Category Archives: Work

An Evening of Corridos/ Program (2015)

March 6, 2020Exhibits and Events, Workjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Promo for the event:

Corridos are narrative songs which often chronicle socially relevant historical events. The corridos featured in this evening’s program come from both the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero Rebellion, a revolt by Catholics against the Mexican government that occurred in response to anti-Catholic legislation in the 1920’s.

A lecture by Dr. Celestino Fernandez will be followed by the performance of corridos by local artists, including Juan Aguilar and Justin Enriquez, members of the quartet, Los Cuatro Vientos.

Dr. Celestino Fernández, Professor Emeritus in the University of Arizona School of Sociology, is himself a composer of corridos. He served as University Distinguished Outreach Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for many years. His research focuses on various issues pertaining to culture, Mexican immigration, ethnic diversity, and education and he has published approximately 50 articles and book chapters. Dr. Fernandez serves on numerous community boards, and helped start San Miguel High School, a college-prep school for students from poor and working class families. Dr. Fernández received an M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

To learn more about the Cristero Rebellion, you may wish to visit the online exhibition La Vida Fronteriza: Church, Economy and Daily Life which features materials documenting the De la Torre family and their involvement in the Cristero Rebellion.

My introduction to the event:

“Good evening. My name is Bob Diaz. I am the curator for the performing arts and the exhibits and events coordinator here in Special Collections. Thank you for for joining us tonight. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to our second annual evening of corridos. Before I introduce our guests, I’d like to mention our Dia De Los Muertos altar. This year’s altar was put together by Luis Coronado Gruel and students from his History 368 class on Colonial Mexico. The altar is dedicated to Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, one of the most important Mexican writers of all time. Thank you, maestro Gruel, for doing such a wonderful job.

Aristeo Brito, Dr. Celestino Fernandez and his wife

Tonight Dr. Celestino Fernandez, professor emeritus of Sociology, will be giving a presentation on the corridos of the Cristero Movement and the Mexican Revolution. Following his presentation, we will hear from a number of folks who brought their guitars with them and who will be singing some corridos for us. We have with us again, Justin Enriquez and Juan Aguilar, as well as a few other musical guests, including Bobby Benton, Jim Griffith, Antonio Gomez and Aristeo Brito, and Dena Cowan and Jesus Garcia. There may be others who have come along to join in on the fun, and hopefully we’ll have time to hear everyone sing at least one song.

Dr. Fernandez giving a presentation on Corridos of the Revolution

After the lecture and performances we will have refreshments, including pan de muerto from La Estrella Bakery. Please enjoy the program, stick around and check out the altar and our exhibit on Tucson, and enjoy yourselves. Nuestra casa es su casa”.

Day of the Dead altar prepared by Professor Luis Coronado Gruel and his History 368 class. The altar was dedicated to Sor Juan Ines de la Cruz

Tucson: Growth, Change, Memories / Exhibition, August 17, 2015-January21, 2016.

March 5, 2020Exhibits and Events, WorkTucson, Urban renewal photographsjrdiaz@arizona.edu

This exhibition was held in celebration of the anniversary of the “founding” of Tucson in 1775 by Spanish colonizers, and was centered around a collection of photographs I had found in Special Collections that consisted of photos of all of the buildings in the oldest part of town that had been demolished during Tucson’s urban renewal rampage, which took place in the latter part of the 1960s. Some beautiful houses and many historically significant buildings were lost in the old barrio, or “Barrio Viejo” to to make way for the building of the Tucson Community Center. My friend Richard’s father, Mr. Albert Elias, had mentioned to me that they existed, so I looked and looked until I found them. I was frankly quite shocked that these photos never got much attention before I pushed to have them digitized for use in this exhibition. The events I planned included a lecture by Tom Sheridan, assessing the present state of the Mexican community in Tucson and a panel discussion on growing up in Tucson that featured Katya Peterson, Molly McKasson, Lydia Otero and Ernesto Portillo, Jr. This was one of my best efforts. The programs were both well attended and the exhibition drew many visitors.

Click here to see the entire collection of urban renewal photographs held by Special Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries.

Photos of various buildings torn down to make way for the Tucson Community Center

More buildings that were destroyed during urban renewal

A selection of memorabilia and photos from the Santa Rita Hotel.

Click here to read Tucson Weekly writer Margaret Regan’s article “Bulldozing the Barrio: Photos and Film at UA Special Collections Document the Neighborhood Lost to Urban Renewal”.

Apartments, 32 W. Corral, near S. Convent.

Memorabilia from the El Conquistador Hotel

More Tucson memorabilia from various Tucson businesses.

Special Collections is home to a number of books focusing on life in Tucson’s barrios.

The Otero House, corner of S. Main and McCormick.

Shopping bags, calendars, photos and more.

Building at corner of S. Convent and Ochoa.

Affirmations and Surprises: Following the Transformational Trail of Tucson’s Mariachi and Folklorico Dance Movement / Program (2016)

March 5, 2020Exhibits and Events, WorkDaniel Buckley, Hispanic Heritage Month, Mariachis, Tucson youth mariachijrdiaz@arizona.edu

I coordinated two different programs held in Special Collections for Hispanic Heritage Month in 2016. I worked with Socorro Carrizosa of the Chicano Hispano Center on the planning. Dan’s talk was the first one. The second program was another “Noche de Corridos” evening. I’ve known Dan Buckley since my days as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference in the mid-2000s. He’s been a long time supporter of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference and his writing for the Tucson Citizen on the festival was always something one could eagerly look forward to reading.

Publicity designed by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries

Click here to listen to the audio of this program.

Local documentary producer, writer and music critic, Daniel Buckley, will share the story of the Tucson youth mariachi movement. He is currently in production on his eighth documentary, “The Mariachi Miracle,” which traces the impact of youth mariachis and folklórico dance groups on the social economic, educational, political and artistic fabric of Tucson, Arizona.

Producer/director Daniel Buckley is currently in production on his 8th documentary film, The Mariachi Miracle, which traces the impact of your mariachis and folklorico dance groups on the social, economic, educational, pollitical and artistic fabric of Tucson.

Buckely spent over 30 years as a music journalist, and later multimedia developer for newspapers in Tucson, Arizona and national magazines. During his nearly 23 years with the Tucson Citizien, de developed a deep interest in Tucson’s traditional Mexican and Native American cultural expressions.

In 2013, the Tucson International Mariachi Conference inducted Buckley into its Mariachi Hall of Fame, and in 2014 he was named Artist of the Year at the Arizona Governor’s Arts Awards for his work as a writer, composer, filmmaker, performance artist, and photographer.

Click here for more information on Buckley’s Mariachi Miracle project .

The Wilderness Act: Arizonans Keeping It Wild for 50 Years / Exhibition, August 25-September 26, 2014

March 5, 2020Exhibits and Events, WorkThe Wilderness Actjrdiaz@arizona.edu

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.”