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All Exhibitions 2015 SNAP! GEOLogic​ Crossing Between Worlds Women Artists of the West Bittersweet Harvest 2016 The Dirty Thirties Desert Relations Art of Circumstance Behind Barbed Wire Paul Kitagaki's Gambatte! 2017 ​The Dazzled Eye The Wayfinder's Perspective ​The Wayfinder's Dilemma Under A Vast Sky Vaquero & Charro 2018 Colors to Dye For The Sawmill Fire 2019 Effie! Plein Air Pioneer SNAP 2! Snapshots of History through Vintage Advertising 2020 The REDress Project Art is the Seed Buffalo Soldiers 2021 All The Single Ladies Sacred Dancers 2022 Citizen/Enemy 2023 ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues 2024 Gold Fever September 27, 2023 Circa 1930s: Memories of the General Store, Feed Sacks, Quilting and More Repair, reuse, make-do and don't throw anything away in this 1930s based exhibit that includes an era-inspired General Store. Read More May 1, 2019 SNAP! Visualize History Through the Art of Vintage Ads! ​ Read More November 1, 2015 GEOLogic​: Michael Holcomb ​ Read More November 1, 2015 Crossing Between Worlds: Life, Land and Culture of Canyon de Chelly ​ Read More November 3, 2015 Women Artists of the West 45th Annual National Exhibition: WAOWing the Grand Canyon State ​ Read More December 5, 2015 Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942 - 1964 ​ Read More December 5, 2015 The Dirty Thirties: New Deal Photography Frames the Migrants’ Stories ​ Read More March 11, 2016 Wayne Norton: Desert Relations ​ Read More November 5, 2016 Art of Circumstance: Art and Artifacts Created by Japanese Americans Incarcerated During WWII ​ Read More November 5, 2016 Behind Barbed Wire: Japanese American Incarceration in Arizona ​ Read More

< Back January 14, 2023 April 9, 2023 ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas The history and culture of Latinos and their impact on American culture and society through the lens of baseball, shared in the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s (SITES) new bilingual traveling exhibition hosted here at TDART. The history and culture of Latinos and their impact on American culture and society through the lens of baseball will be shared in the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s (SITES) new bilingual (Spanish and English) exhibition, Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas. The exhibition will be on view at the Tucson Desert Art Museum (TDART) from January 14, 2023, to April 9, 2023. "Kansas City Lady Aztecas softball team," Kansas City, Kansas, 1939. Courtesy of Rose Arroyo in memory of Mary Montes. Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of American History . The exhibition received generous support from the Cordoba Corporation and Linda Alvarado, and federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. This exhibition is made possible locally with funding from a grant from Arizona Humanities ; support from Adara Wealth Management and media sponsor, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine . "Roberto Clemente, Forbes Field," Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, around 1967 . Courtesy of The Clemente Museum The exhibition captures the excitement of the game, from community baseball teams to the Major League, highlighting how the game can bring people together regardless of race, class, and gender. It will feature reproductions of historic and personal photographs, and graphic elements as well as a short bilingual video produced by “La Vida Baseball.” Throughout the 20th century in the United States and Latin America, baseball provided a path for a better future. Workers in agriculture and industry in the United States used baseball to make ends meet and as a socially acceptable space to find community and organize for rights and justice. Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas has been made possible through close collaborations with over 30 partners in 14 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico to help bring visibility to Latino community histories through baseball. Smithsonian curators collaborated with partners and local communities across the country to document and preserve baseball stories at the heart of Latino communities. The traveling exhibition will visit 15 cities through 2025. "Carmen Lujan on base," Colton, California, 1936. Courtesy of the Salazar family To highlight how baseball has played a formative role in Tucson’s barrios, this local exhibition also features archival photography that highlights the importance of baseball in Tucson’s own local barrios, including Barrio Anita, as well as a collection of historic baseball memorabilia from Arizona. TDART will host events in connection with this exhibition, including: ¡Pleibol! Night at the Museum January 24, 2023, 6:30 – 8:30 PM| Tucson Desert Art Museum Register Now Previous January 14, 2023 Next

