5♀ %f the Story

tanjabrittonwriter 43 Comments

If you happen to be a resident in or visitor to Colorado’s Pikes Peak region and have not yet explored the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, my sincere wish is that you find some time to do so. As a volunteer docent at this institution since 2015, my opinion might not be entirely unbiased, but I don’t have any compunctions about declaring it the city’s best museum.

Its name traces its origins to the 1896 creation of the El Paso County Pioneers Association and the subsequent 1937 founding of the Pioneers Museum in its first home, the former Knights of Columbus building. Since 1979, the museum has been located in the historic 1903 El Paso County Courthouse (my previous posts about the museum can be found under the heading Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum on top of the homepage).

“Pioneer” carries negative and painful connotations for basically all Indigenous tribes whose ancestral homelands have been located in the Americas for centuries, if not millennia, because they were displaced or killed by so-called pioneers. While a name change for the museum is desirable and has been discussed, it is not imminent.

As we all know, museums have not always been places that tell objective and inclusive stories. But this is exactly what the director, curator, and staff of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum aspire to do with each new exhibit, and the newest one is no exception.

“Women have always been creative. Women have always been artistic. Women have always been artists. Yet their work has remained largely unrecognized.”

50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity is the museum’s latest addition after a year-long closure, needed to replace the aged and ailing HVAC system. The museum’s grand reopening in July 2024 was highly anticipated and enthusiastically celebrated. As the introduction to 50% of the Story explains: “Women have always been creative. Women have always been artistic. Women have always been artists. Yet, their work has remained largely unrecognized. This is not surprising considering women’s art represents only 8-10% of works collected by museums.” This new exhibit seeks to remedy this imbalance: ”After all, unless we are collecting and sharing the stories, art, and artifacts made by women—we are missing 50% of the story.”

For the first time ever in the history of our local museum, an exhibit is dedicated exclusively to art created by women with a connection to the Pikes Peak region, either in the past or the present. The designers decided to hang the paintings gallery-style and to blend contemporary and older pieces in an attempt to create a conversation across time. They also chose not to attach a label to each individual piece, not only because gallery space is limited, but also to encourage visitors to look at the art first, rather than at its label. Every wall is equipped with a panel that lists each artwork’s title and each artist’s name as well as a QR code that links to the museum’s website, where additional information can be found, including artists’ statements (if available).

“Still Water” by Vashti Sims

South wall with screen

Southwest corner and adjacent walls

West wall

“Glint” by Shannon Dunn

Middle wall with “Double Wedding Ring Quilt” by Mary Ross

West wall

Apart from paintings, which are in the majority, it also contains other creations, such as a weaving, a beaded deer hide bag by a Ute artist, a wooden totem pole, a shadowbox with a fantastic Victorian era hair wreath, and pottery pieces, to name a few (because of glares in vitrines and other technical issues, I don’t have satisfactory photos of those items).

Northwest corner and northwest wall which includes an embroidery by Claudia Lee (Yates) Bernd (on the right).

Close-up of the embroidery by Claudia Lee (Yates) Bernd that depicts some of the major attractions of the Pikes Peak region and that took the artist 5 years to complete (in 1981). If you know the area, you can recognize Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, the Air Force Academy Chapel, and The Broadmoor Hotel, to name only a few.

Northeast wall

“Glorious Garden of Light” by Sushe Felix

East wall

For this exhibit, some modern pieces were commissioned and paid for with a special fund. The curators intentionally incorporated different styles and color schemes in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible, and without acting as gatekeepers and tastemakers. Ashley Cornelius, Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak region since 2021, wrote “Prismatic,” a powerful, empowering poem for the exhibit’s opening which plays on a loop on a digital screen. QR codes also link to recordings of a dance performance, The Mile, by Lilly Parsons, and of a monologue from Every Brilliant Thing by Lynne Hastings.

Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius (click HERE to watch and hear her amazing performance of her poem, “Prismatic”).

As you can see from my (unsuccessful) attempt to provide a short summary, it’s very easy to spend hours and hours in this space, trying to take it all in. Thank you for accompanying me on today’s tour through this engaging, educational, and enlightening exhibit at my favorite museum.

43 thoughts on “5♀ %f the Story”

  1. To my morning mind, “Glorious Garden of Light” suggested pieces of watermelon, and the artist’s first name a different food. On the next-to-the-last day of our July trip we made sure to revisit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.

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  4. Yes, thanks for sharing. What a fantastic exhibit! One to revisit time and time again. To me, Glorious Garden of Light looked as though it featured glowing flying saucers. Fun how different people get different things from the same painting.

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    • Thank you, Laurie. One can visit and revisit the museum countless times and still not look at everything.

