Durango Public Library
Downtown Durango houses a fine public library which contains over 75,000 volumes with a good collection of city and county publications and studies, including a special focus on materials about the Four Corners region. The library is open 70 hours per week, including Sundays during the school year. A new state-of-the-art library is in the works.
(970) 385-2970

Fort Lewis College also has an excellent library, housing more than 185,000 volumes and 900 periodical subscriptions. Library materials supporting the curriculum for the School of Business include a collection of current company annual reports. The library also has a depository arrangement for U.S. Geological Survey maps published since 1979 focusing primarily on the western United States. The library provides online bibliographic access to the FLC collection, as well as access to libraries in Colorado and other research collections. Members of the public are welcome to use and borrow materials from the library, which is open seven days a week during fall and winter trimesters.
For hours, call (970) 247-7270

The Center of Southwest Studies, organizes, preserves and makes available significant historical, archaeological, ethnographic, administrative, legal, fiscal and informational materials pertaining to Fort Lewis College and the southwest United States. It supports research in its holdings, and serves the local and regional community by offering: tours, presentations, sponsored meetings, speakers, seminars and conferences. The Center's holdings total approximately 15,000 volumes, 7,000 linear shelf feet of manuscripts, unbound printed materials and three dimensional artifacts, 5,000 reels of historic microfilm, 600 oral histories and about 35,000 photographs. The $8 million, 49,825-square-foot Center of Southwest Studies building at Fort Lewis College opened in early 2001.

DAC's mission and vision is to advance the arts for the enrichment of the individual and the community. The organization strengthens the community through the arts. The DAC is a 34-year-old non-profit organization which has worked with Broadway musicals, the Denver Symphony, Handel's Messiah and children's art shows.

DAC administers and distributes an annual block grant to arts agencies in a partnership with, and on behalf of, the city of Durango. The Center is intimately involved in community building through the arts and is active in partnering with a diverse make-up of organizations and individuals which contribute to our community's quality of life and economy.

The Arts Center provides gallery space for the visual arts. The DAC gallery hosts shows of a variety of artists throughout the region and hosts one to three national touring exhibits each year.

The Arts Center also acts as an "umbrella" organization to many arts groups in the Four Corners and is involved in presenting a bluegrass festival, community folk dancing, monthly contra-dancing, an annual outdoor arts festival, poetry gatherings, writers' workshops and many more activities. The DAC has partnered with the Fort Lewis School of Business Administration to prepare and publish the Economic Impact of the Arts in La Plata County.

DAC is also involved in arts education at many levels. The Center presents professional development workshops for musicians, writers and visual artists as a part of its educational program. DAC works in cooperation with the local 9-R school district to provide after-school arts classes, taught by professional artists, to elementary school students.

Extending the performance season are the Durango Choral Society that is renowned for its Christmas spectacular every year, the Children's Chorale and the Durango Barbershoppers. During the summer, Music in the Mountains provides a week-long festival of popular and classical music performed at the Durango Mountain Resort ski area. The Fort Lewis Theater Department produces several plays each year. Lastly, the Durango Arts Center brings in at least two high-caliber performances annually such as the Denver Symphony Orchestra and the internationally acclaimed MOMIX Dance Troupe.

Fort Lewis recently completed construction on a $5 million, 614-seat Community Concert Hall. The hall is designed to accommodate primarily non-amplified musical performances, although lectures, stage, opera and amplified musical performances also can be accommodated. The hall has hosted Mucic in the Mountains, gospel groups, jazz, ballets and a variety of other performances.

Dance: Durango is fortunate to have a diverse array of dancing clubs which include the International Folkdancing Club, the Durango Round Dancers, the Dance Co-motion, a Fort Lewis-sponsored club, The Dance Center and the Durango Ballet Academy.

The Dance Center has a curriculum that is designed to develop dance technique and appreciation of the artistry of dance. The Dance Center offers a wide breadth of classes (up to 40) throughout the year and also hosts major performances every year such as the Dance Through Time. For more information call (970) 259-4122.

The city of Durango supports cultural events by budgeting annually to the Durango Arts Center which re-grants the money to organizations for diverse arts events and programs. For the latest Durango Arts Center newsletter, please call (970) 259-2606 or write to the Center at 801 E. Second Avenue, Durango, CO 81301.

Fort Lewis College also has facilities available for events not easily housed by the private sector. Conference rooms for 20 people and auditoriums for nearly 500 - up to large banquet rooms seating 500, and the Fieldhouse, which can accommodate 3,000 - are all available. Of course, educational activities take precedence in the use of these facilities.

Durango Mountain Resort, well known as a destination ski resort 25 miles north of Durango, also has complete facilities for both summer and winter executive retreats. (970) 247-9000.