ALAMOSA — Colorado Humanities will tour “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” a Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street exhibit, to 10 Colorado communities, including Alamosa in October.
The exhibit opens on Oct. 16 and a grand opening with Dr. Edward Crowther, Emeritus Professor of History at Adams State will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 20.
Crowther told the Valley Courier, " The exhibition focuses on land resources, the theme of change, and the notion of the rural world being buffeted by the winds of change. The idea is to get interested community members to discuss what those changes are, and to get out in front of what those changes are, and not being acted upon, but being actors. To shape change that would come to Alamosa and other municipalities in the San Luis Valley in a positive way and preserve what is valuable and evolve into the best possible future that we can.
"I will utilize the framework of the exhibit and talk about identity, what it means to be rural in outlook and location, with the idea that identity can embrace change as well as preserve important elements of the past. Included is the notion of land — meaning the sense of place and how that has evolved. We will talk about aridity and our wonderful aquifer and the threats it faces. Around the idea of rural is a sense of community and how as a collective we can identify particular things to preserve, particular threats. Most importantly are particular opportunities to move forward to make the San Luis Valley a better place to live in 2050 than it was in 1950."
According to Colorado Humanities, the exhibit takes a broad look at the characteristics of rural America. It explores how an attraction to and interaction with the land formed the basis of rural America, and how rural communities and small towns evolve. It also highlights how change has transformed rural America and how rural Americans are evolving for the future.
‘Crossroads’ explores how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. Currently, most of the United States landscape remains rural with only 3.5% of the landmass considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas decreased from 60% to 17%. The exhibition looks at that societal change and how rural Americans have responded. These places where people gather to exchange goods, services, and culture and to engage in political and community discussions are an important part of our cultural fabric. Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. “‘Crossroads’ allows us to reflect on Alamosa, Colorado’s history, present and future and we are excited to explore what the future may hold for our community,” said Jeff Myers, San Luis Valley Museum Director. “We want to convene conversations about what makes our community unique and have developed a local exhibit, public programs, and facilitated conversations to complement the Smithsonian exhibition.”
Crowther added, "I hope people participate in the different events at the museum and to transfer these conversations to their day-to-day interactions with family, friends, and community members."
Join Dr. Crowther and others for this conversation at the San Luis Valley Museum located at 401 Hunt Ave. in Alamosa at 7 p.m., on Oct. 20.