      It’s indeed fun to learn what different people see in artistic creations. Your interpretation makes me wonder if you are reading or watching any sci-fi stories at present. 😊

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  8. What an amazing and colourful introduction to the 50% of the story display at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum! If I lived a little closer, I would definitely consider visiting the new facilities. Greetings from Canada!

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  11. Thank you so much, Tanja, for the introduction to this stunning exhibit! I’d say the 50% is %100! There are some truly stunning pieces, here. And good for you that you’re a docent for so many years!

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  12. This is a thought-provoking post on an issue that should be of interest to anyone – regardless of gender – who cares about art, culture and history. Enormous credit is due to the Museum staff who came up with the idea of this exhibition. How hard did they have to fight, I wonder, to get their proposal accepted, how much opposition did they face and how many minds did they have to change along the way? And what has been the (private) reaction of Museum professionals in other, similar institutions? We’ll never know, of course, but it’s interesting to speculate.

    “As we all know, museums have not always been places that tell objective and inclusive stories.” Absolutely, and the same is true of academic history texts. I am a historian by training, but looking back nearly 50 years to my time as a student at one of the UK’s great universities, women’s role in history (with the exception of a couple of feisty queens!) was never mentioned, and virtually all of the history professors I encountered were male. This would not be the case today, and as your post also demonstrates our society has moved on enormously, though there’s still a way to go.

    Thank you again for this post, which has certainly left me with a lot to think about.

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    • Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Mr. P, and for your many interesting questions. I have had similar ones, but don’t know the answers to most.

      As docents, sometimes we sense if visitors don’t agree, and occasionally we are told, though most people keep their opinions to themselves. I’m sure the museum officials receive most of the complaints and pushback.

      The hope is for all of us who visit museums to get challenged to question some of our preconceived notions, and to examine or reexamine the facts. I think many exhibits at our museum (and surely many others) attempt exactly that.

      You are right: Progress has been made, but there’s still a long way to go!

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      • The legacy of the British Empire is a massively controversial subject here, one that museums and galleries can’t avoid (however much they may wish to do so). What you and I would regard as progress is seen as betrayal and “wokery” by others. It’s all very uncomfortable, and I hope those on the side of progress will continue to hold their nerves as the debate rages on.

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  13. I’m so glad the museum is showcasing the works of the women of Pike’s Peak. I wish the museums and galleries of towns and cities worldwide would follow suit. I’m happy to see that the curators were wise enough to include items like quilts, embroideries and a beaded bag because I think these art forms have been devalued in our western society, which has always favored paintings and sculpture. Thanks for amplifying the exhibition with your post, Tanya…wish I could see it in person but this is great.
    ‘

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  14. How interesting that the exhibit has various media forms. It reminds me of the time when Mexican artist Frida Kahlo emerged from the unknown precisely because of her prolific multi-media works of art honoring self-expression and indigenous art. She endured a lot of hardship just to emerge as an artist. I think her influence was felt in the USA too. Indigenous women are the protectors and custodians of cultural values, and this Colorado exhibit is honoring and celebrating women’s creativity. Definitely a must-see when traveling to Colorado. Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Smaller museums and regional museums can be treasures themselves, as well as displaying a variety of artistic and historic treasures. This is a wonderful example. It did cross my mind that, for whatever reason, very small and very local museums, like those in small Texas towns, often provide more varied offerings precisely because they feature the more ‘homely’ creations of pioneer women: quilts, embroidery, and so on. The need for beauty is present in every part of society, and where sculpture and painting aren’t available for viewing, women often did their part to enliven their environments.

    Thanks for this wonderful presentation of ‘your’ museum. I’d love to see some of these pieces in person, but your photos do very well.

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    • Thank you, Linda. I also love local and regional museums. Ours has a professional staff, of course, but some smaller ones in the region are run entirely by volunteers completely dedicated to sharing their history.

      What I particularly like about this exhibit is that it celebrates so many wonderful creations made by women during countless hours of dedicated work without any thought of ever having them put on public display, or without considering themselves artists. Yet artists they were, and their creations are undoubtedly artistic.

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  16. A worthy endeavor. I especially like the lack of labels on the individual pieces. I never look at any backstory or signage when I visit an art exhibit until I have had a chance to take in the piece and form my first impressions – what does it mean to me, what do I think the artist’s message is (if any) and the all important question – do I like it. With that out of the way I an then look for additional background to see if it changes or taints that impression. With that, I can say Linda gets extremely annoyed as it takes me forever to make it through the exhibit…especially if there are birds ha. Thanks for sharing.

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    • Thank you for that comment, Brian. I think you have a very enlightened attitude towards art. Many people seem annoyed if they are not given some information. I also like to form my own opinion first, and if I want/need to know more, can always do so after the fact.

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