Durango Arts and Entertainment

Durango possesses a vibrant fine arts community, with a dozen independent galleries and the Durango Arts Center. From contemporary fine art and photography, to Native American and western art, Durango's galleries provide an on-going and ever-changing feast for the eyes.

The Durango Arts Festival is an annual summer event which attracts the highest quality crafts and art created by the best artists from the four corners and around the nation.

Live theatrical, dance and musical performances can be enjoyed almost nightly, whether in the more intimate settings of the Durango Arts Center Theater and the Diamond Circle Theatre, or in the state-of-the-art Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Even many of Durango's fine restaurants and fine social drinking establishments offer live musical entertainment nightly. See entertianment calendar for details. For independent film buffs, Durango is host to the Durango Independant Film Festival.

During the summer, outdoor musical festivals such as Music in the Mountains which provides a week long festival of popular and classical music performed at the Purgatory Resort ski area or special concerts hosted at Durango Mountain Resort or Trimble Spa and Natural Hot Springs, make sure that the hills are literally alive with the sound of music.

Durango is home to the internationally renown Center for Southwest Studies. With the most comprehensive collection of Southwestern art and artifacts in the country, the Center is truly considered one of the gems of the region. The Center's collection of Southwestern artifacts and historical records and its large collection of books and other printed materials, many of them rare, addressing every aspect of the Southwest, are a resource for every member of the community and beyond.

Performing Arts

Fort Lewis Collage boasts a $5 million, 614-seat Community Concert Hall. The hall has hosted Music in the Mountains, gospel groups, rock bands, swing, jazz, ballets, and a variety of other performances.