Category Archives: Exhibits and Events

Teatro Libertad: Reflection and Discussion / Program, October 1, 2013

July 24, 2021Exhibits and Events, WorkBob Diaz, Special Collections, Teatro Libertad, University of Arizona Libraryjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Special Collections, University Libraries

September 25, 2013

Join us on October 1 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in Special Collections for an evening of reflection and discussion with members of Teatro Libertad, a local street theatre company from the 1970s. A viewing of select scenes from La Vida Del Cobre (The Life of Copper), one of the group’s plays, accompanies the talk.

*Former members of Teatro Libertad together again*

Click here to see videographer Brenda Limon’s filmed version of highlights of the program.

Teatro Libertad is featured in a new exhibit on display from Sept. 3, 2013 – Jan. 12, 2014 at the UA Main Library. Formed in 1975 by seven local actors and musicians – Scott Egan, Barclay Goldsmith, Teresa Jones, Arturo Martinez, Pancho Medina, Arnold Palacios, and Sylviana Wood – the group was influenced by the tradition of teatro Chicano, the Chicano movement of the 60s and 70s, and with inspiration from El Teatro Campesino – a group formed by Luis Valdez in the early 1960s.

Teatro Libertad tackled real life, everyday issues as experienced by the Chicano community in Tucson and the Southwest. Using satire, comedy, and music, the group wrote and performed their plays with the goal of getting people to think about issues such as unemployment, union organization, race, and cultural identity. Among the plays written and performed by Teatro Libertad were Los Peregrinos, El Vacil de 76, Los Pelados, La Jefita, Semilla Sembrada and La Vida Del Cobre.

The bilingual, multicultural group relied on simple stage sets and props – old boxes, masks, and signs – when performing in local neighborhood centers throughout Tucson and in Mexico City, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and New York. The group also performed – sometimes from a flatbed truck – in Arizona’s mining towns for striking miners or farmworkers.

Audience members included a who’s who of the Chicano community

More than 25 performers participated in the all-volunteer Teatro Libertad during the group’s 14-year run. Additional members included Pamela Bartholomew, Olivia Beauford, Bob Diaz, Lilliana Gambarte, Pernela Jones, Jean McClelland, Juan Villegas, and a host of others.

The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Barclay Goldsmith and Teresa Jones, former Teatro members

Click here to see the entire program, recorded on camera by Antonio Arroyo.

Teatro Libertad members on the cover of La Estrella de Tucson

Another write up about the group, by Ernesto Portillo, Jr.

1968: From the My Lai Massacre to Yellow Submarine / September 6, 2018.

July 23, 2021Community events, Exhibits and Events, Work1968 in America, Tom Miller, University of Arizona Special Collectionsjrdiaz@arizona.edu

1968: From the My Lai Massacre to Yellow Submarine featuring Tom Miller

Tom Miller’s press pass for the 1968 Democratic Convention, from the Tom Miller Collections, Special Collections.

Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries

September 6, 2018

From the UA News Service:

Where were you – or your parents – 50 years ago? Many people took part in the anti-Vietnam war movement, hoping to bring pressure on the government to pull out of Vietnam through underground presses and demonstrations. According to Miller, the critically acclaimed writer and author of “Cuba, Hot and Cold” and “The Panama Hat Trail,” the underground press was a “joyously sloppy endeavor made up of people who knew little about journalism but had strong feelings about the war and the cultural life it spawned.” Miller, who witnessed the violence surrounding the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention in the aftermath of the Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations, will present a talk about his activities in the underground press and how the rest of the country reacted to the anti-war movement.

In 2002, the University of Arizona Special Collections acquired Miller’s archives, and some materials from this collection will be included in the “1968 in America” exhibit.

Listen to the audio of Tom’s program here.

Tom Miller showing his draft card to the audience.

Celebrating Excellence: Women in Anthropology / Exhibition, March 9-August 27, 2015 (Main Library)

March 8, 2020Exhibits and Events, WorkUniversity of Arizona Anthropology Department, women in anthropologyjrdiaz@arizona.edu

A new exhibit at the Main Library celebrates two great occasions – the centennial anniversary of the UA School of Anthropology and Women’s History Month – by exploring the seminal work, impact and achievements of women in the field of anthropology. Through biographical profiles, photographs, studies and monographs covering gender, race and feminism in anthropology, “Celebrating Excellence: Women in Anthropology” highlights the contributions of seven influential American female anthropologists.

