LGBTQ+ Pride Events:
Rainbows & Revolution Exhibition Opening | Grand Junction, CO
437CO Art Gallery | Opens June 3 
The Rainbows & Revolutions traveling exhibition opens in Grand Junction at Colorado Mesa University's 437CO Art Gallery on June 3. Rainbows & Revolutions is Colorado’s first state-supported LGBTQ+ history exhibition with artifacts and interpretations that explore the history of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community. Previously displayed at the History Colorado Center and the El Pueblo History Museum.

Queeridescence 2024: A Polychromatic Soiree! | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | June 14, 7 – 10 p.m.
Tickets ($10-20) and additional information available here.
This all-ages event embraces the full spectrum of self-expression and provides chances to walk, pose, dance, play, craft, draw, write, and just be in community. There will be activities happening all night at this alcohol-free Pride event. Root on aspiring Drag Queens & Kings as they walk the runway, learn LGBTQ+ history, take part in a trivia game, or join in a number of other activities happening all night!
Everyone is encouraged to come play at this pre-Pride weekend event, but youth 12 and under are required to bring a guardian. Light snacks and beverages will be provided and tickets are available now!

2024 Coors Light Denver Pride Parade | Denver, CO
Colfax Avenue | June 23, 9:30 a.m.
History Colorado is continuing its annual tradition of  participating in the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade on Sunday, June 23. This yearly event brings together hundreds of thousands of Coloradans for a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Denver and beyond! Look for the History Colorado team as we march down Colfax Avenue to the Colorado State Capitol and Denver PrideFest at Civic Center Park. 

Ongoing LGBTQ+ Pride efforts
Rainbows & Revolutions, and the Gill Foundation LGBTQ Archives, are a representation of the proactive work History Colorado is conducting with the LGBTQ+ community. This work allows for the preservation and acknowledgment of the contributions, history, and voices of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community and is possible due to the generous contributions of the Gill Foundation. Potential artifact donors can contact History Colorado at curator@state.co.us. 

In addition to the Gill Foundation LGBTQ Archives, History Colorado has:

• A social media-based walking tour of the queer history of Capitol Hill available on Instagram, 
• The Beyond Rainbows & Revolution interactive tool that explores how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow
• Lost Highways: Dispatches from the Shadows of the Rocky Mountains, History Colorado’s critically acclaimed podcast, also has episodes exploring the LGBTQ+ experience in Colorado such as “Going Back to Trinidad” – which explores the work of gender confirmation surgery pioneer Dr. Stanley Biber – and “Six Gay Weddings and a Horse” about Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex who issued the first same-sex marriage licenses in the United States.

Finally, History Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Office is currently pursuing a community driven survey to better understand, document, and preserve the history of the Colorado LGBTQ+ community. This survey is funded by an Underrepresented Community Grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service and will intensively survey 25 properties associated with the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado. Of these 25 survey properties, three will be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places so they can be part of our nation's historic record.

Additional information about History Colorado’s resources related to LGBTQ+ History can be found here.

New Exhibition and Events Series at History Colorado:
Tuesday Night Summer Socials | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | Every Tuesday evening from June through August
Denverites have a new reason to visit History Colorado’s Center for Colorado Women’s History this summer: Tuesday Night Summer Socials. This exciting expansion of programming at the Center for Colorado Women’s History sees the museum's hours extending until 7 p.m. every Tuesday evening from June through August so visitors can enjoy specialty programming, musical guests, and merriment inside and out of the historic house museum.

Each of the Tuesday Night Summer Socials gatherings includes a free evening of live music in the museum’s gardens (weather permitting) as well as specialty programming that is included with a General Admission ticket to the Center for Colorado Women’s History.

