In late 2013, I was approached by my friend Keith Bagwell, who asked me if I would be interested in working with a couple of people he knew who wanted to work on an exhibition in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act. Those two people turned out to be Meg Weesner, formerly of the National Park Service, and Kevin Dahl, executive director of the Tucson Audubon Society. They knew we housed the papers of the Udall brothers as well as those of Edward Abbey, and they were very eager to share their knowledge of conservation and environmental issues with me and to work with me to design an exhibition celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act. It was a real pleasure working with them. Meg, in particular, put in a lot of time and effort into this project. She led the way.
Promotional material designed by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries
“This new exhibit showcases how, 50 years after becoming law, the Wilderness Act continues to benefit the American people by ensuring millions of acres of public land are available for recreation, exploration and inspiration. “The Wilderness Act” features original material from Special Collections including maps, books, archival documents and photographs from the collections of Edward Abbey and Stewart and Morris Udall.”
I co-curated this exhibit with Gloria McMillan and India Spartz. My sections of the exhibition are shown below. I created the displays featuring science fiction-related toys loaned to Special Collections by Wolf Forrest, the featured speaker for our opening event. I also made arrangements with the staff at the Lunar and Planetary Lab to borrow the Mars globe, and visited with Dr. William Hartmann at his home, where he graciously loaned me one of his Mars paintings and some of his Mars-related reference books for inclusion in the exhibition. I also purchased the posters that were displayed and made arrangements for Dr. Bradley Schauer to speak at the exhibition’s second event. It was a real pleasure getting to know Mr. Wolf Forrest, who it turns out, is not only a Sci-Fi buff, but a rock and roll music buff too!
The Mars Madness exhibit, subtitled “Sci-Fi, Popular Culture and Ray Bradbury’s Literary Journey to Outer Space” opened January 21st, and will be on display until August 1, 2014 in the Special Collections at the University of Arizona, 1510 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ. An array of Ray Bradbury material will be on display, including original works by the author, works of others who influenced him, pulp SF magazines, photos of Mars, movie memorabilia, and a selection of SF related toys on loan from the private collection of Wolf Forrest. The exhibit is curated by India Spartz, Bob Diaz, and Gloria McMillan, editor of Orbiting Ray Bradbury’s Mars (McFarland),
Promotional material designed by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries
https://vimeo.com/112532202
Promo video for Mars Madness exhibition
Mr. Wolf Forrest, featured speaker at the exhibition’s opening event.
The opening reception will be held on January 21, 2014, at 5:30 p.m with a talk by Mr. Wolf Forrest. A book signing with McMillan will be held March 15, 2014, at 3:30 p.m., and a lecture, “Filming Pulp Poetry: Ray Bradbury and It Came From Outer Space” with assistant professor of the School of Theater, Film and Television, Bradley Schauer, will be held on April 8, 2014, at 5 p.m.
Mars globe on loan from the Lunar and Planetary Lab. Mars books by William K. Hartmann on loan from the author.
Toys on loan from the collection of Mr. Wolf Forrest
More of Mr. Forrest’s collection
And more toys. Books/magazines from Special Collections huge collection of science fiction related works.
More books from Special Collections science fiction holdings.
I put this exhibition together for display in the Main Library. All of the material comes from Special Collections, which has an amazing collection of performing arts-related holdings. The exhibition, although small, was well received, and was a pleasure to work on. I don’t have photographs of every section, but I did save some.
Description:
“Special Collections has a growing number of collections about the performing arts. This exhibit will draw on these collections to provide a look at Tucson’s history of performing arts from the 19th century to the present day. Included will be recordings, photographs, programs and other ephemera.
Tucson has been home to a rich arts scene encompassing music, dance, theater and cinema. The Tucson scene has thrived in part because of its inclusive nature, which has included classical as well as popular offerings. For instance, music offerings span symphonic and opera offerings at one end of the spectrum to street music and folk festivals at the other.
Tucsonans are fortunate that our community has so many arts and cultural organizations that sponsor performances, not the least of which is the University of Arizona. The exhibit will include materials from UA Presents, the “Saturday Morning Music Club” and Tucson Meet Yourself among other collections.”
THE PERFORMING ARTS IN
TUCSON
Native peoples of
Southern Arizona included chants and drumming in their ceremonial lives long
before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Shortly
thereafter, as the missions were built, the Spanish priests trained the local
people in the music of the Church. Choral music and voice lessons provided by
the local friars were a regular part of mission life during the 18th
and 19th centuries.
After Mexico won its
independence from Spain in 1821, the local people continued many of the
traditions that the Spanish brought with them. Tucson was a small outpost on
the northernmost frontier, so entertainment by outsiders was sporadic. Small
local Mexican performing groups existed, and their infrequent work consisted of
serenades and performing at parties.
