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),
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.
