For over 150 years, Boulder has undergone an astounding evolution – from pioneer mining town to quiet college town to bastion of liberal social causes and global center for science, technology, and outdoor recreation. Throughout, Boulder has seen conflicts from within and challenges from outside the community. But this small, resilient city continues to evolve through them all – bolstered by a respect for diversity, a love of the land, an appreciation for education, and a desire to grow and take risks as a community.
The Museum of Boulder’s Archive 75 exhibition will feature 75 artifacts and documents evoking the depth and breadth of the Museum of Boulder’s holdings. They will tell 75 stories—harrowing, heartbreaking, pathbreaking, brave—about Boulder’s rich and complicated history. This installation will be featured in the 2,600 square-foot main exhibit gallery on the first floor of the Museum of Boulder from mid October 2019 – June 2020 in celebration of the Museum’s 75th Anniversary.
Where will the Museum pull these artifacts and documents from? The Museum’s Collections Facility in north Boulder houses historic artifacts and archives, which continue to be important resources for research, education and community engagement. Our 7,000 square-foot facility houses more than 45,000 historic artifacts. The Museum’s Archive Collection, housed at Carnegie Branch Library adjacent to the Museum of Boulder, contains over 900,000 historic documents and photographs. The Museum collects items that represent the people, businesses and events that have lived in, or taken place in, the Boulder region. We have items dating back to the first settlers in Boulder and others that represent more contemporary people and events in our community, like the Bolder Boulder Road Race, Ball Aerospace, and Celestial Seasonings. In 2017, we added 1,073 new objects to our historic collection. Objects in the Museum’s collection are used for research, exhibitions, publications, and for loan to other museums and other venues for exhibitions. Some of our objects are on display in The Boulder Experience gallery on the second floor of the Museum. However, due to the large number and fragile nature of many of the items, the majority have never been seen by our community.