Tuesday Night Summer Socials in June:

• On June 4, Author, artist, and creative instructor Marissa Forbes will kick off the 2024 Summer Social schedule with a reading of poetry from her book, Brief & Bleeding Margins, that connects directly to the themes in Center for Colorado Women’s History Rumors of Bloomers exhibition.
• On June 11, a panel of outdoor industry professionals will discuss what they perceive to be some of the largest current barriers to, and successes within, equitable outdoor access. This panel discussion will connect directly to the Center for Colorado Women’s History’s exhibition Rumors of Bloomers, and includes Alyssa Gonzalez of Treehouse Cyclery, Modesta McGrath-Martinez of Latino Outdoors, and Marley Steele-Inama of Women’s Wilderness.
• On June 18, Briannah Hill, aka ArtsyQ, a Blaqueer [Black & Queer] Nonbinary poet, storyteller, and facilitator rooted in Denver, will present a poetry reading at the Center for Colorado Women’s History. Raised in Park Hill and Five Points, Briannah is an advocate for equitable education and brings provocative stories to life on diverse stages—from museums and galleries to burlesque shows.
• And on June 25, Elena Jones and Janan Graham-Russell will lead a story-based lecture that provides a glimpse into how corsets have served as vehicles of gender expression, entrepreneurial pursuit, performance, and symbols of protest.

A complete list of Tuesday Night Summer Socials events is available here. 

Tamburitzans: On Tour - Opening Reception | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | June 8, 4 – 6 p.m.
El Pueblo History Museum will hold a free opening celebration for Tamburitzans: On Tour, on June 8 from 4 – 6 p.m. This celebration includes light refreshments and features a live performance by the Okolitza Tamburitzans, the beloved musical group that inspired Tamburitzans: On Tour, which weaves together oral histories, photographs, music, videos, traditional clothing, and tamburitza – the musical instrument family from which the tradition draws its name – to explore the history and culture of Croatian and Slovenian musical performance style dating back to the 1300s. 

¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause!: The Art of Change | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | June 17
¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause!: The Art of Change, a History Colorado exhibition highlighting the intersections of art and activism, is moving to El Pueblo History Museum on June 17, 2024. Using artwork created at the peak of two social justice movements – the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ʼ70s and the Black Lives Matter movement in the early 2020s – ¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause!: The Art of Change explores themes of identity, equality, and courage in the face of injustices. 
Previously on display at the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center, ¡Viva La Causa! Long Live the Cause!: The Art of Change includes more than two dozen pieces of art – spanning multiple mediums and materials – and features bold declarations, provocative imagery, and striking narratives

Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Now on Display!
Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence, is a new exhibition at the History Colorado Center that explores the rich traditions of a prominent all-Black debutante cotillion club in the Mile High City. Built from first-hand accounts, and featuring a remarkable collection of photographs, Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence recounts the rarely told history of debutante culture from the perspective of African Americans who were historically excluded from the beauty standards of this European-born tradition. In addition to recognizing the successes of notable debutantes like Condoleezza Rice and Allegra “Happy” Haynes, Owl Club of Denver: Legacies of Excellence also celebrates the ongoing contributions of Black women and men to their communities and families.

Three Sisters: Sustaining Communities | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | Now on Display!
The Center for Colorado Women’s History’s newest exhibition Three Sisters: Sustaining Communities is now on display. This outdoor exhibition focuses on Indigenous agricultural practices and the companion planting of corn, beans, and squash. Known as the “three sisters,” these staple crops thrive together and form a reciprocal relationship with humans that benefits both the plants and the communities that rely on them for sustenance. In addition to describing the agricultural, and cultural importance of these crops, Three Sisters: Sustaining Communities explores the food sovereignty movement as well as Indigenous women-led efforts to restore sacred relationships between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral seeds.

Included with general admission to the Center for Colorado Women’s History – and using the historic house museum’s garden space to grow these staple crops – Three Sisters: Sustaining Communities allows visitors to learn about, and experience, this agricultural technique through touch, smell, and sight all summer long.

History Colorado Events in June
Low Rider Collection Day | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | June 1, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Join the El Pueblo History Museum and your neighbors as we come together as a community to gather photographs, artifacts, trophies, and more related to the treasured lowriders, viclas, and bikes of Pueblo and Southern Colorado. The items and memories gathered will serve as the groundwork for an upcoming exhibition at El Pueblo History Museum exploring this treasured tradition of the community.

