Art Exhibits in the Center of Southwest Studies

By: Becca Day

The Center of Southwest Studies rotated new artifacts out to its art gallery exhibits, Treasures of the Southwest and Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Colorado’s Renaissance Man, and will hold an opening reception Feb. 21  at 5:00 p.m.

The art gallery opened a year ago but is rotating new items out of its collection into the gallery, Shelby Tisdale, director of the CSWS, said.

The Treasures of the Southwest is a rotating exhibit of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artwork in the CSWS that features a variety of art from the Durango collection, she said.

In the exhibit now are several Puebloan textiles from the collection, Tisdale said.

The artifacts are very old and some are recent acquisitions from donors, she said.

The Treasures of the Southwest exhibit also features a wide range of art, including pottery, paintings and mantas, she said.

The Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Colorado’s Renaissance Man features artwork from the life of Ben Campbell.

Campbell was a U.S. congressman, rancher, jewelry maker and much more,  Jeanne Brako, curator of collections of the CSWS, said.

Many of the artifacts in the Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Colorado’s Renaissance Man were donated by Campbell himself, Brako said.

One of the features of this exhibit is the furniture that sat in Campbell’s office when he was a U.S. congressman, Brako said.

The furniture was made by his son and sits in the exhibit in the same position it did in Campbell’s office, she said.

The exhibit also features some of the jewelry Campbell made, she said.

The CSWS will continue to feature a rotation of artwork in these permanent exhibits, Tisdale said.