'Constellations of Place' exhibition invites reflection on belonging, history and land at Fort Lewis College

What does it mean to belong to a place shaped by beauty, resilience and difficult history?

That question sits at the heart of Constellations of Place, a new exhibition unveiled this month at Fort Lewis College’s Center of Southwest Studies. Two years in the making, the exhibition brings together art, history and community dialogue to explore Southwest Colorado as a living landscape shaped by many peoples, cultures and stories.

Guest curated by scholar, writer and independent curator Meranda Roberts, Ph.D. (Yerington Paiute, Chicana), Constellations of Place features more than 60 works from the Center’s permanent collections alongside contemporary pieces by 13 Native American, Indigenous and Latinx artists. The exhibition includes textiles, pottery, beadwork, two-dimensional works and mixed-media pieces that span centuries of creative expression.

“This exhibition asks visitors to see this region not as a single story, but as many points of light that only take shape together,” Roberts said. “I wanted to draw people in with imagery they recognize and feel connected to — and then invite them to sit with histories that are often overlooked or romanticized.”  

Art as a conversation starter

The exhibition emerged from a two-year collaboration among Fort Lewis College faculty, staff and community partners exploring the concept of belonging, and what that means for an institution with FLC’s unique history as a former federal Indian boarding school.

Paul DeBell, associate professor of political science at Fort Lewis College, has worked on the project since its earliest stages and said Constellations of Place is intentionally designed as both an exhibition and a conversation starter.

“This work is about weaving together art, history and evidence-based practices for dialogue,” DeBell said. “It invites us to engage with place honestly — including its beauty, its complexity and its painful histories — and to do so in ways that build understanding rather than division.”

Funded through a grant from Belonging Colorado, a program of The Denver Foundation, the exhibition is part of a larger, multi-year initiative connected to statewide commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood.

Rather than centering celebration, Fort Lewis College’s approach emphasizes reflection.

“These anniversaries are relatively recent in the broader scope of Indigenous history,” Roberts said. “For Native communities, this land holds stories that stretch far beyond those timelines.”

A living exhibition

During opening remarks, FLC President Heather Shotton, Ph.D., emphasized the exhibition’s relevance to the college’s mission and ongoing reconciliation efforts. Constellations of Place also acknowledges that Fort Lewis College sits on the ancestral lands of the Nuuchiu (Ute)  people and is connected to the homelands and ceremonial spaces of the Pueblo peoples, the Diné Nation and other Indigenous communities.

“I want to say a special thing to Dr. Meranda Roberts for her work to brilliantly weave together the stories of this place and the people of this place, and particularly for her invitation to all of us to deeply reflect on our shared geographies, our shared stories and the power of those stories that shape us,” Shotton said. “I think about our own individual connections to place and how that shapes our experience each and every day, and how it shapes our families and our generations.”

Center of Southwest Studies Director Cory Pillen, Ph.D., described the exhibition as a foundation for ongoing learning. 

“This is not a static display,” Pillen said. “The exhibition will evolve over time with student work, public programs, learning communities and facilitated discussions that invite campus and community members to engage more deeply.”

Throughout 2026, Fort Lewis College will host a series of learning communities, events and conversations connected to the exhibition, focused on applying research-based bridging skills developed in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Our goal is to create space for thoughtful, respectful dialogue about Fort Lewis College’s past and what it means for our mission today,” DeBell said.

For Roberts, the power of the exhibition lies in art’s ability to hold complexity.

“Art can lead us into conversations that are difficult, emotional and necessary,” she said. “These works remind us that Indigenous peoples are still here — still creating and still shaping this place.”

Constellations of Place is on view at the Center of Southwest Studies through December 18, 2026, Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm or by appointment. Admission is free and open to the public.