Buffalo Soldiers Opening Reception & Dr. Michael Engs Presentation

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we are pleased to announce the opening of a very special exhibition at the Tucson Desert Art Museum. Buffalo Soldiers: The 10th Cavalry Regiment Told Through the Art of David Laughlin paints a picture of daily life for African American soldiers serving in the post-Civil War American West. Through his artworks David Laughlin depicts the 10th Cavalry Regiment’s daily activities while stationed in Arizona from 1885 - 1896. With the US Government pushing for western expansion, the Buffalo Soldiers’ tasks ranged from building outposts and laying telegraph lines to protecting settlers, stagecoaches and railroad crews and fighting Native Americans, outlaws and rustlers. Their days were full and difficult; however, military service offered them a chance to obtain better rights as citizens in the recently liberated United States. The exhibition features artworks by Laughlin as well as historical artifacts borrowed from the AZ Historical Society. The Exhibition, presented in collaboration with GSAAC, opens Friday February 7, 2020 from 6- 8 PM. The event will feature an engaging presentation by Dr. Michael Engs, retired education administrator and amateur historian whose expertise and passion is the history of African-Americans in Arizona. 

In Memorium - David Laughlin (1928-2020)

Image: Dr. Michael Engs, via KXCI