5 minute read
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF HOPE
While casual visitors may not feel the impact of the AAM’s outreach, all will feel welcome and free to explore their reactions to art in a distinctly relaxing way.
Take in one gallery or all six, but don’t miss the rooftop deck. Or as Murcko puts it, “Come to the museum. Enjoy the view. Experience something beautiful, enriching and free.”
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CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS VISITOR CENTER AND MUSEUM > Dolores
Canyon of the Ancients is a vast national monument in southwestern Colorado, a region of human population for over 10,000 years.
The Visitors Center and Museum in Dolores is a focal point for national and international researchers and archaeologists. It is also a mustsee for anyone, of any age, who is interested in archaeology, history, culture and the mysteries of those who came before us.
Created from millions of artifacts excavated between 1978 and 1983, exhibits are hands-on, interactive and stunningly beautiful.
Native American consultants assist with research and interpretation, providing authentic knowledge and voices to the exhibits, which include a full-scale pit house and a timeline of artifacts showing evidence of migration, trade routes and crops. Hands-on exhibits include weaving on a Pueblo-style loom, grinding cord and touching artifacts such as bone drills, stone points, pottery and the like. Behind-the-scenes curation tours are also available.
Outside the museum, there is a paved, halfmile trail to Escalante Pueblo, dating from the mid-1100s, as well as gardens of native plants and a picnic area. A perfect first stop before you set out to tour the Monument’s larger, more remote sites, the museum also stands alone as an enriching survey of human history, close to home.
COLORADO SNOWSPORTS MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME > Vail
When the Colorado Snowsports Museum was created in 1976, the founders wanted a central location, so they chose Vail.
Originally, the museum functioned as a repository of maps, photos, ski gear, 10th Mountain Division ephemera and more, displayed in a style that former director Susie Tjossem called “grammy’s attic.” Recognizing the need for an upgrade, $2.6 million was raised, and in June 2018, a newly configured, highly digitized and more compelling museum reopened.
Interested in old ski maps and photos? What used to be a painstaking search through files is now a simple digital query on a large interactive table. Search for current resorts and find maps dating back to their founding. Search for lost resorts and discover the many ski areas that defined even the smallest Colorado communities.
Interested in skis, snowboards, boots and other equipment? Check out the decades of gear on display, ranging from the late 1800s to the present day. Another display, 100 Years of Ski Fashion, started as a temporary exhibit but is now one of the museum’s most popular attractions.
In addition to providing a history of recreational snowsports, the museum also has the “most comprehensive 10th Mountain Division artifact collection on display in Colorado,” according to Jen Mason, the current director. “Every item in the museum is significant to the history of snowsports,” Mason explains. “Every item has a story to tell.”
During the 19th century, Leadville was the epicenter of Colorado mining. Today, Leadville remains a mining community and home to the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum.
Federally chartered since 1988, the museum’s focus is national, honoring the history of mining in every region of the country from 1776 to the present. But history isn’t the only focus. Equally important is the institution’s aim to help visitors understand how mining and minerals are essential to contemporary daily living.
“Our entire quality of life depends on mining,” explains curator Myles Gallagher. “From cars to computers to toilets, to fertilizer and farm vehicles, mining impacts our entire society.”
To learn more about the importance of mining, one exhibit, called The Magic of Minerals, engages visitors in a cross-section of a typical residence, pointing out the myriad products made possible by mining.
Housed in a grand Victorian school, the museum has an important gem and mineral collection, including samples on loan from the Smithsonian. Walk-through hard rock and coal mines give visitors a taste of working underground, while rotating art exhibits are often featured.
All told, 25,000 square feet of exhibits celebrate and tell the story of mining, not as something of the past, but as something that matters to each of us every day. :
LOCAL SUPERHEROS SAVE THE DAY JUSTICE LEAGUE OF HOPE
Words by Jenna Kretschman | Photos courtesy Justice League of Hope
Agroup of local superheroes is saving the day for families in need this Christmas. The Justice League of Hope provides toys and financial help for families living in poverty during the holidays. The league’s mission is to create “unbreakable smiles” by dressing up as superheroes and visiting children in hospitals and at birthday parties, as well as sponsoring families at Christmas time.
“Justice League of Hope is a group of individuals who never really grew up and still enjoy dressing up like superheroes, but we do it for a good cause,” says Chris DeLeon, president of Justice League of Hope. “What the Justice League of Hope does is provide this nice, awesome, superhero Christmas for the children and give them presents that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get. But for the parents, we give them hope as well. We look at what the parents’ needs are so they can be taken care of, too. That includes food for their kitchens, utility help, if that’s what they need — anything that can stop them from becoming homeless or having a utility shut off.” DeLeon dresses up as Superman and occasionally Batman, depending on the season. DeLeon grew up idolizing Superman. When he met his now-wife, Jeanie, the couple dubbed themselves Superman and Wonder Woman from the beginning. When the two tied the knot in marriage, they did it in their superhero costumes at their superhero-themed wedding. A few months later, they wore those same costumes to the 2018 Mesa County Libraries Comic Con, where they discovered Justice League of Hope for the first time and knew they had to get involved. They reached out to the group’s founder, Dave Brock, and the rest is history.
For one family in Grand Junction, Christmas came early this year thanks to the Justice League of Hope. Most of the time, families helped by the group receive their gifts just a few days before Christmas. But for this family, the clock was ticking toward homelessness. A single mother who supports not only her own children, but also her sister and her children, was facing eviction after falling behind on bills. She confided this to a coworker who reached out to the league for help.
“If we’d waited until Christmas, sure, the kids would have gotten really cool toys, but it wouldn’t have changed the fact that they would have been on the streets. So, when we found out
