Past Events

Native artists and guest curators, Duane Koyawena and Landis Bahe, select and exhibit skateboard decks with custom artworks. Skaters, artists and the young-at-heart will love this visually exciting exhibit.

The Opening Reception, scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th ~ 5:00-7:00 pm in the CSWS Museum has been postponed indefinitely until further notice. 

Drs. Webster and Tisdale will share their observations based on their travels to Oaxaca, Mexico in March 2019 with Native American weavers, a wildlife biologist, a graduate students and a documentary filmmaker as they visited indigenous weaving communities to study and exchange traditional weaving technologies.

Wednesday, March 4th ~ 5:30 pm ~ CSWS Lyceum #120

The Center of Southwest Studies will host a free presentation from Aurum Labs, “Fort Lewis College Alumni Talk Cannabis Science” on Wednesday, November 6^th at 5:30 pm in the Center’s Lyceum Room #120.

Aurum Labs, formed in 2014 by two Fort Lewis College alums, was one of the first fully certified analytical cannabis testing labs in the state. Born out of a desire to legitimize the industry and make products safe for consumers thru good cannabis science, the lab continues to grow and currently employs twenty people, nine of which are Fort Lewis College graduates.

Luke Mason, owner and Laboratory Director of Aurum Laboratories, obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Fort Lewis College and a Master’s Degree in Analytical Chemistry from Colorado State University. Prior to co-founding Aurum Labs, Mason worked as a Production Manager at a Medical Marijuana Cultivation facility and a local small-scale compost company. Mason has made numerous contributions to Aurum Labs including the development of Aurum’s Quality System, Potency and Pesticide Methodologies and participation in multiple industry working groups.  He is currently on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association.

This presentation will feature Luke Mason and a few of his employees/ FLC alums on hand to discuss the science of cannabis testing.

The Center’s 2019-2020 Doctoral Fellow Cony Márquez presented on her doctoral dissertation, Voices of Women in the Mexican Army: 1936-2018, on Wednesday, October 16^th at 5:30 pm in the Center’s Lyceum Room #120.

On the 150th Anniversary of John Wesley Powell's first Colorado River Run, retired Justice Gregory Hobbs of the Colorado Supreme Court will revisit Powell's journeys into the Colorado River Plateau and his genius as a first-hand leading spokesperson of the western experience.

Friday, September 20th - 5:30 p.m. - Fort Lewis College Ballroom - Free.

This driving tour will focus on sites near Ophir and Telluride related to the development of alternating current, and will include information on early energy entrepreneurs like L.L. Nunn, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse. Part of the Durango History Live! programming.

Saturday, September 7th - 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Limited to 25 participants. Tickets: $15 for CSWS members, $25 for non-members. Lunch on your own in Telluride.
Call for reservations: 970-247-7456.

The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College is celebrating its 55^th anniversary with a gala on Thursday, August 22^nd from 6:00-9:00 pm in the Center’s Plaza. Tickets are $100.00 supporting the Center’s educational programming aimed at student success. Attendees will be treated to live guitar music, a performance from the college’s Ballet Folklorico, and delicious food and beverages. Please visit www.fortlewis.edu/55thgala for ticketing and charitable contribution information. Limited seating. Please make your reservation by August 16^th.

The Center wraps up the summer series with Ruth Lambert's Documentation of Three Hispano Cemeteries along the San Juan River, on Wednesday, August 21st. The year's series theme is Hispanidad!, dovetailing with our newly updated Treasures of the Southwest exhibit featuring items from our Hispanic collections.

The Center welcomes Frank Graziano. He'll present on Historic Churches of New Mexico: A Visual Tour, on Wednesday, August 7th. The year's series theme is Hispanidad!, dovetailing with our newly updated Treasures of the Southwest exhibit featuring items from our Hispanic collections. The lectures take place in the Center's Lyceum Room #120 at 1:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.

The Summer Lecture Series continues with Andy Gulliford returning to give a talk about, La Estrella del Pastor - Hispano Sheepherders from Colorado and New Mexico: Culture, Tradition, and Sheepscapes, on Wednesday, July 24th. The lectures take place in the Center's Lyceum Room #120 at 1:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.