About Us
The Cortez Cultural Center is located in an historic building built in 1909 to house the E. R. Lamb Mercantile. An unusual painted pressed-metal facade brightens the front of the building.
The Center, founded in 1987, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide educational, cultural and artistic programs for its members and the public. It has become a home for artists, cowboy poets, archaeologists and musicians. Since its inception, the Center has provided programs to thousands of residents and visitors to the Four Corners area and has demonstrated its goal of diversity in programming. It currently has over 450 members and receives more than 35,000 visitors annually.
Goals
To increase knowledge of and appreciation for the vast archaeological resources of the area; to provide enrichment experiences including lectures, museum exhibits, art displays, and Native American cultural programs; to increase understanding among the cultures of the Four Corners; to stimulate an interest in higher education among our young people; and to contribute to the overall health of community life.
Outreach
The Center hosts field-trip visits to the museum and cultural park and Hawkins Preserve for schools, Boy Scouts, senior citizens and other tour groups throughout the year.
A video library is available with topics which include NASA; Colorado History; Native American History, Culture, Arts, and the Ancient Puebloans. Art works were donated for a lending art gallery with instructions.
Art-after-school classes are offered to the schools with a Century 21 grant.
