Native American Affairs

Students and school district administrators from Cuba, NM visit �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:15:47 +0000

Students and school district administrators from Cuba, NM visit �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 07/01/2026 - 11:15

High school students and district administrators from Cuba, NM with �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder staff and faculty, John Wetenkamp (Policy Manager, Native American Affairs) and Michelle Renée Valladares (Faculty Affiliate, School of Education).

John Wetenkamp

On May 28, 2026, a group of 12 high school students from Cuba, NM with Cuba Independent School District administrators visited the �鶹��Ѱ�� (�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder) campus.

This was part of an ongoing partnership between the School of Education, the Public and Community Engaged Scholarship team and Cuba Independent School District, made possible by the years-long research of PhD candidate Revaline Nez and her advisor Michelle Renée Valladares. All students were part of the science club at Cuba High School, so there was an emphasis on �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's proximity to national institutions for scientific research.

Students began their day by meeting with Native American faculty and staff, then went on a tour of the campus, culminating in a 30-minute tour of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's greenhouse collections on 30th Ave. The School of Education spent time with students discussing career paths, education issues in their community and some of the innovative practices being done by the School of Education.

A group of high school students and school district administrators from Cuba, NM visited the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus as a part of an ongoing partnership with the School of Education and the Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship team that aims to increase students' engagement in school and district level decision making.

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Community-Engaged Learning with the Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land Exhibit

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:38:12 +0000

Community-Engaged Learning with the Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land Exhibit Arielle Wiedenbeck Fri, 06/26/2026 - 08:38

Lisa Schwartz , Michela Ardizzoni

In Spring semester 2026, Associate Professor Michela Ardizzoni’s Introduction to Social Change in the Arts class partnered with the Museum of Boulder to co-develop an art exhibit that centers the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people–past and present. The exhibit, Colorado’s People of the Sacred Lands, invites viewers to rethink what they know about the histories of Colorado’s historic tribes and learn about the present day, lived experience of Native Americans. Key findings from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission (TREC) Reports are featured, paired with artwork by Native artists addressing the personal impact of these histories.

Ardizzoni’s community-engaged teaching and learning (CETL) course was developed in partnership with Emily Zinn, the Museum of Boulder’s deputy director of community engagement, and through Ardizzoni’s participation in the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator program (Accelerator). The Accelerator supports faculty with the design of CETL courses and is a collaboration with �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES), the Center for Teaching (CTL) and the University of Arizona.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder students from Ardizzoni's Social Change in the Arts class attend the opening of the People of the Sacred Land exhibit at the Museum of Boulder, April 24, 2026

The focus of Ardizzoni’s class was to co-develop the exhibit with the museum and the participating Indigenous artists. Fifteen students worked directly with the TREC Reports and interviewed featured artists Chris Chavez, Sage Deal, Maxx W Lake, George Curtis Levi, Halcyon Grace Levi, Skye Little Cloud and Raelene Whiteshield.

“This knowledge has the potential to change the ways our community views ourselves and each other,” said Zinn. “To work alongside students and see them grow and develop relationships with the artists was a fulfilling way to make sure there was meaningful dialogue that went along with the exhibit. The artists made a huge impact on them, and I was humbled that they entrusted us with their art and stories."

Ardizzoni, associate professor and incoming chair of the department of French and Italian, and an affiliate in the department of Media Studies, co-created the undergraduate certificate in Art and Social Change that the course introduces. Like her students, Ardizzoni had never worked on an exhibit. Together with Zinn, they curated the artwork that includes paintings, textiles, ledger art, and wampum and is interspersed with excerpts from the TREC Reports and artists’ oral histories.

“The objective with this course was to introduce students to engaged community practices and to give them the opportunity to work directly with local Indigenous artists. It was essential that they understand how deeply Native communities are woven into the history of Colorado. It was equally important for students to understand that this kind of collaboration should not be extractive, but should be rather rooted in reciprocity and respect. In that spirit, we envisioned the exhibit as a window for local Indigenous artists, and the oral histories students collected will become part of the Museum of Boulder’s archival materials. Through that collaboration, students were able to connect what we studied in the course with lived experience and a much fuller sense of history,” said Ardizzoni.

