Museum Artists

Koshare Indian Museum 115 West 18th Street La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 384-4411

WORLD FAMOUS KOSHARES

You will find authentic Native American and Western crafts and gifts to give, to collect, and to appreciate in the Koshare Trading Post.

In addition, to the art and artifacts, see the largest self-supported log roof in the world -- one of the most popular features in the museum.

Discover the inspiring story of how a group of boys built the Koshare program. The story begins at the bottom of the Great Depression.

The Koshare Indian Dancers are the members of Boy Scout Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 2230 of the Rocky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America.

...More than a Museum

Koshare Indian Museum

The Artist

by E. I. Couse

The Taos Society of Artists was essentially a sales cooperative. At the time that the Society was formed, on July 15 1915, Taos was a very isolated small New Mexican community, without art galleries and without a major art buying clientele.

The purpose of the organization, as stated in their Constitution and By-laws, was primarily to stimulate general interest in art, to develop a high standard of quality among its members, and to promote the work of its members through traveling exhibitions. more...

Taos Society of Artists

packed so full of kids you could hardly move. Art Merrill was another great friend who would have us all in, Charley Reynolds, Gisella Laughlin, and so many others who would invite the kids into their studios and homes."

The Koshares Indian Museum houses the largest collection of Ernesto Zepeda paintings and the second largest collection of Joseph Imhof artwork. However, to Buck and the Koshares the museum is much more than a store house of artwork, it is a reminder of the friends made along their journey.

During the grand opening over half of a century ago, several thousand people came by to see the new building and view an exhibition of a dozen paintings by Indian artist Woody Crumbo. "After the show we were counting the money donated by the visitors," Buck said. "I suggested we pay some of our bills but one of the kids said wouldn't it be nice if we could buy one of Mr. Crumbo's paintings for the museum. So right then and there we decided to earmark money from our donations and proceeds from the pop machine for an art collection. Trouble is our stuff is scattered all over town now because we've run out of space." Unfortunately, many lie out of sight in storage vaults for protection.

"Sometimes," Buck pointed out, "the kids would decide to buy a picture and then it would take a couple of years to drink enough pop to for it. We were either smart or luck, I don't know which, but today we have one of the finest collections anywhere."

A long standing tradition for the senior Koshares is a trip to Taos and Santa Fe each Easter weekend to visit galleries and watch the Indian dances. "I remember visiting Bert Phillips." Buck said, "We had the place

Koshare Art Collection

Chief Laughing Blue Hair

by Henry Balink