The Museum of Friends (MoF) was founded on the spirit of generosity, with fellow artists contributing works as gifts over many years. When MoF opened its exhibition space in 2006, it aimed to give back to the Walsenburg and Huerfano County community by sharing art from around the world.

The permanent collection, housed on the second floor, includes over 1,600 works spanning paintings, fine art prints, sculptures, photographs, drawings, and digital media. The collection features artists from diverse backgrounds and styles, primarily focusing on contemporary issues, the role of artists in society, and stories of resilience from marginalized voices.

Highlights of the collection include:

• Myron Woods’ photographs documenting Life in Southern Colorado’s Drop City (1960s).

• Zoe Childerley’s "Where’s Walsenburg?" series of photographs and community interventions in Huerfano County.

• Richard Mock’s editorial linocuts for The New York Times and lithographs from Petroglyphs of Northern Mexico.

• Paul Valadez’s "The Great American Mexican American Songbook" series.

• Brendt Berger’s pattern paintings and prints, along with Maria Cocchiarelli’s Looking Down series and an archive of public art projects.

• A children’s art archive from MoF workshops and public projects.

• Native Hawaiian artifacts, gifted to Brendt Berger by his ancestors, including a Kahuna bowl (1700s), kapa moi bed, hand-stitched quilts (1800s), and other pre-contact items.

For a complete list of artists in the permanent collection, click here. 

Prefer a virtual visit? Explore our Online Tour: Experience the Art Now, an audio-visual journey featuring 200 works from the collection, narrated by Valarie Abney with contributions from the Fox Theatre team during the Covid-19 pandemic. This project is under expansion to include a complete digital archive of MoF's collection and civic engagement initatives.