Colorado historical society/colorado history museum

COLORADO HISTORICAL SOCIETY/COLORADO HISTORY MUSEUM

NEWS RELEASE

Nov. 23, 2004 (303) 866-3670

State-of-the-art exhibit to combine artifacts, visuals, sound and activities for one-of-a-kind discovery experience

DENVER – Imagine Colorado thousands of years ago. Who were the people that lived here? How did they thrive? What was their environment like, their culture, their technology?

On Jan. 28, 2005, the Colorado Historical Society will introduce Ancient Voices at the Colorado History Museum, a new 4,000-square-foot exhibit that actively explores the culturally rich lives of ancient peoples in Colorado. The Colorado Historical Society collaborated closely with Denver Center Media to create a one-of-a-kind discovery and interactive experience for the entire family.

Each gallery in Ancient Voices, enhanced by the Colorado Historical Society’s collection of American Indian artifacts, will help the visitor understand various groups of people who lived in Colorado—the Paleoindians, who lived around 8,000 years ago, the Apishapa of southeastern Colorado, and the ancient Puebloans. Each group produced sophisticated art, architecture and technologies to serve their diverse needs.

Denver Center Media, a division of The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, created two original high-definition films for the exhibit. One film interprets a day in the life of a Paleoindian family. The other is an introductory segment and will be narrated by Pulitzer-prize winning American Indian author, poet and artist, N. Scott Momaday. Grammy-award winning composer Tom Wasinger is composing an original soundtrack that will evoke the past as visitors wander through each gallery.

“This exhibit is a combination of incredible talent and expertise between the Colorado Historical Society and Denver Center Media,” said Phil Karsh, Colorado Historical Society Board of Directors chairman. “The goal is to create an educational experience for each and every visitor. This is a ‘first of

Colorado Historical Society News Release, p 2
its kind’ exhibit for the Colorado History Museum and we hope that it will improve its perception among Denver’s many esteemed cultural institutions.”

From potters and builders to painters, tribal consultants and interpreters, talent from all over Colorado and the region have participated in developing Ancient Voices. Visitors will be immersed in the day-to-day lives of these first inhabitants through multi-sensory environments, from an evocation of a Puebloan cliff dwelling to a bison kill site on the plains. The exhibit utilizes images, voices and music to acquaint visitors with the geography, wildlife, vegetation and long human presence of what we now call Colorado.

In 2006, the Colorado Historical Society will introduce the second phase of the exhibit, Confluence of Cultures. This 3,000-sqaure-foot exhibit will explore the lives of American Indians living in Colorado from 1540 to the present.

Family members of all ages are welcome and special educational programs associated with Ancient Voices will be offered for children and adults throughout 2005. Please call (303) 866-3682 for information about exhibit hours and ticket purchasing.

*Note to Media: Behind-the-scenes media tours can be arranged up to three weeks prior to the exhibit opening. Please contact Rebecca Laurie, rebecca.laurie@chs.state.co.us or (303) 866-3670.

Colorado Historical Society News Release, p 3