Press Release

Horses, Indigenous Art, Urban Tours, Military History, and Much More Offered by History Colorado in January 2022

DENVER — January features a range of different programs and events, as well as last chances to explore culturally significant exhibits at History Colorado museums and historic sites across the state.

PRESS CONTACT
Shadia Lemus, Director of Marketing and Communications
720-560-5981 | shadia.lemus@state.co.us

Offerings include a talk by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, and a number of year-long series that offer insight into the practices of museum professionals as well as the history of the Centennial State and its diverse peoples. Additionally, History Colorado will be partnering with Colorado State University in opening the first of three new educational facilities in the heart of Denver.

CSU SPUR Opening | Denver, CO
CSU Vida building | Opens Jan. 15, 2022
Free to the public | additional info available here.

History Colorado is excited to announce its partnership with Colorado State University for the opening of its new Vida building at the CSU Spur site. Community members are invited to visit the Vida building, the opening of which coincides with the upcoming National Western Stock Show, and see the exciting research and education being offered at CSU campuses. Vida is the first of three educational centers being opened at the Spur site and will focus on developments in research and healthcare of animals and humans.

On Jan. 15, from 9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m., History Colorado will display elements of the Power of Horses exhibit to the Vida building as part of the CSU Day celebration. This display will give visitors a taste of History Colorado’s newest exhibit which celebrates the foundational impact of horses in American culture. History-focused hands-on activities also will be available.

Bold Women. Change History: Joy Harjo | Denver, CO
Hybrid in person/online event | Jan. 19, 2022, 7-8:00 p.m.
Tickets ($10-15) and information are available here.

History Colorado is excited to host United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo of the Muscogee Nation. Harjo broke barriers in becoming the first Native American to hold the title of Poet Laureate as well as the second individual to serve three terms in the role. The author of nine books, multiple plays, children’s stories, as well as two memoirs, will share stories that draw from her life experiences. Tickets for this event are available for both an in person experience, at History Colorado Center, and online from the comfort of your home.

The Power of Horses | Press Release / Press Kit
History Colorado Center | Open through May 9, 2022
Tickets ($0–14) and info: historycolorado.org/horses

A new exhibit included in general admission at no extra charge, The Power of Horses will delight visitors of all ages through a satisfying mix of captivating artifacts, pop-culture cues, and engaging activities. Drawn from stories shared by community organizations and individuals from across the state, this exhibition sets a nostalgic, and enthusiastic, tone as it celebrates horse’s foundational presence in American popular culture. This new exhibit fills the museum’s intimate Ballantine Gallery, sun-soaked Anschutz Hamilton Hall, and extends into the Makerspace where all visitors are invited to engage in a number of different crafts and activities that range from historical to adorable.

Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute): “Merciless Indian Savages” | Montrose, CO
Ute Indian Museum | Open through Jan. 31, 2022

This powerful exhibit attempts to answer the question of “what does American Democracy mean to someone who was insulted in its founding document?” Greg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute) uses his work to unveil political processes that detrimentally impact Native peoples, and fight for a more inclusive future. By collecting the works that confront the painful past, and using the words of Thomas Jefferson as his exhibit title, Deal explores how Indigenous peoples stay true to themselves while being part of a culture which has historically stereotyped and marginalized them.

Folklórico Espectacular featuring Amalia Hernández | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | Open through Jan. 31, 2022

This exhibit explores and celebrates the origins of Ballet Folklórico in Mexico, its arrival in the United States, and the people who brought it to Pueblo where it remains a vibrant and celebrated tradition to this day. Featuring photos which chronicle the life and performances of Mexican choreographer Amalia Hernández, a pioneer of Ballet Folklórico, Folklórico Espectacular displays the diverse, yet shared, cultural arts of Mexico which continue to be celebrated through competitions today.

Unsilenced: Indigenous Enslavement in Southern Colorado | Fort Garland, CO
Exhibition | Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center

This ongoing exhibit at Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center features the work of artist jetsonorama which incorporates historic photos of Indigenous captives and images from an 1865 census of enslaved Indigenous people in present-day Conejos and Costilla Counties. Unsilenced: Indigenous Enslavement in Southern Colorado is part of the Borderlands of Southern Colorado initiative which centers Chicano, Indigenous, and Mestizo perspectives within its speaker series, memory projects, and additional exhibits at History Colorado museums.

Borderlands of Southern Colorado: The Santa Fe Trail | Trinidad, CO
Exhibition | Trinidad History Museum

On view inside a historic Santa Fe Trail-era adobe structure that is almost 150 years old, Borderlands of Southern Colorado: The Santa Fe Trail examines intertwined local histories of trade and migration formed along shifting lines of culture, climate, diplomacy, and politics. Visitors can explore people and policies that frame a living history of southern Colorado spanning centuries, and empires, all the way to our present-day lives and livelihoods as part of the ongoing Borderlands of Southern Colorado initiative.

Museum Basics: Loans, Exhibits, & Insurance
Online | Jan. 12, 2022, 5-7:00 p.m.
Tickets ($25) and info available here.

History Colorado is excited for the return of our professionals series: Museums Basics on Jan. 12, 2022. This opening session will cover incoming and outgoing loans, using collections for exhibit development, and insuring your collections. This bi-monthly series covers a variety of topics for employees and volunteers so they can better understand the basics of working in cultural institutions, such as museums, libraries, and archives. Tickets are available for individual classes, as well as the entire series, and special institutional tickets are available for organizations interested in having multiple staffers participate in the six sessions of 2022.

Colfax Bus Tour | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Jan. 13, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Tickets ($65-75) and information available here.

Tours and Treks will begin its 2022 series on Jan. 13, 2022, with a bus tour along the entire 26-mile length of Colfax Avenue. Stretching from Golden to Aurora, Colfax is a microcosm of Denver society which will be explored as tour goers move from city to city and see how the roadway evolved from a neighborhood street to a US Highway. Each city will tell a different tale, including  motor hotels for tourists in Lakewood, the image improvement efforts in Denver, and the major redevelopment projects in Aurora. This event is wheelchair accessible and requires no street walking.

InSights & InPerson Connections:
The Training and Deployment of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II

Online | Jan. 20, 2022, 6-7:00 p.m.
Tickets ($3-5) and info available here

The Insights & InPerson adult learning series will kick off 2022 by welcoming Dr. Chris Juergens, the Anschutz Associate Curator of Military History at History Colorado, to discuss the training and deployment of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II. Unlike most western countries, the United States did not have a dedicated mountain and ski division prior to the second World War, forcing it to play catch-up. Colorado was selected as the home for a new unit dedicated to this kind of specialized warfare. After years of training, the 10th Mountain Division participated in the brutal fighting in Italy during the last offensives of World War II in Europe.

Explore The 5280
History Colorado Center | year-round

12th Avenue outside of the History Colorado Center is part of The 5280, a five-mile urban trail that weaves through vibrant communities and key landmarks. Discover the route on the Downtown Denver Partnership’s website and enjoy a new bicycle-focused art installation for the project at the northwest corner of 12th and Lincoln outside of the museum.

HISTORY COLORADO PRESS ROOM

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 142-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 History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is the nation’s largest preservation program of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state.

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.