Overview:
Kim Kennedy White discusses “Portrait of Colorado at 150,” a statewide oral history project capturing diverse voices across Colorado.
History isn’t just found in archives or museum exhibits. It lives in the voices of people telling their own stories. As Colorado celebrates its 150th anniversary, History Colorado is launching a new project to record those voices in real time, documenting the experiences, cultures and communities that define the state today.
That effort is being led by Kim Kennedy White, an associate curator at History Colorado whose work focuses on storytelling as a way to understand identity and place. Through “Portrait of Colorado at 150,” a signature initiative of the America 250–Colorado 150 Commission, White and her collaborators are working to collect at least 150 oral histories from across the state spanning urban and rural communities that don’t always make it into traditional historical records.
In this week’s 5 Questions, White explains how the project is gathering stories from every corner of Colorado, why oral history offers a more complete picture of the state and how residents can take part in documenting their own communities.
You are leading “Portrait of Colorado at 150,” a project to collect Colorado stories for the sesquicentennial. How were you presented with the idea and chosen to lead this project?
Over the past two years, colleagues and I worked together to develop a storytelling project to commemorate America’s 250th and Colorado’s 150th anniversaries. We wanted to celebrate who we are as Coloradans today. “Portrait of Colorado at 150” is a signature initiative of the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission in partnership with History Colorado. We are working with communities, colleagues and partners to tell, share and record Colorado stories. And we’re adding at least 150 oral histories to the state’s permanent collection!
This is my fourth year at History Colorado, where I serve as the Associate Curator of Arts & Leisure and the John W. Emery Family Associate Curator of Oral History. It was a natural fit for me to take the lead as the steward of the state’s oral history collection. As a proud Coloradan (I was born and raised in Boulder County), I’m honored to lead this project to document, preserve and highlight stories in every corner of our state.
“Portrait of Colorado at 150” will showcase diverse stories from Colorado residents’ everyday lives and underrepresented communities. How are these stories being gathered, and what kind of history can be expected to be seen in this portrait?
Everyone has stories! Colorado is a state of six million people. We are hoping to document diverse stories that represent each of our eight regions reflecting place, culture, industry and lived experiences in our wonderful state. The resulting “Portrait of Colorado” hopes to convey a sense of who we are in Colorado today!
We are approaching this project in a multitude of ways. First, throughout this year, we are traveling around the state meeting with communities and attending events. We are actively learning about story collection in Colorado. Currently, we have several events in the works happening around the state that celebrate community. For example, we are partnering with the bARTer collective and their storytelling truck to activate story collection events. At some events, we’ll have information tables and opportunities to talk with residents, and at others, we’ll be working with communities to highlight, honor and celebrate their projects.
Second, we are hosting virtual oral history webinars and drop-in dates where folks can ask questions and get information about collecting stories in their communities. We have an online Oral History Toolkit and free lending program where we’ll mail audio recorders and photo scanners to communities who are actively collecting stories; they can then pop them back in the mail when they are done.
Finally, I’m recording oral histories every week, working alongside others to do this work—my fellow curators and collections staff, community museum partners and a group of skilled people gathering stories within their own communities who we are calling “community collector connectors.” We are in “all hands on deck” mode to accomplish our goals during this landmark year.
Many people know very little about the history of Colorado and who is responsible for establishing the state. How do you plan for this project to fill history gaps and give people a better understanding of Colorado’s history?
This project focuses on living, breathing people and places in Colorado today. Oral history is an incredible tool that captures multiple perspectives within the context of shared histories and lived experiences. Stories from across the state will highlight many diverse histories, especially outside of the front range, that will provide a fuller picture of Colorado as a state.
The History of Colorado Center, located in downtown Denver, displays many exhibits throughout its building, allowing guests to learn more about the Colorful Colorado. Does this project plan to have a permanent home in the center for years to come, or will it be relocated somewhere else?
Our approach is to honor communities and the ways in which they want to tell their stories and where they will be preserved. Many of the oral histories recorded for this project will become part of History Colorado’s permanent collection. One of the ways we highlight oral histories and make them accessible to the public is through our History Colorado SoundCloud and YouTube pages. Every month we will be adding oral histories to the Portrait of Colorado at 250 Playlist, where folks can listen to stories. It’s early 2026, so we’re still developing other plans to highlight collected material from this project.
“Portrait of Colorado at 150” is one way History Colorado has decided to honor the state this year. Are there any future plans for the celebration that have been talked about?
Portrait of Colorado at 150 is one of 13 signature initiatives the America 250-Colorado 150 Commission has developed in partnership with History Colorado to commemorate the sesquisemiquincentennial. At the History Colorado Center, we have several exhibits that highlight the America 250-Colorado 150 such as Moments that Made Us, 38th Star: Colorado Becomes the Centennial State, Expedition 1776: The Journey of Domínguez & Escalante, and Keeping Place: Colorado Heritage for All. We are also hosting the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents that Forged a Nation, May 28 through June 14, 2026!