When the Gadsden
Purchase was signed in 1854, Tucson became part of the United States, and its
population gradually increased. Easterners brought with them their own European-based
cultural activities. However, visiting performing groups came mostly from
Mexico. El Teatro Royal, later called the South Main Theater, was one of
Tucson’s first entertainment venues. Traveling musical groups and theater
troupes entertained the locals with plays in Spanish, and even opera. It is
said that the world famous Mexican opera star, “La Peralta” even performed
there once.
Angela Peralta, one of the greatest Opera stars of the Nineteenth Century.
The following story comes from the book, “Tucson Incunabula”, by Alexandra Maria Diamos.
In the 1870s, Levin’s Park was the home of Tucson’s first “Opera House”, which hosted traveling musical and theatrical shows. It didn’t last long, but soon other venues were created for entertainment. Military bands stationed at Ft Lowell also provided countless hours of entertainment for the local community at this time.
In the 1880’s, St. Augustine’s Cathedral was soon joined by other churches representing the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Episcopalian faiths. Choral music and other religious music thus increased. Along with this, the local schools (public and private) that were opened also emphasized the importance of the arts, music in particular. The University of Arizona, founded in 1885, played an important role in Tucson’s musical life. By 1906, the department of music and dance was training students in choral music and lessons were given to students learning instruments such as the violin and piano.
Tucson Daily Citizen, April 7, 1911.
Arizona Daily Star, April 12, 1911.
A scene from “Camille” with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role.
At the turn of the
century, a new Tucson Opera House was built on Congress, as were other venues,
including the Broadway Theater and Elysian Grove, which was located at the
present site of Carrillo School on S. Main and was the former home of The
Carrillo Gardens. One can only imagine what it was like attending Buffalo
Bill’s Traveling Minstrel Show or seeing the great Sarah Bernhardt on stage.
Both appeared in town in the early 1900s.
By 1910, what one would call “more refined” entertainment in Tucson began to increase. The Tucson Opera House hosted everything from Shakespearean drama to nationally renowned singers and other classical musicians, while theaters such as El Teatro Carmen, established by Carmen Soto Vasquez, continued to host travelling groups from Mexico that offered both musical and theatrical entertainment.
Teatro Carmen, circa 1918.
CLASSICAL MUSIC IN
TUCSON
Tucson High School was the home of many early classical concerts up through the late twenties. The auditorium was a beautiful space, and a favorite of the Tucson Symphony and other local performing groups in the 1920s.
This concert program is from 1920 and features an orchestra from Mexico.
Madeline Heineman
Berger, who co-founded the Saturday Morning Music Club in 1906, also founded
the Temple of Music and Art. Built in the late 1920s, it became the home of the
Tucson Symphony Orchestra as well as to local theater groups that performed
there. From 1929 through the late 1960s, the Temple served as a major center
for Tucson’s performing arts community. The Temple fell on hard times in the
1960s and 1970s, and changed ownership a number of times, but never completely
closed its doors. Today, it continues to be a thriving performing space and is
home to the Arizona Theatre Company.
The Old Pueblo Mexican Orchestra, in front of the Temple of Music and Art
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra began its long life at the end of the 1920s and performed not only at Tucson High and the Temple of Music and Art, but also at the University of Arizona auditorium, well into the 1960s. In the early 1970s Tucson Community Center Music Hall became its permanent home.
By mid-century, the University had a well-established annual visiting artist series, and hosted many talented musicians and groups, including dance troupes such as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The students and faculty of the School of Music also provided concerts for the public on a regular basis. Theater was taught both in the public schools as well as at the University level, and performances of plays, musicals and opera were held on a regular basis by both local and visiting performers.
This postcard is from my personal collection. What an amazing line-up of talent!
Over the past 25 years, the University of Arizona Library has hosted several El Dia De Los Muertos programs and altar installations. Dr. Alba Nora Martinez, a professor in the Spanish Department was an early promoter of this programming, and I worked with her at the Main Library to produce at least two different programs and installations in the late 1990s, when I was Assistant to the Dean for Staff Development, Recruitment and Diversity. Years later, after I became coordinator of exhibits and events at Special Collections, I decided to have the programming revived. In 2013, I worked with three graduate students, Amy Vaterlaus, Stephen Curley and George Apodaca on the altar below. We made paper flowers and I purchased other materials for inclusion in it. They also gave very informative presentations about various aspects of the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions in Mexico and the United States. Justin Enriquez and Juan Aguilar provided musical entertainment and there were Mexican beverages like horchata and jamaica as well as pan de muerto, provided by La Estrella Bakery. It was a fun and memorable event!
Promotional video for the El Dia De Los Muertos altar
2013 El Dia De Los Muertos altar created by Bob Diaz, Amy Vaterlaus, George Apodaca and Stephen Curley
