Past Events

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. 

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 Exhibition Gallery

Join the Center for the opening of Coloradans and our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change, an exhibition that highlights the deep connections Coloradans have with the state's natural landscape and, through it, with each other. The artwork included in the exhibition was produced by teams of artists and scientists grappling with the various ways Coloradans are experiencing the interrelated challenges of fire, drought, water, and air quality in their communities. The exhibition was organized by CU Boulder's Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship in partnership with the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) and the Boulder County Arts Alliance.

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.

Location: Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Fort Lewis College

Join the fun by participating in a trivia event hosted by FLC's History Club and the Center of Southwest Studies on Groundhog Day. Whether you're competing solo or with friends, enjoy snacks, refreshments, and the chance to win fabulous prizes. Don't miss this opportunity to test your knowledge and celebrate history! This event is open to the public.

The Center's exhibition gallery will be open prior to the event from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.

Location: CSWS Gallery

Celebrate and discuss Indigenous Futurity, a mural that shares a story of the continuance of Indigenous culture, from students' work connecting to their nations through museum collections. Collaborating artists will share their stories and perspectives at a panel discussion in the Center of Southwest Studies Gallery on November 13th, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

Throughout Maymester 2023, students put their minds together as one to visualize a future in which a sense of belonging rooted in Traditional Knowledge and strengthening of inter-tribal relationships thrives. Indigenous peoples’ histories and cultures are more than the acts of genocide from the colonial governance they endured, but the absolute resiliency their ancestors possessed to maintain their ways of life and create new traditions, which exists with each one of our artists.

For more information on the mural and the artists involved see: Indigenous Futurity

This program is one of FLC's Native American Heritage Month events, sponsored by the Diversity Collaborative and the Native American Center.