< Back January 10, 2024 June 29, 2024 Gold Fever: Glory and Greed in the Western Expansion Years An exhibition dedicated to the history and legacy of gold in the American West. The Tucson Desert Art Museum is delighted to announce the opening of Gold Fever: Glory and Greed in the Western Expansion Years , an insightful exhibition set to debut on January 10, 2024. This thought-provoking showcase offers a comprehensive look into the California and Western gold rushes, illustrating not only the transformative impact of the pursuit of gold and glory on America but also the resulting moral corruption, as seen through the lens of the seven deadly sins. Frank Marryat. "Les Mines d'Or de la Californie." 1855. Mountains and Molehills; or, Recollections of a Burnt Journal. Curated with exceptional care, Gold Fever presents a balanced narrative of the era's monumental impact, juxtaposing the economic success and transformation of the American West against the backdrop of the darker human impulses of greed, envy, pride, lust, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. The exhibition features rare artifacts, personal narratives, video, and artworks and mining artifacts from the Arizona Historical Society, each telling a part of this complex story. Exhibition Highlights: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Gold Rush: A unique exploration of how the pursuit of wealth exacerbated human vices, leading to moral decay as seen in the excessive drinking and gambling culture, vigilante law, violence against minority communities, and most tragically, the California Native American genocide. Archival Photography, Illustrations and Painting: An artistic journey through the era, capturing the essence of life and popular opinion during the gold rushes. Authentic Mining Artifacts: Objects that provide insight into the daily lives of miners and prospectors in Arizona. Diverse Narratives: Stories highlighting the experiences of Mexican Americans, African Americans, Europeans, Chinese miners and others who contributed to the rich tapestry of the West. "Through Gold Fever , we aim to present a more nuanced view of the western gold rushes of the mid- and late-1800s, acknowledging not only the economic transformation they spurred but also the moral complexities and human costs involved" (Alyssa Travis, curator of the Tucson Desert Art Museum) Gold Fever: Glory and Greed in the Western Expansion Years offers an in-depth exploration into the dichotomy of human nature during a pivotal historical period. The exhibition will run from January 10 to June 29. Dalrymple, Louis, Artist. "His silent partners" / Dalrymple. We invite you to join us at 7000 East Tanque Verde Road for a powerful reflection on the transformative yet morally complex era of the gold rushes. For more details about the exhibition and the Tucson Desert Art Museum, please contact us at mail@tucsondart.org . This enlightening exhibition is made possible by a grant from Arizona Humanities and generous donations from the Long Realty Cares Foundation and the Cascade Foundation . Baker, Isaac Wallace. "Untitled (Portrait of a Chinese Man)." Photograph, c. 1853. Daguerreotype. From Oakland Museum of California. Previous January 10, 2024 Next

< Back ​ All The Single Ladies: Women Pioneers of the American West This informative exhibition tells select stories from the trailblazing lives of unmarried women in the 19th century, who were homesteaders, Harvey girls, boarding house owners, teachers, madams, prostitutes, and entertainers. All the Single Ladies: Woman Pioneers of the American West demonstrates how these women brought a richness and vivacity to the fabric of life in the emerging American West. Tales of the long-ago Wild West portrayed women in one of two stereotypical ways: the seductress or the wholesome farmer’s wife. In reality, the experiences of early pioneer women were far more diverse. While it is true, most women who moved west were married and traveling with husbands and families, many maverick single women sought another path to pursue their dreams of freedom from strict Victorian norms, adventure, and opportunity. "Harvey Girls at the lunch counter of the Harvey House in Winslow, Arizona circa 1910." Courtesy Arizona State Library. Exhibition made possible by a grant from AZ Humanities . "Donaldina Cameron and Tien Fuh Wu with an unidentified woman between them on the steps of the Mission Home." Courtesy of Cameron House. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Art of Circumstance: Art and Artifacts Created by Japanese Americans Incarcerated During WWII Art of Circumstance displays the inventive and creative spirit of the Japanese Americans incarcerated in relocation camps across the Southwest during World War II. The art and artifacts displayed in Art of Circumstance include objects on loan from the Arizona Heritage Center, Arizona Historical Society in Tempe, Arizona. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ GEOLogic​: Michael Holcomb Michael Holcomb describes himself as a “formalist”, to the extent that his art is primarily concerned with form as an abstract expression of the unspeakable forces at work in the universe. His images interpret the canyons, mesas, caves, cliffs, the effects of weathering and erosion: the vast spaces and horizons, skies filled with light and color and extraordinary cloud formations that symbolize the magnificent and rich visual work to the Desert Southwest.​ His work is created using three-dimensional vertex modeling software and original algorithms, edited for characteristics of color, transparency and texture. In 2010, Michael retired as Dean for Technology in the Arts and Director of the Treistman Center for New Media in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona. His work has been exhibited and published internationally and is included in both public and private collections. