PRESS CONTACT                            
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations 
303-866-3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us 

Exhibitions and Events That Help Tell a More Complete History of Colorado:
New Exhibition- The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Opens April 14, 2023
The History Colorado Center is unveiling its newest exhibition, The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community, on April 14. This exhibition is a story of Black agricultural excellence that looks at the little known history of The Dry, a predominantly Black farming community in southeast Colorado, and the legacy of the powerful women who built and sustained this close-knit community. 

To celebrate the opening of The Dry: Black Women’s Legacy in a Farming Community, History Colorado is hosting an opening reception on April 14 from 6 – 8 p.m. This reception features stories from the last living resident of The Dry, and History Colorado staff, about this community and the Black experience in Colorado. Cash bar and light refreshments are available during the opening reception, and while this free event is open to the public, RSVP is required.

New Exhibition- Vision and Resolve | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | Opens April 21, 2023
The Center for Colorado Women’s History invites you to explore Vision and Resolve on April 21 through its exhibit gallery and historic house tour. This new exhibition illuminates how women and their social movements have impacted Colorado’s History. Focusing on suffragist, Ida Clark DePriest; gay rights activist, Mary Lopez Dussart; disability rights activist, Laura Hershey; civic activist, Anne Evans; and the women leaders of Casa Verde Mothers of Pueblo this exhibition allows visitors to experience their stories along with artifacts from the History Colorado Collection. Highlights include Equal Rights Amendment protest wear from the late 1970s and “Western Women Wild with Joy,” a newly acquired contemporary sculpture celebrating suffrage.

New Exhibition- Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | Opens April 28, 2023
The El Pueblo History Museum is opening its newest exhibition, which illustrates the diverse cultures and history of Southern Colorado from the perspective of a Japanese American photographer. Opening on April 28, Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto explores the world of a Japanese-born professional photographer who operated his own studio in Pueblo, Colorado, and captured everyday life from a broad range of communities, industries and landscapes for more than four decades from 1915 to 1958.

Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto features a curated collection of approximately three dozen of Muramoto’s photographs – including photos of himself, his family, and the community he lived in – as well as a selection of color films, which Muramoto was an early adopter of. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to explore the rich tapestry of southern Colorado through the eyes of a Japanese American photographer who operated a business during a time when people of Japanese ancestry, and others, were oppressed.

Bold Women. Change History. Presents: Susan Hudson | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum and Online | April 1, 12 – 1 p.m.
Tickets are free for this event but RSVP is required. 
Susan Hudson (Diné) is a renowned quilter from the Navajo Nation in Springs Sheep, New Mexico. Hudson's activism lies in her quilts that tell stories of her ancestors' experiences of the Long Walk and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that are not always welcome in Native American art collections, but she creates them anyway. Hudson has been commissioned to create quilts for the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Her dreams of her ancestors inspire her to create new stories in her quilts, turning this artform to activism. The Center for Colorado Women’s History is also hosting a complimentary watch party for Denvertites who would like to participate in Hudson’s talk.

Bold Women. Change History. The Summit: Featuring Alicia Garza | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 22, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. 
Tickets ($50-75) and additional information are available here.
On April 22, the History Colorado Center is hosting Bold Women. Change History. The Summit, a one-day gathering of bold women who take risks, innovate, and show up to create, disrupt, and transform our communities. Presented in partnership with Rose Women’s Hospital at Rose Medical Center, Bold Women. Change History. The Summit features several energizing talks and a keynote speech and book signing from civil rights activist, author, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza. 

Tickets for Garza’s keynote are included in admission to Bold Women. Change History. The Summit, but can also be purchased separately here. Additionally, accessible pricing discounts are available for the Bold Women. Change History. The Summit. Please use this discount code Access40 if you are experiencing financial hardship and the price of the ticket is a barrier to your participation (i.e. students, no- or low-income households).

A Celebration of API Heritage Through Food: Cultural Roots Night Market and Mix-tape | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 2, 6:30 - 9 p.m. 
In recognition of the numerous contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made, and continue to make, to Colorado, the History Colorado Center is hosting a free community event featuring food, festivity, and art. This event is closing out a year of the interactive art exhibition Colorado’s Asian Food Culture: Rice and Resilience at the History Colorado Center, which tells stories of the Asian diaspora in Colorado and the food legacy that is passed down through generations. While this free event is open to the public, RSVP is required.

