Press Release

History Colorado Center Offers Free Weekends during Home Stretch to Historic Election

h-co.org/democracy | #HistoryColorado

The History Colorado Center is going all-in on government for all. Denver’s beautiful Smithsonian-affiliate museum now offers free admission on every weekend leading up to the election on November 3. 

PRESS CONTACT:
John Eding, Communications and PR Manager
303-594-2133 (cell) | john.eding@state.co.us
PRESS IMAGES COURTESY HISTORY COLORADO

As ballots hit the mail and the presidential debates take center stage, visitors will find empowering insights about how we got to now in our political history. A safe haven for dialogue amid debate, the museum also offers new guided tours for families free of charge. Mandatory advance registration for all guests—space is limited to ensure safe social distancing—is available at h-co.org/democracy. This civic service to all Coloradans is made possible by History Colorado’s members.

All four floors of the 200,000 square-foot History Colorado Center have been transformed for This Is What Democracy Looks Like, an upbeat inspiration for renewed participation in election-year democracy. Developed in partnership with the Smithsonian, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith is the main attraction. Awe-inspiring national treasures dazzle guests while interactive elements spark conversation about civil rights, political debate, and compromise from the nation’s formation to today.

The Smithsonian exhibition is surrounded by five art exhibits and projects on every floor. With the force and emotion that only art can achieve, they enable guests to access ideas where words, facts, and scholarship can’t reach. All 11 featured artists are local to Colorado. Unity Square in the sun-drenched Anschutz Hamilton Hall ties it all together with interactive games and activities. A highly anticipated ground-floor display of Colorado’s 1909 Civil War Monument—toppled outside the Capitol on June 25—is also forthcoming, and all of the History Colorado Center’s core exhibits also remain on view.


Talking to Your Kids about Democracy
Small, curated tours for families. 
Saturdays in October, 10–11 a.m.
Free; Advance registration required
h-co.org/talking

The future of American Democracy is here today: your kids! Breeze into the History Colorado Center on Saturday mornings for fun, safe guided tours of This is What Democracy Looks Like, our series of colorful and fascinating exhibits on all four floors of our sparkling 200,000 square-foot facility. Enjoy an easy hour on the town while museum educators help your family connect over insightful, empowering discussions about government by and for the people. The restrooms are huge, the café is easy, and tumbleweed is your only competition for parking. Did we mention it’s free?

Best for children ages 6–12 and their caregivers. We’ll be exploring questions like: Why is voting important? Who gets to vote? What other ways do people participate?


SPONSORS AND CREDITS
American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith was developed by the National Museum of American History and adapted for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Denver presentation of American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith is sponsored by Peter and Rhondda Grant, the Abarca Family Foundation, Richard and Mary Lyn Ballantine, and Mary & George Sissel. This Is What Democracy Looks Like is sponsored by the donors to the Executive Director’s Innovation Fund.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that serves more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 141-year-old institution that operates Colorado’s oldest museum, nine additional museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and the State Historical Fund (SHF), which is the nation’s largest preservation program of its kind. The SHF currently administers more than 280 grants worth approximately $24 million in active distributions across the state. More than 70% of its grants are currently allocated in rural areas of Colorado.

History Colorado’s outlets are publishing Black voices, featuring Black artists, and confronting entrenched racism in historic preservation. Within the last year History Colorado has added curators of Latino Heritage and LGBTQ+ History to its staff, and added a full-time position to its Museum of Memory team, which works proactively to incorporate underserved communities and voices into its contemporary collecting initiative and other efforts. Its recent statement and historical essay on civil unrest have been widely shared by major news outlets.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and nine other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.