Meditation to Start Your Week with Urban Sanctuary | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | June 2 & 16, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Center for Colorado Women’s History invites you to an enriching meditation offered in partnership with Urban Sanctuary, Denver’s first Black women-run wellness studio located in the historic Five Points neighborhood. This event includes an empowering guided 30 minute meditation in the historic house by practiced Urban Sanctuary facilitators to help you start your week with intention. Afterwards, guests are encouraged to enjoy cups of our revitalizing museum signature Lady Lavender tea with citrus, vanilla, and bergamot. 

Tickets are available on a “pay what you can” basis for the June 2 and June 16 sessions.

House Museum Book Club | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | June 2, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
Join the Center for Colorado Women's History and Molly Brown House Museum to read and discuss books related to women’s history, Colorado history, and books by women authors from Colorado! The free club takes place on a Sunday of each even-numbered month of 2024 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. and can be attended either in-person at the host museum or online via a Zoom link that will be sent to you after you RSVP.

Makerspace Workshop: Planting the Three Sisters | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | June 2, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
Tickets ($16-20) and additional information available here.
Learn the importance of the Three Sisters tradition and leave with your own Three Sisters seedlings at this informative and interactive workshop taught by Jennifer Osheroff of Slow Food Denver! Using their knowledge of companion planting, many Native American communities have long planted corn, beans, and squash together in a clever way: corn provides a sturdy stalk for beans to climb, beans add nutrients to the soil, and squash acts as a natural weed blocker. It's like nature's perfect teamwork!

Outdoor Yoga & Meditation Practice | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | June 6,13, 20 & 27, 8 a.m.
The Trinidad History Museum is happy to announce they will be holding a series of yoga and meditation classes in the Baca-Bloom Heritage Gardens on Thursdays from May through August. These classes will be led by local yogi Jennifer Allen and are a great chance to connect with your body, breath, nature, and neighbors. 

All Outdoor Yoga and Meditation Practices at the Trinidad History Museum are free and open to the public. Don’t forget to bring a mat/blanket and water.

Community Appreciation Celebration | Montrose, CO
Ute Indian Museum | June 8, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Join the Ute Indian Museum for its Community Appreciation Festival on June 8, 2024. This annual celebration is an opportunity to thank the community for its many contributions and ongoing support of the Ute Indian Museum. Attractions at the Community Appreciation Festival include: free museum admission, ethnobotany tours, discounts in the gift shop, a silent auction, hands-on education activities, the 4th Annual Chipeta Art Show, a slate of incredible performances from Indigenous partners, and much more. A complete slate of activities at the 2024 Community Appreciation Festival can be found here!

Arts District on Santa Fe Walking Tour | Denver, CO
Art District on Santa Fe | June 11, 10 – 11 a.m.
Tickets ($15-20) and additional information available here.
Join Tours & Treks for a tour of the Arts District on Santa Fe and learn how the constant sound of passing trucks and traffic are the muse of city life. This walking tour will take participants from the 1880s—when milliners and small mercantiles offered their wares—all the way to the modern day to provide a charming look at the gritty and wonderful side of things along Santa Fe Drive. 

Members-Only Digital Behind-the-Scenes Tour: Military Flag Collection 
Online | June 11, 1 – 2 p.m.
Tickets and additional information available here.
Join Anschutz Military Collections Specialist, Sydney Mauck, online to explore the military flag collection at History Colorado in celebration of Flag Day. One of the oldest military collections at History Colorado, the military flag collection includes Civil War flags from the Territory of Colorado, 38-star flags representing Colorado’s statehood, and captured enemy flags from foreign conflicts, like the Spanish-American War and World War II.