John Taylor & Black Identity in the Ute Borderlands 
Online | April 5, 6 - 7 p.m.
This free online event explores the story of John Taylor, a freed black man who enlisted as a Buffalo Soldier following the Civil War and was sent west. Louis Gregory McAllister, professor of Ethnic Studies at Northern Arizona University, is discussing the history of how Taylor settled in southwestern Colorado, where he claimed to be “the first white man in the Pine River Valley,” and eventually married Kitty Cloud (Ute) and had four children before passing away in 1934 at the age of ninety-four. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Ongoing efforts to Tell a More Complete History of Colorado:
In addition to the events and exhibition openings in April, History Colorado has a number of ongoing efforts to promote a more complete history of the Centennial State. This includes a number of exhibitions that center the diverse populations of Colorado such as: 

• Our Borderlands of Southern Colorado exhibition series at sites across the state, which explores the shifting geopolitical history of southern Colorado
• Rainbows & Revolutions (at the History Colorado Center) exploring how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow
• The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal that Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever (at the History Colorado Center) telling the history of this betrayal from the perspectives of Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal representatives
• Written on the Land (at the Ute Indian Museum and History Colorado Center) telling the story of Colorado’s longest continuous residents, told in their own voices
• Colorado Stories (at the History Colorado Center) where El Movimiento explores the Chicano/a rights movement of the 1960s-70s and Mountain Haven: Lincoln Hills looks at the lived experiences of Black Coloradans in a segregated America

History Colorado also actively engages with the communities we serve to make our collection and museums more accurately represent their diversity. This happens through programs such as the Museum of Memory public history initiative, Black Community Engagement efforts, the Chicano Murals of Colorado Project, and modern collection practices which are headed up by our expert curators.

April Events:
Northside Memory Project Celebration | Denver, CO
MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater | April 1, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
History Colorado’s Museum of Memory – in collaboration with Northside Arts Collective, Denver Arts and Venues and the Museum of Contemporary Art – invites you to celebrate the culmination of the Northside Memory Project. This project collects and preserves the collective history of North Denver residents and shares the stories and photographs that tie the community together. All are invited to celebrate through food, music and story sharing. Tickets to this event are free and open to the public, but RSVP is required.

House Museum Book Club | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | April 2, 12:30 - 2 p.m.
Join the Center for Colorado Women's History and the Molly Brown House Museum online or in-person for a collaborative book club hosted by two of Denver’s historic house museums. We chose six titles to read and discuss in 2023. On April 2nd at 12:30 p.m., book club members are discussing The Spoilt Quilt and Other Frontier Stories, edited by Hazel Rumney. Registration is required for this free event.

Vecinos Community Coffee | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | April 6, 8 - 10 a.m.
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center invites you to join them for warm beverages, good platica, and a conversation with neighbors. This is a free event to provide space for community sharing and gathering. This event is located in the Mess Hall at Fort Garland Museum with parking and entrance available at the rear of the building.

Folklorico Community Dance Class | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | Every Friday in April, 4 - 5 p.m.
Learn the art of Folklorico Dance through this fun and engaging class at the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center. This class is free and open to adults and students in grades 6-12. Class is held every Friday in April from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Mad Hatter’s Garden Tea Party | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | April 8, 2 - 4 p.m.
Tickets ($10-15) and additional information available here.
Join the Trinidad History Museum for a tea party on the beautiful Bloom lawns! Featuring teas from the Trinidad Tea Company served alongside finger sandwiches, scones, and fresh fruits, this event is a great way to welcome spring to the Centennial State. In case of inclement weather, the tea party will be moved inside the historic Bloom Mansion. Reservations are required for this event so make sure to secure your spot by purchasing a ticket online or by contacting Millie Duren at emily.duren@state.co.us or 719-846-7217.

Writing In the Museum | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 13, 1 - 3 p.m.
Tickets ($15) and additional information available here. 
History Colorado, in partnership with Lighthouse Writers, is offering a series of writing workshops. A professional writer will lead participants through writing exercises as they explore the four floors of exhibitions at History Colorado Center and draw inspiration from the displays. Cost of this event covers admission to the museum and tickets can be purchased in advance here.

Find Your Inner Peas Garden Tea | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | April 14, with seatings at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. 
Tickets ($30-35) and additional information available here. 
Join the Center for Colorado Women’s History for a cup of tea and a tour of our historic house museum and, weather permitting, our beautiful gardens. The Center for Colorado Women’s History is offering seatings at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., both of which are professionally catered and feature the signature Lady Evans Tea. Some dietary restrictions can be accommodated as indicated in ticket options for this event.

Historic Arvada Walking Tour | Arvada, CO 
April 15, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets ($30-40) and additional information are available here.
Tours & Treks 2023 slate of adventures continues on April 15 with a walking tour of historic Arvada. Gracing Denver’s northwestern quarter, Arvada’s downtown has great stories to share with inquisitive tour goers. With historic buildings, tales of champions of religious and racial tolerance, and delicious spots to stop for snacks along the way, downtown Arvada gives us a little of every time period in the city’s history. 

Displaced Aurarians Memory Workshop | Denver, CO
St. Cajetan’s | April 15, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Join History Colorado’s Museum of Memory team and the Auraria community in the collaborative planning of a new exhibit to be featured at the Auraria Library. During the meeting, people can reflect on the developments from previous memory workshops as well as next steps in the exhibition planning process. Attendees receive complimentary parking as well as free breakfast burritos. Tickets to the workshop are free but advanced registration is required.  

Heirloom Apple Grafting Class | Montrose, CO
Ute Indian Museum | April 15, 1 - 4 p.m.
Tickets ($70) and additional information available here.
Join the staff at the Ute Indian Museum for a lesson on how to graft apple trees and explore the fruit growing history in the region. Participants receive up to 3 rootstocks and scions, a grafting knife, wax, and bands for their trees, as well as new growth cuttings including a scion from the Chipeta Apple Tree growing at the museum near Chipeta’s grave.

Rosenberry Lecture Series Presents- The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site: From its Establishment to its Essential Role Today | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center and Online | April 19, 1 - 3:30 p.m & 7 - 9:30 p.m.
Tickets ($10-15) and additional information here.
History Colorado’s Rosenberry Lecture Series continues on April 19 with a panel discussion of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and its evolution over the last 25 years. This panel features descendents of survivors of the massacre, historians, and the current Superintendent of the National Historic Site. Collectively, these experts will reflect on how the challenges leading to the designation of the national historic site, and its presence since then, has impacted tribal communities and public perceptions of the Sand Creek Massacre and its ongoing legacy. This event has both a hybrid option from 1 - 3:30 p.m. and an in-person only option from 7 - 9:30 pm.

2023 Stephen H. Hart Awards | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 19, 5 - 8 p.m.
Join History Colorado as we celebrate our annual Stephen H. Hart Awards for outstanding archaeology and historic preservation projects from across the state. This year, the State Historic Preservation Office is recognizing the work at the Penrose School; the Pancratia Hall Lofts, a project which retrieved and archived significant state documents; ongoing work at Granada Japanese-American Internment Camp; and preservation efforts in downtown La Junta, CO.

It will be an event to mingle with awardees, state officials, History Colorado staff, and fellow history and preservation buffs. For more information or questions, contact Sara Kappel; sara.kappel@state.co.us; 303-549-6190. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required.

Earth Day: Indigenous Music & Arts Festival | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | April 22, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
El Pueblo History Museum, Storytellers of the Ancestral Red Road (SOAR), Colorado State University-Pueblo, and the Pueblo Levee Project are hosting a family-friendly Indigenous music and arts festival for Earth Day 2023 at the El Pueblo History Museum. This event features local Indigenous musical and dance groups along with headliner Ed Kabotie and the Yoties from Arizona.

Attendees can also enjoy an artisan market where they can engage with local artists to purchase their works, as well as sample food from local vendors.There is also an opportunity to create a collective art piece, and access to chalk art and other kid-friendly activities. Additionally, community organizations dedicated to Earth stewardship will be on site to provide information and offer educational programming throughout this free event.

Convocamos: Considering the Legacy of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 24, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Gather with History Colorado and the Denver community for a discussion examining the legacy of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and its lasting impacts on Southern Colorado. On display at History Colorado Center until May 22nd, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, required Mexico to relinquish more than half of its land, and established a new international border. Shifting the U.S.-Mexico border transformed the citizenship, rights, and property claims of the Mexican nationals residing in the region and despite the treaty’s assurances, regional residents were eventually dispossessed of their lands and wealth. 

This evening includes a reception featuring light refreshments and a cash bar, followed by a panel discussion with:

• Dr. Nicki Gonzales, associate professor of History and vice provost for diversity and inclusion at Regis University 
• Dr. Nick Saenz, associate professor of History at Adams State University 
• Aaron Abyeta, lifelong resident of Colorado, author of five collections of poetry and one novel, and Board of Directors member for History Colorado
• Moderator Eric Carpio, chief community museum officer for History Colorado & director of Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center 

Tickets to this event are free but RSVP is encouraged.

Pueblo Levee Mural Meet and Greet | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | April 27, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Meet renowned Pueblo Levee Mural Artists and engage in discussions about the history of both old and new Pueblo Levee Murals, while learning how to submit mural designs, and discover what opportunities there are for mural artists. This event includes Q&A with the Pueblo Levee Mural Artists and is free and open to the public with no reservation required. 

El Día del Niño | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | April 30, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Celebrate one of the most exciting and vibrant events of the year at the History Colorado Center on April 30 when we commemorate El Día del Niño, the Day of the Child, with free admission to our museum and live performances from local and international artists. Everyone is welcome to explore the museum and all of its exhibits free of charge throughout the day. In addition to the free offerings at the History Colorado Center, the Center for Colorado Women’s History, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver Art Museum, and Denver Public Library are offering free events on April 30. 

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 143-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

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 10 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. #HistoryColorado