Student Learning

In addition to the course learning objectives (see below), Ardizzoni developed tables of student and museum goals and outcomes related to the exhibit:

Student Goals	Community Partner Goals
Develop a sense of accountability to communities beyond the classroom	Strengthen connections between the museum and local students
Cultivate reflective practices that link personal experience with broader social issues	Enhance the museum’s reputation as a site for community collaboration
Build collaborative and listening skills by engaging with museum staff and artists as co-creators	Increase contextualization of Indigenous voices/art

Student Goals

Community Partner Goals

Develop a sense of accountability to

communities beyond the classroom

Strengthen connections between the museum and local students

Cultivate reflective practices that link personal experience with broader social issues

Enhance the museum’s reputation as a site for community collaboration

Build collaborative and listening skills by engaging with museum staff and artists as co-creators

Increase contextualization of Indigenous

voices/art

Student Outcomes	Community Partner Outcomes
Completed oral histories, interviews or stories, properly documented and archived	A collection of oral histories or stories that can be archived or incorporated into future exhibits
Public-facing project components (exhibit panels, recordings, digital media, etc.)	Exhibit-ready materials co-created with students
Reflections, journals or artist and contextual statements	Documentation of the project for internal use or grant applications

The course’s learning objectives included critical, analytical, ethical and reflective practices that supported and led to the exhibit’s development. The table below lists the learning objectives coupled with student feedback about their learning.

Learning Objectives At the end of this course, students will be able to	Student Feedback
Understand and explain concepts pertinent to the Certificate in Art and Social Change	"It gave me a more clear understanding of the power and responsibility art has in communicating challenging topics."
Develop critical thinking skills in relation to issues of diversity, social change and civic engagement	"I've realized that… even just existence and persistence can be a form of activism." "My cultural awareness has grown because I had a moment of realization about how much the American education system hides the terrible things that we did to Indigenous people."
Develop informed, culturally responsible approaches to presenting local Indigenous artistic work for community audiences	"Being one-on-one with the artist and hearing their perspectives." "Students need to know about the responsibility of being transparent and taking care of relationships." "For true collaboration, it is important to have reciprocity in the relationship." "Our responsibility is to enter humbly, to listen and see how we can be of service on their terms."

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to

Student Feedback

Understand and explain concepts pertinent to the Certificate in Art and Social Change

"It gave me a more clear understanding of the power and responsibility art has in communicating challenging topics."

Develop critical thinking skills in relation to issues of diversity, social change and civic engagement

"I've realized that… even just existence and persistence can be a form of activism."

"My cultural awareness has grown because I had a moment of realization about how much the American education system hides the terrible things that we did to Indigenous people."

Develop informed, culturally responsible approaches to presenting local Indigenous artistic work for community audiences

"Being one-on-one with the artist and hearing their perspectives."

"Students need to know about the responsibility of being transparent and taking care of relationships."

"For true collaboration, it is important to have reciprocity in the relationship."

"Our responsibility is to enter humbly, to listen and see how we can be of service on their terms."

Professional Skills and Growth

Significantly, students learned situated, professional skills in order to develop a real-world product.

As one student shared, "It made me feel like what I was working on actually mattered."

Students’ end-of-course survey feedback highlighted growth in the following areas–all critical for general career development:

Communication skills for professional work and public sharing (most cited)
Project management
Interviewing
Collaboration
Cultural awareness

Growth in museum and curatorial skills was also a standout achievement for many students.

"The skill I developed, which I never had exposure toward, is that of a museum curator."

Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenges that students faced were project timelines, communication, student small-group dynamics and balancing their workloads.

Overall, students valued working directly with the artists and identified interviews and personal conversations as the most impactful aspect of the project. They also greatly enjoyed getting out of the classroom and participating within the museum space.

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder students from Ardizzoni's Social Change in the Arts class attend the opening of the People of the Sacred Land exhibit at the Museum of Boulder, April 24, 2026

Exhibit Feedback

The culmination of the class, the exhibit, was an all-hands-on deck experience for Ardizzoni, the students and Zinn.

“Collaborating with Emily [Zinn] transformed this course and the students’ experiences,” said Ardizzoni. “Students worked side-by-side with Indigenous artists and made curatorial decisions about how those voices would be represented in the exhibit. That kind of collaboration deepened everyone’s understanding of what it means to display someone else’s story with respect and intention. I honestly came away having learned just as much about exhibit design as my students did about local Indigenous cultures, community and representation.”

