Denver International Airport unpacks a suitcase of colorful tales in Colorado Stories

The playhouse in baggage claim is still locked, but at least Blue Mustang-friendly Denver International Airport and History Colorado have partnered on a new exhibit, Colorado Stories, that takes a playful approach to this state's past -- and shows that we have plenty of entertaining baggage...

By Patricia Calhoun

March 4, 2011

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The playhouse in baggage claim is still locked, but at least Blue Mustang-friendly Denver International Airport and History Colorado have partnered on a new exhibit, Colorado Stories, that takes a playful approach to this state's past -- and shows that we have plenty of entertaining baggage.

To create the exhibit, which will be on the walkway to the A Concourse through early August, History Colorado staffers interviewed over 2,500 people -- community leaders, businesspeople, policymakers, just plain folks -- to determine what they thought were the most important stories about the state's past. And what did they pick?

The DIA exhibit includes stories and artifacts from Silverton, San Luis, Bent's Fort, Steamboat Springs and Denver, among many other places (sadly, no DIA conspiracy stories), and serves as a quick introduction to what we'll be able to see when History Colorado's new museum opens in spring 2012. "The airport is a gateway for travelers who arrive and depart from Denver, and we strive to connect our exhibitions to the rich cultural landscape and iconic scenery of Colorado," says Matt Chasansky, DIA's public art administrator.

Good start. Now about that mini-movie theater at DIA....

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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