“Constellations of Place” is a big exhibition with a big purpose. It opened last week at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College and is comparable to a museum show in a major American city.
In its breadth and depth, “Constellations” warrants more than one visit. Fortunately, it will be up through 2026. A suggestion: Plan a first visit as an overview then return for a deeper inspection of individual sections or works. Over the next few months, Corey Pillen, director of the Center, says there will be special programming to augment the exhibition.
If you go
WHAT: “Constellations of Place,” a major exhibition about layered histories in the Southwest
WHERE: Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, or by appointment. Through Dec. 18.
ADMISSION: Free
PARKING: Limited metered spots near CSWS or parking pass purchase online. Free after 3:30 p.m.
MORE INFORMATION: Email cmscott@fortlewis.edu or www.centersouthweststudies@fortlewis.edu or call 247-7333
“Constellations” is part of the America 250-Colorado 150 Southwest regional “Power of Place” initiative. As such, it is a collaborative project between the Center and FLC programs such as the Four Corners Bridging Institute and the Department of Reconciliation. It also falls under the Belonging Colorado umbrella and received significant support from The Denver Foundation and the Greater Good Science Center. With that level of collaboration, it is no surprise that the exhibit, years in the making, is so compelling.
If ever we needed a reminder that as Americans we share a complex history as a state, region and nation, now is the time.
The title suggests many historical lines or “many points of light,” as the catalog indicates, merge to form the American Southwest. Guest curated by Meranda Roberts, Ph.D., (Yerington Paiute Tribe of Nevada and Chicana), the exhibit features more than 60 works, including paintings, prints, mixed-media installations, textiles, pottery and beadwork. Drawn from the Center’s archival collections, the exhibit also includes contemporary pieces by 13 invited Native American, Indigenous and Latinx artists. Organized in an approachable scheme of past, present and future, the unusually large show might best be grasped in sections, exploring the dramatic high main gallery as a first step.
When you enter the gallery, a symmetry suggests order. At the back, two chairs have been placed for viewing “Mesa Memory,” a film by Charine Pilar Gonzales (San Ildefonso Pueblo – Tewa). Projected on the north wall, Gonzales’ videography uses time-lapse and other techniques to spin viewers through beautiful Southwest days, nights and seasons. It sets a tone for everything else in the exhibit, whether equally celebratory or darkly disruptive.
In the center, Tyrell Tapaha’s mixed media installation, “Glonnie Mack,” offers a stark counterpoint to the fluid beauty on the back wall. Tapaha’s assemblage rises from a stained sheepskin covered with dirt and desert rubbish topped by a defiant, black-and-white flag. Is it a skeptical counter-argument to romanticized Western landscapes? The juxtaposition with Gonzales’ film signals the variety of viewpoints, stories and strands of creative interpretation that curator Roberts has brought together as constellations.
“Rather than presenting a linear story of progress, ‘Constellations of Place’ gathers an interconnected field of artistic practices rooted in this region, works that hold space for grief and endurance, rupture and repair, beauty and burden,” Roberts writes in the excellent guidebook.
As the months go by, The Durango Herald will alert readers to upcoming programs. In the meantime, the exhibition is worth an overview now and additional visits over the summer when parking is free.
Fort Lewis College parking regulations are strict, except for summer months when parking is free. During regular semesters (September to May), there is no free parking during the day, only after 3:30 or 5 p.m., depending on which source you consult. All students, faculty and staff members must have a permit or get ticketed. A few metered spots are available for visitors – near the Student Union and the Center. You can apply online for a special, paid visitor’s permit. Complicated. Cumbersome
Because the Center’s exhibit, “Constellations of Place,” is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, there’s a big parking problem – at least until summer.
So, says Cristie Scott, curator of exhibitions and educational outreach: “Make an appointment to see the exhibit after 4 p.m. If folks want to gather a group to visit,” plan ahead. Or try for a weekend time when permits are not enforced. Call 247-7333 or email cmscott@fortlewis.edu.
Another solution would be to extend gallery hours one evening a week, say Thursdays, as “parking without a permit is permitted on campus after 3:30 p.m.,” Scott said. How about Sunday afternoons?
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
