On Thursday, December 4, 2014, Mesa Verde National Park will host its Annual Holiday Open House from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. in the Chapin Mesa headquarters area.

Everyone is invited to join the park and partner staff in this holiday celebration featuring special tours, luminarias, musical entertainment and refreshments.  Ranger-guided tours of Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in the park, will be presented at 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.  Spruce Tree House will also be available for self-guided tours from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Over 2,000 luminarias will glow along the pathways throughout the headquarters area, a National Historic Landmark District, and along the trail to Spruce Tree House. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight.

The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum will remain open until 9:00 p.m. There will be musical entertainment in the Museum Auditorium throughout the evening. 

The nonprofit Mesa Verde Museum Association Museum bookstore will be open highlighting the sale of books, posters, puppets, historic photographs, and great holiday gifts as well as in-store specials. Bring your gift list along to take advantage of this special occasion. Proceeds benefit Mesa Verde National Park.

Attendance at the Open House is free. Refreshments will be served at the Spruce Tree Terrace. Delicious chili and hot cocoa will be provided by ARAMARK, and City Market - Cortez donates festive holiday cookies.

Rims to Ruins Exhibition on view at the Wildlife Experience through January 4, 2014

Opening night of Mesa Verde Foundation's Rims to Ruins art exhibition and sale drew over 250 Western art enthusiasts to its second annual fundraiser on November 5 at The Wildlife Experience in Parker, CO. Over 80 works of art by 29 nationally recognized Western artists brought the Four Corners area of Colorado to life through paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Twenty-two of the artists were on hand that evening to talk about their work.

"Mesa Verde Foundation is very pleased to present these stunning artworks in such a beautiful setting," says Judy Grant, Chairman of the MVF Board of Directors. "Sharing the grandeur of the Mesa Verde region through the eyes of these remarkable artists makes this a very special exhibition."

The exhibition will be on display through January 4, 2015. The Wildlife Experience (on Lincoln Avenue, just east of I-25, south of Denver) is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is free. Many of the artworks are still available for sale. Proceeds from the sale of the art benefit Mesa Verde Foundation and Mesa Verde National Park.

This year, even more Southwest and Western artists from around the nation joined the event, along with select sculptors such as Gerald Balciar, best known for his bronzes of animals. 

"I hope this exhibition will draw attention to the park and bring in more visitors," says Balciar. "I also hope it would make the public more aware that it's over there, especially people in the Denver area. Some of them have never been to that corner of the state."

Grant continues, "Because of the success of Rims to Ruins in 2013, we were able to help fund the renovation of the park's historic horse patrol barn and corrals and to sponsor the Four Corners Lecture Series that took place in the park this summer. We look forward to welcoming patrons this year to celebrate outstanding western art while helping preserve a true American icon."

To view available artworks and support Mesa Verde Foundation, go to www.mesaverdefoundation.org. 

Artists - Veryl Goodnight (left) Rosie Sandifer (right)

Artists - Andrew Peters (left), Jim Rey (right)

"Mesa Verde Moonrise" - 24" x 20" Oil by Jim Rey

"Long House Sunlight" - 27.5 x 35.5" Watercolor by Gerald Fritzler

Quiet Day by AIR Siri Beckman

Applications for Mesa Verde National Park's 2015 Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program are being accepted through December 31, 2014. Writers, composers, visual and performing artists are offered the opportunity to pursue their particular art form while being surrounded by the inspiring ancient architecture of the Ancestral Pueblo people and the sweeping natural landscape of the park. The works completed under this program contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of our national parks, create a legacy preserved for future generations, and offer park visitors and the public an opportunity to see our heritage through the eyes and ears of the contributing artists.

The park provides a fully furnished historic residence to selected artists for five, two-week periods: April 27 through May 10; May 11 through May 24; August 31 through September 13; September 14 through September 27; and September 28 through October 11, 2015. Participating artists are to present a public program on the second Thursday of their residency and are to donate to the park a professional digital image of an original piece of work from their residency. Participants provide their own food as well as transportation to and in the park. No stipend is provided.

Full application instructions and program details are available at www.nps.gov/meve/supportyourpark/artists_in_residence.htm. Submit all application materials and the $30 application fee, postmarked by December 31, 2014, to Jan Wright, AIR Coordinator, Mesa Verde Museum Association, P.O. Box 38, Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330. For more information, please contact Jan Wright at 970-529-4445 or AIRCoordinator@mesaverde.org.

Give the gift of Mesa Verde! A Mesa Verde Association membership rewards the recipient with monthly e-newsletters full of information and updates about the park, discounts at Mesa Verde Museum Association bookstores in the park and online at www.mesaverde.org, reciprocal discounts at many other national park and other public land visitor center bookstores, and much more. An MVA membership is an investment in the stewardship and preservation of this World Cultural Heritage Site. What could be more meaningful? Download and return this enrollment form or call us at 970-529-4445 to enroll everyone on your gift list today!  

Take a little bit of Mesa Verde with you wherever you go! Mesa Verde Museum Association has had the pleasure to partner with local artist Anna Ford to design a selection of earrings and necklaces that capture a glimpse of Mesa Verde. Anna has handcrafted these simple yet elegant pieces using design elements from pottery in the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum as well as iconic figures from Mesa Verde's Petroglyph Panel. Click here to view our current selection of jewelry!

As always, members receive a discount on online and in-store purchases. Online purchases require a coupon code to redeem discount. Have you misplaced your member discount coupon code? Just email us at info@mesaverde.org and we will send it to you.

Not a member yet? It's easy to join! Just click here  or call us at 970-529-4445 for assistance.