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CenterSignal

Stories That Matter. Proven Through Practice.

Every organization has a history worth understanding and a story worth telling. The projects below demonstrate how CenterSignal combines rigorous archival research, historical insight, and strategic communications to help organizations uncover, interpret, and share histories that strengthen identity, deepen connection, and build lasting public trust.

Many of these projects involved historically complex public issues and collaboration with Tribal Nations. These projects happen to involve historically complex subjects, but they demonstrate the same research-driven approach CenterSignal brings to organizational histories, company legacies, community storytelling, and strategic communications across many kinds of organizations.

While these projects involve historically significant public issues, they demonstrate a research-driven methodology that applies across organizational histories, company legacies, community storytelling, place-based storytelling, and strategic communications. Every engagement begins with rigorous archival research, careful historical interpretation, and communication strategies designed to strengthen understanding, trust, and long-term relationships.

Selected Work

Stone marker reading 'Site of Old Fort Chambers' near Boulder, Colorado — the training ground for men who participated in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.
Public History & Interpretation

Fort Chambers and the Sand Creek Massacre

Communication infrastructure for a collaborative historical storytelling and land stewardship effort with Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Representatives — helping Boulder community members understand the city's connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.

Impact: Improved public understanding of Boulder County’s connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.

What This Project Demonstrates: Public memory, Tribal relationship-building, historical interpretation, community education, and land stewardship communication.

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Tribal Representatives, City of Boulder staff, and community members gathered together on Open Space and Mountain Parks land near Boulder, Colorado during a consultation visit.
Strategic Communications

Boulder Tribal Consultation and History-Informed Placemaking

Phillip Yates’s City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks work supporting Tribal consultation communication, public memory, The Peoples’ Crossing, Fort Chambers, and public education connected to the Sand Creek Massacre.

Impact: Contributed to nationally and statewide award-winning public communication.

What This Project Demonstrates: Tribal engagement communication support, public memory, historical interpretation, place-based storytelling, and civic relationship-building.

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Public artwork and community gathering space in Niwot, Colorado honoring Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot relationships and historical storytelling.
Community Storytelling

Building Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot Relationships

An inaugural community gathering with Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne Elders for Niwot's 150th anniversary.

Impact: Created an inaugural Elder-centered gathering that laid the groundwork for ongoing community relationship-building in Niwot.

What This Project Demonstrates: Community storytelling, Elder-centered public programming, historical interpretation, and relationship-centered civic engagement.

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Tribal Representatives, singers, dancers, and community members gathered for The Peoples’ Crossing event in Boulder, Colorado, honoring relationships with Tribal Nations.
Community Storytelling

The Peoples’ Crossing: Honoring Relationships with Tribal Nations

A City of Boulder public gathering that showed how relationship-building carries through even when plans change.

Impact: Strengthened public understanding of Tribal relationships and helped maintain trust through a changed public plan.

What This Project Demonstrates: Naming and renaming communication, public memory, Tribal relationship-building, historical interpretation, and civic decision support.

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City of Boulder staff land acknowledgment event with Tribal Representatives, community members, and public officials.
Organizational Histories

History Before Land Acknowledgments

Project management, research, writing, and rollout of the City of Boulder staff land acknowledgment, which was developed with Tribal Nations and the Boulder community.

Impact: Preserved institutional memory for future staff and community members by creating a lasting staff land acknowledgment practice.

What This Project Demonstrates: Historical research, organizational history, community engagement, public history, and implementation communication.

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Buffalo Road by Tom Myer, Native artist — a painting of buffalo silhouettes walking below mountains under a large yellow sun, representing Niwot, Arapaho, and Cheyenne relationships and historical storytelling.
Public History & Interpretation

Niwot Living History

An independent civic history and public education platform created to help the Niwot, Boulder Valley, and Denver Metro communities better understand Southern Arapaho Chief Nowoo3 (Niwot, Left Hand), Arapaho and Cheyenne history, and the Sand Creek Massacre, where Nowoo3 was mortally wounded.

Impact: Created a lasting public education resource for residents and visitors on Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Niwot history.

What This Project Demonstrates: Public history, historical interpretation, community storytelling, digital storytelling, and civic education.

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The People's Crossing in Boulder, Colorado, honoring Chief Nowoo3 (Niwot, Left Hand) and the place where Arapaho, Cheyenne and other Tribal Nations crossed the Boulder Valley.
Place-Based Storytelling

The Peoples' Crossing

Consultation coordination and public communication for the renaming of Settler's Park to The Peoples' Crossing in Boulder.

Impact: Supported a more inclusive understanding of local history through the renaming of Settler's Park to The Peoples' Crossing.

What This Project Demonstrates: Naming and renaming communication, public memory, Tribal relationship-building, historical interpretation, and civic decision support.

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Niwot Native Art Market 2025 with Native artists, vendors, and community members gathered in Niwot, Colorado.
Community Storytelling

Niwot Native Art Market

Cultural programming as public communication — created with Native artist Tom Myer and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association.

Impact: Elevated Native artist visibility and created a community space for cultural exchange in Niwot.

What This Project Demonstrates: Community storytelling, cultural programming, public communication, Native artist visibility, and relationship-centered placemaking.

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Tree sculptures by Eddie Running Wolf in Niwot, Colorado — community public art honoring Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot history.
Public History & Interpretation

Niwot Tree Carvings

NiwotCarvings.org — preservation, interpretation, and public understanding of a community public art landmark.

Impact: Created a public-facing digital resource that helps residents and visitors understand the history and significance of the Niwot Tree Carvings.

What This Project Demonstrates: Public art interpretation, local history, community storytelling, preservation storytelling, and digital public education.

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Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks with snow-dusted Flatirons and open grassland in the foreground.
Strategic Communications

Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks

Public engagement, media materials, and community-facing explanations for visible public land and natural resource issues.

Impact: Improved public understanding of complex land issues and contributed to award-winning public communication.

What This Project Demonstrates: Public land communication, strategic communications, civic engagement, media relations, and community-facing explanation.

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CenterSignal's portfolio demonstrates experience researching, interpreting, and communicating complex historical stories for communities, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and cultural institutions. Although each project is unique, they share the same evidence-based approach that CenterSignal brings to organizational histories, company legacies, public history, and strategic communications nationwide. Learn about our practice or start a conversation.

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Let’s Tell Your Story.

Every organization has a story worth telling. Whether you’re preserving an organizational history, celebrating a company milestone, documenting a community’s story, or exploring the history of a place, CenterSignal helps uncover and share the stories that deepen connection, strengthen identity, and build lasting public trust.

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