Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College

09/16/2026

📢The ICC Guide is LIVE! 🎉
Check it out, including the beautiful design work by Neebinnaukzhik Southall! ✨

The Center of Southwest Studies museum was part of the early contributors and adopters of this important framework. Peek 👀 a quote by Amy Cao, Collections Manager & NAGPRA Coordinator on page 82.
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The School for Advanced Research (SAR) is pleased to announce the release of the 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 (ICC Guide), a new, freely available resource designed to help museums and collecting institutions put culturally appropriate care of Native collections into practice.

Developed through five years of collaboration among Indigenous and non-Indigenous museum professionals, Tribal representatives, NAGPRA practitioners, and others, the project was led by Laura Bryant, Director of Repatriation at , and Marla Taylor, Curator of Collections at the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology (Phillips Academy), with Laura Elliff Cruz (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) of SAR serving as project manager.

The 20-section guide includes case studies, sample resources, and adaptable tools for institutions of different sizes and capacities—all grounded in meaningful consultation and relationships with Indigenous communities.

Download the free ICC Guide and explore accompanying webinars and resources at sarweb.org/iarc/icc.

09/14/2026

🍂Our fall event schedule continues next Thursday with a special presentation by artist, 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝-𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 ✨

📅 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒 | 𝟔:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌
📍 Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum (Room 120), Fort Lewis College
🎟️ Free & Open to All
🍂 Featured event of Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable History Live!

Darby is an award-winning Diné artist who specializes in digital collage and printmaking to create powerful portraits, landscapes, and abstract forms inspired by and derived from historic Diné textiles, with particular interest in weavings dating to the late 1800s-1950s. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions, such as 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒔: 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒊𝒏é 𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Santa Fe, NM), 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 at the Museum of Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, AZ), 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑰𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 at the S'edav Va'aki Museum Foundation (Phoenix, AZ), and 𝑻𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒔: 𝑴𝒊𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 at the ASU Art Museum.

➡ You can check out Darby's oversized digital collage, 𝑾𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆: 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝑻𝒔𝒆́ 𝑩𝒊𝒕’ 𝒂’𝒊́ is on view in our current exhibition, 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 through Dec. 18.
Fort Lewis College
FLC Native American Center
Fort Lewis College Art Gallery
Durango Creative District
Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable
Four Corners Museum Network
Four Corners Lecture Series
What's Happening Durango

08/28/2026

✨ Join us next week for an evening with National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Scott Graham!

📅 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐 | 𝟔:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌
📍 Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum (Room 120), Fort Lewis College
🎟️ Free & Open to All
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/scott-graham

Scott will take audiences behind the scenes of his acclaimed National Park Mystery Series, published by the environmental and social justice-focused Torrey House Press. He'll discuss his writing process, the inspiration behind the series, and how the landscapes of the American West shape his stories.

Newly released book ten in the series is 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆, set in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Book nine in the series, 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝑫𝒖𝒆𝒍, was a finalist for the 2025 Colorado Book Award. It features a villainous ultra-trail race across the Mojave Desert based in part on the annual Hardrock 100 ultra-trail race in Silverton.

Scott is based in Durango and, in addition to a thriving writing career, is an avid outdoorsman and advocate for public lands. In addition to his mysteries, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books, including 𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒅𝒔, and winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. Scott has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disc jockey, and coal-shoveling fireman on the steam-powered Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

⭐ This is a featured event of the 2026 Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable History Live!
Fort Lewis College
Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable
Torrey House Press
Scott Graham
What's Happening Durango

08/27/2026

Check out at this stunning textile Cristie wove! Cristie, Curator of Exhibitions & Educational Outreach, attended a week-long immersive workshop to learn more about the region's weaving traditions.

One happy student!!! From Durango Co. Cristie was one exemplary student. Thank you for taking your first weaving class with us!!!

08/21/2026

📢 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
Our August 26th presentation with local author and angler, Shelley Walchak, has been 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for your understanding and we will share out once we determine if this event will be rescheduled!

➡ There is a lot to look forward to with our 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 events coming up:
⭐ 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟐, 𝟔:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌:
Deadly Fun Learning, Mysteries that Champion Our National Parks with local author Scott Graham

⭐ 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟐𝟒, 𝟔:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌:
Woven Landscapes with Diné artist, Darby Raymond-Overstreet

⭐ 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟐𝟗, 𝟔:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌:
The Cedar Mesa Perishables Project, presentation and film screening with Zuni fiber artist Christopher Lewis and anthropologist Dr. Laurie Webster
What's Happening Durango
Durango Creative District
Fort Lewis College
Bears Ears Partnership
Torrey House Press
Woven Landscapes: An Artist Talk with Darby Raymond-Overstreet
Durango 9-R Title VI Native American Education
Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable
Four Corners Lecture Series

08/11/2026

The Center will be closed this Friday, August 14th! We apologize for any inconveniences, but we will resume our normal summer hours on Monday (Gallery: 1-4 PM, Library: By Appointment).

08/07/2026

✨𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧✨
We have an amazing lineup of programs that will kick-off in late August-November. CSWS events are always free and open to all. Full details: https://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/exhibits-events/upcoming-events

See you at the Center!
Fort Lewis College
FLC Native American Center
Fort Lewis College Art Gallery
Durango Creative District
What's Happening Durango
Durango 9-R Title VI Native American Education
Scott Graham
Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable
Visit Durango
Four Corners Lecture Series
Herstory Printmaking Collective
Torrey House Press
Bears Ears Partnership
Shelley Walchak
Meranda Roberts

08/05/2026

We are excited to have TWO amazing Center team members a part of Telluride Arts District's inaugural Social Justice Artist Grant recipients! If you're near Telluride tomorrow night (Aug 6), be sure to attend the gallery opening at Telluride Arts HQ to view the work of:
✨Amy Cao (Collections Manager & NAGPRA Coordinator) + Jed Webster Smith (Fort Lewis College alum and former Center Intern)

✨Olivia Perea Art (Mellon Collections Research and Education Fellow)

And, good news, this exhibit will travel across the region and should land in Durango early 2027 🙌.
Telluride Arts District
Durango Creative District
Fort Lewis College

07/29/2026

Our very own Amy Cao (Collections Manager & NAGPRA Specialist) will be presenting another FREE webinar with Ga***rd Archival! Register here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/9017827637565/WN_-SNig62gS4eTSo1wOYzKtg #/

Ready for another free webinar?

Join us for Matting & Framing: Learn How to Safely Prepare & Display Works on Paper with presenter Amy Cao, Museum Collections Specialist, on Thursday, August 13 at 2 PM ET.

This session is designed for museum, gallery, archives, library and exhibition prep professionals, as well as anyone interested in displaying works on paper with collections care in mind.

You’ll learn:
👉 An overview of mounting, matting, and framing techniques.
👉 Expert-recommended materials and supplies to use.
👉 Options for a variety of budget and collection needs.

Register here: https://hubs.la/Q04q7Vcw0

07/28/2026

✨Read our July Newsletter for the latest & greatest:
https://t.e2ma.net/message/7q8bij/3jsfn1vf

🔹New Digital Guide
🔹Collections Storage Updates
🔹Upcoming Programs

Lot's to explore! Not on our monthly e-news list?

SIGN-UP HERE: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1964532/1947841.557723841/