The exhibit’s opening event on April 24, 2026 was an exciting and well-attended, collaborative event. The presenters and audience included the Indigenous artists and their communities, the students and �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder colleagues, members of Boulder City Council, the People of the Sacred Lands organization and the general public. Attendees’ comments highlight the power of the exhibit’s development process and product:

"My partner is Chippewa, and we're visiting Boulder for the first time. It's great to see these histories told in this way. So often they aren't told at all." - Visitor
"As a longtime educator, I know the mis-education and the disinformation, the importance of erasure in order to have some of the things happen that have happened. I will say, as someone who has deepened my own learning and awareness, and I got to talk with Michela and her class as they were starting their project about their own personal journey. The work is in the mirror." - City Council Member Taishya Adams
"Every single person I spoke to had positive reactions to the artwork, the display and the camaraderie. Those young people were just awesome." - People of the Sacred Land Executive Director Rick Williams
"The exhibit is incredible. The Museum of Boulder should be proud." - Visitor

The exhibit is on view until July 5 at the Museum of Boulder. �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder faculty members and students interested in the Accelerator or a new "sister" program, Students as Partners for CETL (applications due Aug. 17), please contact lisa.h.schwartz@colorado.edu.

Associate Professor Michela Ardizzoni’s Introduction to Social Change in the Arts class partnered with the Museum of Boulder to co-develop an art exhibit that centers the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people–past and present.

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Photo Credit: Matthew Jonas, Daily Camera

PACES Sparks Engagement in 2026 Conference on World Affairs

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:08:39 +0000

PACES Sparks Engagement in 2026 Conference on World Affairs Arielle Wiedenbeck Thu, 04/30/2026 - 14:08

Gretchen Minekime

Gregor MacGregor, David Meens, Patty Limerick and Benny Shendo, Jr. at the opening Conference on World Affairs panel, Mon. April 13, 2026

At the 78th Conference on World Affairs (CWA), David Meens, assistant vice chancellor for public and community-engaged scholarship, opened a session with a question that gets to the heart of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s public mission: Can a major research university be both world-class and deeply rooted in its home state?

Meens explored his question with the audience and fellow panelists, Associate Vice Chancellor for Native American Affairs Benny Shendo, Jr. and Professor of History Patty Limerick. Their session, “The University of Colorado’s Forgotten Land-Grant Origins and the Future of Public Impact,” introduced many audience members to something new: The university was established through Colorado’s Constitution—with funds provided from the dispossession of Indigenous lands. Likewise, Colorado's high school network, many business and municipal systems and all four �鶹��Ѱ��campuses originated from University Extension’s efforts during the first half of the 20th century. It was after World War II that the university began establishing large-scale research and funding relationships with the federal government. Community-engaged scholarship in and around Colorado continued, but the focus on service that predominated in earlier years faded. Meens, Shendo, Jr. and Limerick challenged the audience to hold the university accountable to its origins—both how it was established and how it can be of critical and deep service to the residents of Colorado.

In addition to the panel, Meens and other members of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) found ways to invite their community partners to participate in CWA.

Holly Oberle, assistant professor of political science at Colorado Mesa University, and Ruth Alminas, associate professor of political science at Fort Lewis College, each traveled to CWA, bringing eight undergraduate students with them. The students attended panels throughout the week, met CWA organizers and speakers and toured Colorado Law. Alminas was a panelist for “Flags, Borders and Belonging: The Politics of Nationalism” and moderated “From Rubble to Reconstruction: What Comes Next?” Oberle moderated “Pretty, Palatable or Political?” and is a new fellow with the PACES Higher Education and Democracy Initiative—a program that, in part, expands access to events like CWA for students and faculty at regional institutions across Colorado.

Students and faculty from Colorado Mesa University and Fort Lewis College join PACES team members for dinner at Mister Oso, Tues. April 13, 2026

"The Conference on World Affairs is an extremely unique event that brings together scholars, activists, practitioners, community members and students from high school to college to have tough conversations about the most pressing issues the world faces today,” said Oberle. “This was an especially unique opportunity for Colorado Mesa University students, as rural institutions don't always have the access or the resources to attend such events. I have never seen undergraduates come back from a conference with such enthusiasm and energy! The icing on the cake was meeting Malala."

Front Range teens from the Caminos Project also attended the conference finale featuring Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai. The Caminos Project receives grant funding from PACES and helps bi/multilingual youth develop research and advocacy skills about policy and programming to support their peers within school districts and to encourage civic engagement. �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Research Assistant Laura Meinzen described the experience as incredibly meaningful for the Caminos students.

