With the help of a $25,000 grant, the Center of Southwest Studies will open its new permanent Treasures of the Southwest exhibit Wednesday.
The grant was awarded by the Henry Luce Foundation, which was founded by the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc. The funds were given as part of the foundation’s American Art Program to assist the center in developing the exhibit.
Part of the funding went toward paying curatorial staffer Cassidy Ransom. Ransom, whom has worked for the center for four years, graduated from FLC in December, but the grant allowed her to continue working on the exhibit, said Julie Tapley-Booth, business and public relations manager for the Center of Southwest Studies.
The centerpiece of the exhibit will be items from The Durango Collection, a comprehensive group of textiles covering 1,000 years of weaving in the Southwest. Items selected for the opening include some of the collection’s signature pieces produced by Navajo, Puebloan and Hispanic weavers from the mid-1800s to the beginning of the 20th century.
“We are very excited about showcasing The Durango Collection on a rotating basis,” center Director Shelby Tisdale said, “and to have the opportunity to bring more of our treasures out of the vaults to share them with the public.”
Originally assembled by Mark Winter, owner of the Toadlena Trading Post in New Mexico, and the late H. Jackson Clark, founder of Toh-Atin Gallery, part of The Durango Collection was acquired by Richard and Mary Lyn Ballantine. They donated it to the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in 2000. The Ballantines and Winter, along with other donors, have continued to add to the collection.
Some of the highlights in the current exhibit include a Diné, or Navajo, Classic Third Phase chief’s blanket, a rare Hispanic Rio Grande “Vallero Star” blanket and an unusual Zuni banded textile.
The exhibit will also feature paintings from the Bill and Sue Hensler collection of Native American art; historical photographs and postcards from the Pennington Studio and Nina Heald Weber collections; and pottery, sculpture and other works from the museum and archives collections, Tisdale said.
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If you go
The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College will open its new Treasures of the Southwest permanent exhibit at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
