Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land

Dates and Times

• Tuesday, Jun 9, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Wednesday, Jun 10, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Thursday, Jun 11, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Friday, Jun 12, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Saturday, Jun 13, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Sunday, Jun 14, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Monday, Jun 15, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Wednesday, Jun 17, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Thursday, Jun 18, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Friday, Jun 19, 2026  9am - 5pm
• Saturday, Jun 20, 2026  9am - 5pm
• + 15 more

Location

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Details

As we consider the meaning of the 250th anniversary of American Independence and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood, let’s center the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people, past and present, and reflect on the legacies we inherit. This exhibit highlights key findings from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission (TREC) Reports, paired with artwork by Native artists addressing the personal impact of these histories.

Featured artists:

Raelene Whiteshield

George Curtis Levi

Maxx W Lake

Chris Chavez

Sage Deal

The TREC Reports by the People of the Sacred Land detail the losses Colorado’s historic tribes incurred. The Historic Loss Assessment details land cessions – legal, illegal, and coerced – and the underlying circumstances that precipitated such events. Through extensive research of individual title transfers, they report the value of dispossessed lands to be approximately $1.17 trillion (market value in 2021). The Legal and Political History of Colorado Tribes explores the legal and political history of the Apache of Oklahoma, Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Comanche, Kiowa, Northern Arapaho, Northern Cheyenne, Shoshone, Ute Tribe of Utah, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute. The third report examines the history of Indian education in Colorado.

This exhibit was developed in partnership with an undergraduate class at CU Boulder by Michela Ardizzoni titled “Introduction to Social Change in the Arts.” Students worked directly with authors of the Reports and the featured artists to co-curate this reflection on our history. It was funded through the CU Boulder PACES Experiential Learning Design Accelerator.