Vecinos Community Coffee | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | June 13, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center invites you to join them for warm beverages, good platica, and a conversation with neighbors. This is a free event to provide space for community sharing and gathering. This event is located in the Mess Hall at Fort Garland Museum with parking and an entrance available at the rear of the building

The Director's Cut: Cullud Wattah Discussion and Play | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | June 13, 6 – 10 p.m.
Tickets ($10-42.50) and additional information available here.
Join History Colorado's Blaxplanation team and Curious Theatre Company for a presentation of The Director's Cut: Cullud Wattah by an all Black, female, and Colorado cast. A time-bending play that takes on the Flint Water Crisis, The Director's Cut: Cullud Wattah dives deep into the poisonous choices of the outside world, the contamination within, and how we make the best decisions for our families’ futures when there are no real options present. 
This event will start at the History Colorado Center with a pre-show lecture at 6 p.m. with director Jada Dixon followed by a short walk to Curious Theatre Company for a performance of the play at 7:30 PM. Pre-show snacks and beverages will be available at Curious Theatre Company starting at 7:00 PM. 

Banking for Activism with The Pledgettes | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | June 20, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Tickets ($10-15) and additional information available here. 
Join the Center for Colorado Women’s History and The Pledgettes – a nonprofit organization that emboldens women to align their money to their values to create more powerful financial lives – for a workshop all about intentional banking through the lens of gender on June 20 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. Facilitated by The Pledgettes’ founder Jenn Uhen, participants will learn more about the history of the gender wealth gap, community banking, and the impact that can be had when women make informed financial choices.

Exploring Camp Hale and Leadville | Denver and Leadville, CO
History Colorado Center | June 22, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tickets ($135-150) and additional information available here.
Camp Hale’s story of involvement in World War II is one of topography and innovation. Recently renamed the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, our guest historian for the day, David Little, will fill participants in on all the people and stories from this fascinating, uniquely Colorado story during the day long bus tour, before we head to Leadville for lunch and a tour of the Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin.

Summer Artisans Market at Fort Garland | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | June 22 & 23, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Join us at the Summer Artisans Market at The Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center. This two day event will take place on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 and is the perfect opportunity to shop for unique products created by local artisans and crafters. In addition to a wealth of vendors, visitors will be able to enjoy a day filled with fiber art demonstrations presented in collaboration with the Fort Garland Fiber Guild. The day also includes delicious food and musical entertainment by the Apache Creek Fiddlers, Sagebrush, Laura Manzanares, and others. 

Admission to the Summer Artisans Market is free and open to the public with doors opening at 9 a.m. and parking available at the front of the museum. 

Book Club | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | June 22, 10 – 11 a.m.
Join the Trinidad History Museum’s Book Club for a discussion about June’s book-of-the-month: Black Indians by William Loren Katz. Hosted every other month, the Trinidad Book Club comes together to talk about a book set in or related to Colorado (but varied in genre and theme). To sign up for this month’s conversation, or to learn more about Book Club, please contact Millie at emily.duren@state.co.us or at (719) 846-7217. 

Art Journal Workshop | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | June 22, 12 – 2 p.m.
Join us in the Bloom Mansion for an afternoon of art journaling! Explore the art form, different techniques and examples, and practice creating your own unique journal pages during this beginner-friendly workshop! All materials will be provided. The workshop is free, but please sign up in advance to ensure space and supplies are available. For more information, contact Millie at emily.duren@state.co.us.

Rails and Hot Springs of Southwestern Colorado Trek
Southwestern Colorado | June 24 – 27
Tickets ($1,050-1,322) and additional information available here.
Tours & Treks is bringing back an old favorite with its multi-day Rails and Hot Springs tour through southern and southwestern Colorado! Get ready for an adventure to some of the region’s true gems, including the historic and scenic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Animas Museum in Durango, and History Colorado’s own Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center and Ute Indian Museum!

Travel Back to Move Forward: reVision Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Garland Museum Overnight Experience
San Luis Valley | June 28 & 29, 9 am – 9:30 pm
Tickets ($325-425) and additional information available here.
Travel to the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center with Blaxplanation to learn about the all-Black Army regiment founded after the Civil War: the Buffalo Soldiers. Nina Amos, the first female President of the Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th Horse Cavalry National Association, and Chip Thomas, the lead artist for the museum's new exhibition buffalo soldiers: reVision, will guide participants through an experience to engage with the histories, both inspiring and complicated, of the Buffalo Soldiers.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 144-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado