Denver has a living legend in bronze, and History Colorado is giving him a homecoming. Ed Dwight: Casting a Legacy, now on view at the History Colorado Center at 1200 Broadway through February 28, 2027, brings together more than a dozen of Dwight’s artworks in an exhibition that celebrates both the art and the extraordinary life behind it. The show opened July 17, 2026, and is included with general admission.
Dwight has worked from his Denver studio since 1977, dedicating his career to sharing African American history in cast bronze. His renowned sculptures preserve the stories of Black cowboys and homesteaders, jazz greats and civil rights leaders, combining historical research, technical innovation and imagination. Denverites already know his work outdoors: his Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, with Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and Sojourner Truth, stands in City Park.
The man himself is just as remarkable as the monuments. A pilot and engineer with an outstanding career in the U.S. Air Force, Dwight was the first Black astronaut candidate in the United States. In 2024, at 90 years old, he finally achieved his dream of spaceflight, becoming the oldest person to go to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Warm, inspiring and proudly Denver, this is a wonderful museum visit for families, history lovers and anyone who believes a city’s story should be told by the people who lived it.
Photo: History Colorado