Covering the 20th century to present day, the exhibit features the work of:

-Ruth Underhill (1883-1984), known for her many publications that dispelled myths about Native American culture

-Ruth Benedict (1887-1948), an anthropologist and folklorist known for studies of the relationships between personality, art, language and culture. Benedict was also the second female president of the American Anthropological Association

-Gladys Reichard (1893-1955), a cultural and linguistic anthropologist best known for her studies of Navajo language and culture

-Hortense Powdermaker (1896-1970), best known for her ethnographic studies of African Americans in rural America

-Margaret Mead (1901-1978), a cultural anthropologist who tackled controversial social issues and became a frequent speaker and lecturer in 1960s and 1970s

-Ruth Landes (1908-1991), a cultural anthropologist best known for studies on Brazilian candomblé cults and her study of race and gender relations

-Jane Hill, Regents’ Professor and Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona known for her research on the Uto-Aztecan languages and language ideology

“Celebrating Excellence: Women in Anthropology” is on display in the UA Main Library from March 9-Aug. 27 and was curated as a companion display to Special Collections current exhibition, “Celebrating Excellence: 100 Years of UA Anthropology,” which runs through July 30.

Celebrating Excellence: 100 Years of Anthropology at the University of Arizona / Exhibition, February 9-July 30, 2015

March 8, 2020Exhibits and Events, WorkUniversity of Arizona Anthropology Departmentjrdiaz@arizona.edu

I learned a great deal about the history of the University by doing this exhibit. The Anthropology program, started by the great archaeologist, E.E. Cummings, put the University on the map in the early part of the 20th century. The more I read about Cummings and his successors, Emil Haury, Raymond Thompson, Ed Spicer, Clara Lee Tanner, the more admiration I felt for my home institution. The Anthropology department has a fascinating history. My effort at capturing 100 years of it is shown below. Although I know I didn’t quite cover the entire 100 year period, it was quite gratifying to know that the late Dr. Raymond Thompson liked my work. Meeting him was the highlight of the whole experience for me.

In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the School of Anthropology, Special Collections has put together an exhibition that features a variety of historical material, including photos, original documents, pamphlets, articles and books related to the school and its impact on our campus and community.

Included will be archival materials on Byron Cummings, founder of the program, and his successors Emil Haury, and Raymond Thompson. These photos, documents and articles come from a variety of places, but most notably from the University of Arizona Biographical files, housed in Special Collections.

Also on display will be information about various archaeological field schools, such as Point of Pines and Grasshopper, as will information about the Bureau of Ethnic Research (now called the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology) and the “Garbage project”.

Historic photos and information about the Arizona State Museum, which was for many, many years, managed by the directors of the anthropology program is also included.

Documents from various manuscript collections of former students and faculty, most notably Henry Dobyns, Trudy Griffin-Pierce and Paul Ezell will add to the exhibit’s focus on the history of the anthropology program.

The University of Arizona Press is also highlighted, as Dr. Emil Haury was a key player in convincing then President Harvill to get the Press started in 1959. Over the years, the UA Press has focused on publishing a number of works in anthropology and archaeology, many of them written by UA faculty, and these will be featured as well.

Some of the documents and other materials that are noteworthy include:

Byron Cummings hand written resume, submitted to the University upon applying for a position in 1915.
Paul Ezell’s field notebook from his time spent at Point of Pines in 1939.
1930’s annual reports from the Anthropology Dept.
Original photos of the Arizona State Museum in its various locations.
Photos of members of the UA Anthropology club.
Early publications such as the Kiva, the Atlatl, and the UA Press’s Occasional Papers in Anthropology.

Two companion exhibits are also in the works. In March, the Main Library will host an exhibit on women and anthropology, and in April, an exhibit about A.E. Douglass and the Tree Ring Lab will open in the Science Engineering Library.

Dr. Raymond Thompson, who was director of both the School of Anthropology and the Arizona State Museum for many years, wrote a very kind letter to my supervisor where he noted how much he enjoyed the exhibit. I was both humbled and gratified to receive this kind of recognition, as I put my heart and soul into this project. Dr. Thompson passed away recently. He was a real gentleman.

“Join us as Diane Austin, Professor and Director of the School of Anthropology and Research Anthropologist with the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) opens Special Collections’ newest exhibition.

The presentation will highlight some of the key historical and current challenges addressed by University of Arizona anthropologists”