Historical Evening on the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864

The Booth Western Art Museum will unveil Craig Bergsgaard’s sculpture Memorare, Sand Creek 1864, and screen an abridged version of Don Vasicek’s film covering the 1864 skirmish between the United States and Native Americans on Sand Creek in Colorado on Thursday, January 21. The educational lecture, sculpture unveiling and film screening will begin at 7 p.m. in the Booth Theatre.

Many people are unaware of this skirmish in which 700 American soldiers killed 400 mostly unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women and children. The massacre took place during the Civil War, and so there was never much mention of the event. Both pieces – the sculpture and film – were created by the artists to not only make people aware of this horrific tragedy in American history, but to engage people in conversation on why it is so important to understand others in order to prevent something similar from happening in the future.

Bergsgaard's sculputre, Memorare, Sand Creek 1864 depicts a Native American man with his wife’s lifeless body laid over him as he clutches two arrows and a fragment of the American flag. After the unveiling of Memorare, an abridged version of Vasicek's film, "Ghosts of Sand Creek," will be shown which includes Cheyenne and Arapaho descendants of the Sand Creek Massacre telling their story.

The evening should be very informative and educational. Regular Museum admission is required. For more information about this historical evening lecture, sculpture unveiling or film screening, call 770-387-1300 or visit www.boothmuseum.org.