Families are invited to Steamboat Art Museum on Tuesday, March 15, for an educational event focusing on the current exhibit “Portrayals of the American West.”

The event, “Family Night at the Museum,” is geared toward families with children ages 5 and up and will offer games, a scavenger hunt, art projects, storytelling and more.

“There will be something for everyone,” said Dona Steele, education coordinator for Steamboat Art Museum. “It’s going to be a fun evening to get together and enjoy the beautiful exhibit.”

The exhibit features photographs and memorabilia from five Western photographers who desired to document the changes they saw taking place at the turn of the century.

The event is a collaboration with Tread of Pioneers Museum, who loaned their collection of Edward S. Curtis photogravures to Steamboat Art Museum for this exhibit.

The Pleasant Collection of Native American art was originally collected by Northwest Colorado proprietor H.B. Pleasant and his son Richard in the early 1920s. The collection, which includes Edward Curtis’ photogravures, was donated to the museum in 1961 by Richard’s aunt and uncle, Eunice and Farrington Carpenter of Hayden.

Now, it is a part of “Portrayals of the American West,” along with work by Rolland Reed, L.A. Huffman, A.G. Wallihan and Augusta Wallihan.

Capturing images of Native Americans, ranching, and life in the West, these five photographers were drawn to document a changing landscape in order to preserve it in time.

The family night event aims to educate on an often-forgotten past.

Katie Konold, education coordinator for Tread of Pioneers Museum, said that much of the event on Tuesday will aim to expand and educate on Native American culture.

“We are bringing in hands-on artifacts that kids can see and touch and we hope that will engage them to experience the culture of the Native Americans,” Konold said. “These were thriving cultures and tribes, and this is a great opportunity for kids to learn more about that world.”