Tag Archives: Special Collections

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

Exhibits and Events, Work, , ,

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.

Former Teatro member Scott Egan

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.

It was a packed house

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.

Arturo Martinez and Silviana Wood
Teatro Libertad members on the cover of La Estrella de Tucson
Another write up about the group, by Ernesto Portillo, Jr.

40 Years of Tucson Meet Yourself / Exhibition, September 12, 2013-January 12, 2014

Exhibits and Events, Work, , , , ,
Promotional material by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries

In the mid-2000s I was a board member of Tucson Meet Yourself. Knowing that the 40th anniversary of the event was coming up, I decided to curate an exhibit on the event. Special Collections is home to the archives of the Southwest Folkore Center, which sponsored Tucson Meet Yourself. There was a wealth of materials to choose from, and it was great fun putting this exhibition together.

From the UA News Service: In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Tucson Meet Yourself, the UA Special Collections is hosting “40 Years of Tucson Meet Yourself” through Jan. 10. The special exhibition, curated by Bob Diaz, offers a retrospective review of the origins, traditions and celebrations that define Tucson Meet Yourself.

A view of the exhibition gallery
A display of Tucson Meet Yourself t-shirts

On display at Special Collections, 1510 E. University Blvd., the exhibition includes decades of posters, newspaper articles, programs, photographs and original documents, such as meeting notes. Also included is a music kiosk and a history of the festival’s annual corrido contest as well as a special profile of Griffith, the festival’s founder who is now retired from the UA.

Curated from the Tucson Meet Yourself Archive in Special Collections, which documents the festival from its first year through 1995, the exhibit also includes select items borrowed from the festival headquarters that were recently relocated to the UA Downtown campus in the Roy Place building. 

A display of recordings by Lydia Mendoza and Lalo Guerrero, two regional musicians who performed at Tucson Meet Yourself

For more information about the 40th anniversary of Tucson Meet Yourself and the exhibition, see the Zocalo article, “Ephemera and Eccentricities”, by Monica Surfaro Spigelman.

Judith Chafee: Iconoclast /Exhibition (2018)

Architecture, Exhibits and Events, Work, , , ,

Exhibit curated by Bob Diaz, Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries

Promotional material designed by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries

Monday, January 22, 2018 – 9:00am to Friday, July 6, 2018 – 6:00pm

Special Collections

The University of Arizona Libraries

Introduction:

Putting this exhibit together was a labor of love. I started out knowing very little about local architect, Judith Chafee, but learned a great deal from organizing her papers, which are housed in Special Collections, and working with her assistant, Kathryn McGuire a local architect and co-author of the book, “Powerhouse: The Life and Work of Architect Judith Chafee. As I poured over her work looking for material to include in the exhibition, I came to the realization that Chafee was an artistic genius, well ahead of her time. She was the first woman to graduate from Yale’s architecture program. She finished at the  top of her class, and won prestigious awards along the way. A highlight of the whole experience for me was meeting Chafee’s daughter and granddaughter, who made a special trip to Tucson to see the exhibition. They were very impressed by it. It made me feel just great knowing that they liked it. All that work I had put into this project paid off! Attendance at both of the events that were held in conjunction with the exhibit was beyond my expectations, and both were very well received. This exhibition was one of my favorites.

From the UA News Service:

A remarkable American architect, Judith Chafee was a true trailblazer, both as an architect par excellence, and as a woman in a male-dominated profession. She is celebrated as a visionary modernist whose structures harmoniously blend with their host environments.

This exhibit highlights key events and projects from her life and work. Materials will include photographs, drawings, artwork and more. 

A sample exhibit section
Judith Chafee with one of her many pets
“The Architect: Judith Chafee”, story by KUAZ, available for viewing in the exhibit lobby..

For more information see:

“Judith Chafee: Geographical Powers”. January 23, 2018. Program held in conjunction with the above exhibit.

“Judith Chafee: Breaking Barriers in a Man’s World”. March 13, 2018. Program held in conjunction with the above exhibit.

The Judith Chafee Papers Page–Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries

The Judith Chafee Papers Collection Guide

Powerhouse: The LIfe and Work of Judith Chafee

Christopher Domin and Kathryn McGuire, authors

“Powerhouse is the first book on the singular life and career of American architect Judith Chafee (1932-1998). Chafee was an unrepentant modernist on the forefront of sustainable design. Her architecture shows great sensitivity to place, especially the desert landscapes of Arizona. Chafee was also a social justice advocate and a highly respected woman in a male-dominated profession. After graduating from the Yale University Architecture School, where her advisor was Paul Rudolph, she went on to work in the offices of legends including Rudolph, Walter Gropius, Eero Saarinen, and Edward Larrabee Barnes. In addition to her architectural legacy, her decades of teaching helped shape a generation of architects. Chafee’s drawings and archival images of her work are complemented by stunning photography by Ezra Stoller and Bill Timmerman”. –from the Princeton Architectural Press site.

It was very nice of Kathy McGuire to mention me in the acknowledgements section (see below) of the book. I learned a great deal from her during our visits, and without her guidance the exhibition would not have been as informative and interesting as it turned out to be.