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Circa 1930s: Memories of the General Store, Feed Sacks, Quilting and More Subsistence and sustainability were central to life in the 1930’s. From the thrifty use of Campbell’s Soup as a meal to the sustainable use of brightly colored flour sacks as the fabric for clothing, the men and women of the 1930’s were experts at getting-by on very little. The Great Depression’s motto was “repair, reuse, make-do and don’t throw anything away!” Throughout our depression-era general store, we point out the sticker-shock price changes in the food and other goods that markedly have changed in the hundred years since these products graced the shelves of general stores in the 1930’s. Other products are gentle reminders of how far we have come as a society. The books on display tell their own story of the challenges they faced in helping pupils learn to read. Smaller towns and rural areas often did not have money to pay schoolteachers in the 1930s. One-room grade schools were common and children often had to work instead of being allowed to attend school. Millions used one book "The Dick and Jane Reader" to learn to read (introduced in 1931). "A woman displays dresses that she made from flour sacks" at Sabine Farms, Marshall, Texas (1939). Photo by Russell Lee. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. In this time period, a man could expect to live to 58, a woman to 62 years of age. Hospitals and doctors were expensive, few and often far away, babies were born at home, industrial and farm equipment was dangerous and accidents and disease claimed many lives. Work was hard, in cities, towns and on the farms. Across the nation, men and women stood in soup lines if they did not have enough work to put food on the table. Between the introduction by the USPS of rural mail delivery and the invention of mail order catalogs, general stores gradually lost their importance. Extensive catalogs (Sears and Montgomery Wards being the most popular) were referred to as “town-killers” by merchants because of their effect on rural townsfolks no longer needing to come to the urban areas and stores. With the increase in automobile travel and improved roads being developed for mail carrier delivery, people began to go to bigger cities to shop. In the 1930s, supermarkets began to spring up, and, unable to compete, general stores began to close. Among other focal points of a small town, such as the school, church and courthouse, the general store was once the lifeblood of the community. We hope you enjoy our general store. "Farm Boy Sitting on Cartons in General Store. Jarreau, Louisiana." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Step back in time as you walk into Our General Store. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Colors to Dye For: The Mysterious World of Dye-Making Colors to Dye For explores the mysterious industry of dye-making. The beautiful southwestern palette created in early Navajo textiles was produced through a variety of materials found in nature. This exhibition takes a close look at the history of indigo and red. Why was indigo referred to as a “color of the devil,” and how did a beetle from the Sonoran desert change the history of red? Come see the fascinating transformation of how wool is made into yarn and yarn is turned into beautiful textiles. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ The Wayfinder's Perspective: Landscape Paintings from the Permanent Collection This exhibition features contemporary landscape paintings culled from the Museum’s permanent collection. Guest curated by exhibiting artist Camden Hardy, the selection of paintings highlight the Southwest desert as a rich and varied subject matter for a diverse group of artists. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942 - 1964 “Bittersweet Harvest”, a bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibition from the Smithsonian, explores the little-known story of the Bracero program; the largest guest worker program in U.S history. Between 1942 and 1964, millions of Mexican men came to the United States on short-term labor contracts. Both bitter and sweet, the Bracero experience tells a story of exploitation but also of opportunity. This exhibition is organized into three main sections that explore the Braceros’ motivations and expectations for the journey north, the work they did and the effects the Bracero program had on family and communities in Mexico and the United States. “Bittersweet Harvest” features the work of famed photojournalist Leonard Nadel as well as oral histories collected by the Bracero Oral History Project. This exhibition is organized by the National Museum of American History and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funding is made possible through the Smithsonian’s Latino Center, which celebrates Latino culture, spirit and achievement in America by facilitating the development of exhibitions, research, collections and education programs​. Please visit, www.sites.si.edu, for more information about the Smithsonian Institutions Traveling Exhibitions. ​The exhibit also included art generously loaned from CALACA artist members. The CALACA Cultural Center's mission is to preserve and promote Latino and Indigenous cultural arts. CALACA artists included Gabriela Muñoz, Martin Moreno, Jose Benavides, Norma Garcia-Torres, Joe Ray, Tavo Barrios, Roberto Martinez, and Marco Albarrán.​​​ Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Women Artists of the West 45th Annual National Exhibition: WAOWing the Grand Canyon State Women Artists of the West is a unique and respected group of professional women artists from all over the United States and Canada. Its Annual National Exhibition is a competitive, juried show - only a fraction of the artwork submitted will be accepted for inclusion. Wyoming-based plein-air palette knife artist Carol Swinney is this year's juror. The Tucson Desert Art Museum is honored to have been chosen as the site of the 2015 WAOW show. It included paintings and sculpture in a variety of media, with landscape, still life, animal, and figurative subjects. For more information about Women Artists of the West please visit waow.org Previous ​ Next