“Seeing Malala speak with a student from Pakistan was powerful,” said Meinzen. “In the middle of the talk, that student turned to me suddenly to remind me, full of pride: ‘I’m from her country. I speak her language.’ When Malala was asked at the end of the interview what gives you hope, and she responded about all the brave girls still fighting for an education, our student turned to me and said, ‘like me.’”

Seeing the local in the national or global and vice versa is a significant aspect of what attending CWA offers—exactly the kind of experience that becomes transformative when it includes people who wouldn’t otherwise have a seat at the table.

CWA 2026 saw an increase in faculty-sponsored speakers and a fruitful partnership between the Department of Cinema Studies and Moving-Image Arts. That partnership resulted in multiple panels, including one featuring Lulu Wang, director of the critically-acclaimed film “The Farewell.” Wang was joined by leaders from Sundance and an undergraduate film major, with moderation by Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner. Ben Teitelbaum, faculty director for strategic events and public discourse, sees such rich and diverse panels as a model to build on.

“These are the types of community-campus partnerships I would like to see more of,” said Teitelbaum.

“CWA brings people of different places, ages, cultures and interests to listen and learn together. That is a precious and expansive experience, and one that becomes even richer when the people in the room reflect the full range of communities �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder is here to serve,” said Meens.

PACES leveraged the Conference on World Affairs to engage their community partners and team.

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Malala Yousafzai joins Colorado Mesa University students and faculty for a photo before her keynote presentation at the 2026 Conference on World Affairs

Building a digital home for Arapaho, one sentence at a time

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:18:57 +0000

Building a digital home for Arapaho, one sentence at a time Arielle Wiedenbeck Mon, 10/13/2025 - 12:18

"Two Riders Leading Horses" by Arapaho artist Frank Henderson, ca. 1882 (Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder linguistics scholar Andrew Cowell helps Arapaho stories find new life online

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Fall 2024 Powwow: A Resounding Celebration of Culture and Connection

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 18:15:48 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Fall 2024 Powwow: A Resounding Celebration of Culture and Connection Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 10/15/2024 - 12:15

The Fall 2024 Powwow at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder marked the return of a beloved tradition to campus after a 23-year hiatus. Over 70 dancers and 25 drummers also joined the powwow, representing six different states and at least 20 tribes.

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Meet the man chosen to strengthen ties between �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and Indigenous students

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 19:09:55 +0000

Meet the man chosen to strengthen ties between �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and Indigenous students Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:09

Benny Shendo Jr. is the �鶹��Ѱ��'s associate vice chancellor for Native American affairs. It's a new position focused on building relationships between the campus and tribes in Colorado.

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Empowering Native American Communities: Kayla Toledo’s Journey with RCWS Ignacio

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:48:18 +0000

Empowering Native American Communities: Kayla Toledo’s Journey with RCWS Ignacio Arielle Wiedenbeck Thu, 07/06/2023 - 15:48

Kayla Toledo, a member of the Jemez Indian Tribe located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been caring for children her whole life. Since the age of 12, Kayla has played a huge role in raising her family's children and caring for the “little ones” during the summer, some as young as six months old. With six siblings and countless cousins, Kayla has worked long hours contributing to their upbringing. Her story is one of many for people in her community, as childcare options are sparse. That’s why Kayla was first inspired to create change in the Native American childcare space and pioneer an initiative to bring daycare centers to Native American families where they can learn and be educated on their culture.

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Native American Affairs

Students and school district administrators from Cuba, NM visit �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder

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Community-Engaged Learning with the Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land Exhibit

Student Learning

Student Goals

Community Partner Goals

Student Outcomes

Community Partner Outcomes

Learning Objectives

Student Feedback

Professional Skills and Growth

Exhibit Feedback

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PACES Sparks Engagement in 2026 Conference on World Affairs

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Building a digital home for Arapaho, one sentence at a time

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Fall 2024 Powwow: A Resounding Celebration of Culture and Connection

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Meet the man chosen to strengthen ties between �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder and Indigenous students

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Empowering Native American Communities: Kayla Toledo’s Journey with RCWS Ignacio

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Students and school district administrators from Cuba, NM visit �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Fall 2024 Powwow: A Resounding Celebration of Culture and Connection

Meet the man chosen to strengthen ties between �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and Indigenous students