The Colorado Springs Pioneers museum celebrated its grand reopening Saturday with a bustling display of community on the lawn outside the newly renovated space. By 1:30 p.m.
, Leah Davis Whitherow, museum curator of history, said the facility had already welcomed over 1,300 guests with still hours left in the day’s celebration. For the past year, the museum has been closed to the public to update gallery space and primarily renovate the building's HVAC system bringing a much-needed break from the heat to museum guests amid the record heat wave that settled into the region through the weekend. Whitherow said, along with the updated central air system, the museum has added three additional gallery spaces, renovated another three spaces, and added five small exhibits, or museum moments, scattered throughout the building.
“Our job is to collect materials and stories and share them with the community so they feel connected to local history. It also helps them understand the present. We think history is a powerful tool in working together to consider our future,” Whitherow said.
Of the new exhibits opening Saturday, Whitherow said she’s personally most excited for the exhibit titled “50% of The Story, Woman Expressing Creativity,” the first permanent gallery installation featuring solely female artists in the state. “We did something bold in this gallery. It's the first permanent exhibit of all woman artists in Colorado,” Whitherow said.
“Our goal was to bring into.
