‘The Triumphant Spirit: Portraits and Stories of Holocaust Survivors…Their Messages of Hope and Compassion’ opens on Feb. 29

Feb. 20, 2024 – “The Triumphant Spirit,” a photo exhibit of Holocaust survivors, is opening at 5 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs with a reception on Feb. 29 featuring photographs by Colorado photojournalist Nick Del Calzo.

The opening reception will include a talk by Renee Rockford who wrote the narratives that accompany the exhibit’s black-and-white portraits. She will also present a video from CBS News that features Nick Del Calzo and gives an overview of the exhibit.

Rockford is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and president and CEO of JEWISHcolorado, a philanthropic organization. Its mission is to “convene, connect, invest, and protect Jewish life in Colorado, Israel and around the world.”

In 1991, Nick Del Calzo traveled to Dachau, Germany, the Nazi death camp he had studied as a student. Though not Jewish, Del Calzo’s trip compelled him to document the accounts of Jews throughout Colorado and the U.S. who had survived Dachau and other killing camps, leading to a “Triumphant Spirit” book published in 1997. The book includes biographical accounts from interviews of the survivors by Renee Rockford.

What followed is a photo exhibit, which has been shown at various venues, including the National Holocaust Museum and the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. The exhibit in Steamboat contains about 50 photographs and accompanying stories. Del Calzo has photographed more than 150 Holocaust survivors, many of whom have passed away. “The day will come when the last Holocaust witness will perish and these voices will be silenced forever,” said Del Calzo. “My hope is that, by capturing their portraits and their messages, they can continue to inspire future generations and continuously rekindle hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

The reception and presentation will be in the Allbright Auditorium, Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs, 1275 Crawford Ave., Steamboat Springs on Feb. 29. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the presentation with Rockford begins at 5:30 p.m. The gallery will open from 6-7:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served.

The exhibit will remain at the Steamboat campus through May 1, 2024, and is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Docent tours are available on a limited basis by appointment. Interested parties can call 970-870-4444 for more information.

Special thanks to the Feiner Family Foundation for bringing this exhibit to CMC.