLC Arts April!

Join us for the closing reception of Herpetofauna of the Center: A Collection of Scales, which showcases a selection of objects from the museum collection that feature reptiles and amphibians as subject matter. The pieces represent an array of artistic media, stylistic choices, and cultural contexts. Herpetofauna is curated by recent Fort Lewis College graduate, Lacy Miller, whose aim is to draw attention to the importance of herpetofauna to ecosystems around the globe.

Image Credit: Evan Benally Atwood, Window Rock, AZ

Location: CSWS Lyceum (Room 120)

Free and open to all.

Celebrating Earth Day & FLC Arts April!

Join us at the Center of Southwest Studies for a special artist talk with Diné photographer and curator, Rapheal Begay. 

Rapheal is a “visual storyteller” based in Tségháhoodzání (Window Rock, Arizona), who uses cultural landscape photography, Indigenous storytelling traditions, and land-based knowledge to inform his creative practice, and to preserve memory and understanding found within the Diné way of life. 

Location: Noble 130

Free and open to all!

Join Center of Southwest Studies Director, Dr. Cory Pillen, and Collections Manager & Fort Lewis College NAGPRA Coordinator, Amy Cao, as they discuss the exciting collaboration between The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s (The Met) Department of Scientific Research, the Center of Southwest Studies, and the FLC Chemistry Department. Over a week of creative inquiry, faculty, staff, students, and select community partners learned how to conduct materials research locally, building long-term capacity for interdisciplinary teaching and ethical, community-centered collections stewardship in the Southwest.

This event is hosted by the FLC Professional Associates’ Life-Long Learning program. Learn more here.

Location: CSWS Gallery

Free and open to the public.

Join us Saturday evening for a special open house, with light refreshments provided by the Colorado 150 SW group.

Constellations of Place, guest curated by Dr. Meranda Roberts (Yerington Paiute, Chicana), is a major exhibition rooted in the landscapes and layered histories of Southwest Colorado.  Featuring a selection of works from the Center of Southwest Studies' permanent collections alongside the work of thirteen contemporary Native American, Indigenous, and Latinx artists, Constellations of Place resists romanticized visions of the region and instead affirms these communities’ artistic practices as acts of memory, relation, and survivance. This exhibition and related programming are 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” initiative.

Refreshments: 5:00-6:00 PM

Author Discussion: 6:00-7:30 PM

Location: CSWS Lyceum (room 120)

Join five authors of articles in the Colorado 150 Southwest "Power of Place" Commemorative Magazine as they discuss the topics of SW Colorado's history and heritages.  This moderated panel will provide a chance for authors and the audience to take a deeper dive into the topics of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition, the Hayden Survey in Southwest Colorado, wildlife management in our corner of the state, the role of agriculture in the region, and contemporary Southern Ute woman leadership.

Featuring:

• Linda Baker (Southern Ute) - Native Women Leaders
• Pat Dorsey - Southwest Colorado’s Wildlife Management
• Robert McDaniel - Dominguez-Escalante Expedition
• Scott Perez - Agricultural Heritage

• John Peel - Hayden Survey

Come early and enjoy the Center's newest exhibit, Constellations of Place with light refreshments provided by the Colorado 150 SW group.

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 15 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.

Live music provided by DJ Béeso (Kino Benally) and baked goods by Sweet N Cakey!

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.

The exhibition runs from January 15–December 18, 2026

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Main Gallery

Free and Open to the Public

The Center of Southwest Studies (the Center) will host readings by Fort Lewis College students in the Native American & Indigenous Studies Diné Poetics course. Under the mentorship of FLC faculty member and 2025–26 Center Teaching Fellow Dr. Shaina Nez (Táchii’nii born for Áshįįhi), students will share original poems and creative works inspired by their learning and in response to objects featured in the Center’s current exhibitions.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Main Gallery

Free and Open to the Public

The Center of Southwest Studies is excited to host an immersive workshop exploring connections between sound, music, and the land with Diné musician Kino Benally (@djbeeso). Participants will learn how Kino creates music using software like Ableton, then step outside to discover sounds in the environment—anything from rustling leaves to striking stones. Each participant will contribute a unique sound, which Kino will record and mix into a collaborative song created during the workshop.

Attendees are encouraged to bring an instrument or any objects that create sound!