DENVER — Strolling into the recently opened Ballantine Gallery at History Colorado Center, visitors will see some things they’ve never seen before in the museum: a trove of items from the Beck Archives at University of Denver, a 30-minute film on the Jewish community’s contribution to local health care, the full story of the origin of the tuberculosis hospitals of the late 19th century.
But to really understand what this 1,100-square-foot space in the atrium of the state history museum means, one has to step back from the initial exhibit, “A Legacy of Healing: Jewish Leadership in Colorado’s Health Care,” and understand that even the smallest exhibit space in the Golden Triangle facility can lead to big things for the state historical society.
Over the next three to four years, which are already being planned out, History Colorado leaders will use the new space to tell niche stories in collaboration with community groups with whom they have never partnered. They will experiment with new forms of storytelling in the Ballantine Gallery. And they will get to show off to the public a plethora of items in their 15-million-artifact collection that have not been displayed in public since they were donated to the museum.
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