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< 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

< Back ​ The Dirty Thirties: New Deal Photography Frames the Migrants’ Stories "The Dirty Thirties" explores the journeys of rural migrants fleeing the Dust Bowl, drought, and economic difficulties during the 1930s. In desperate search for jobs and new opportunities, thousands of former farm owners and ex-tenant farmers left their homes in the Southern Plains states and set off to the cotton fields of Arizona and the “Promised Land” of California, where supposedly work could be found. This exhibit explores why the migrants left, their journey westward, their experiences living and working in Arizona, and what life could be like for those who traveled onto California. Told primarily through the compelling documentary photography taken under the auspices of the New Deal programs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, some images from this exhibit will likely stay with you throughout your lifetime. ​​ Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Under A Vast Sky: American Women Artists American Women Artists (AWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the inspiration, celebration, and encouragement of women in the visual fine arts. The Tucson Desert Art mUseum is proud to host the AWA national juried art show and sale. The exhibition features close to 150 painting and sculpture works by outstanding women artists from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Crossing Between Worlds: Life, Land and Culture of Canyon de Chelly Charles D. Winters is a photographer and cinematographer specializing in anthropology, nature and the environment. His exhibit of engaging photographs tells the story of Navajo life in the magnificent landscape of the Four Corners region. His work explores the rich heritage of the Diné and the confluence of tradition and modernity.​ Charles D. Winters is the retired head of the photography department at State University of New York, Oneonta. His work has been widely exhibited both in the US and internationally. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Art is the Seed: Contemporary Native American Female Art Featuring a selection of nearly 30 works across mediums and decades, Art is the Seed explores how historic Native American crafts are the cultural “seeds” inspiring many Native American women artists’ works today. The exhibition features contemporary artworks by Native American artists Cara Romero, Marla Allison, Sarah Sense, Natani Notah, Darby Raymond-Overstreet and Leah Mata Fragua, in addition to historic artifacts loaned by Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery. Honoring and building upon the artistic legacy of their foremothers, the artists’ works fuse historic and culturally-specific symbols with 21st century ideas and art forms, including performance art, photography, sculpture, painting and collage. The artists’ works are explorations into what it means to be a modern, Indigenous woman today. Through their art, the artists forge new ways of being Native American in the modern world and affirm that Indigenous culture is both ever-evolving and here to stay. The exhibition is curated by Alyssa Travis, Chief Curator, Tucson Desert Art Museum. For generations, Native American women’s art has largely been ignored by the established art community, including situations where women’s work has been signed by men, further pushing women artists into silence. This exhibition takes a powerful tradition of female artists and speaks out with modern expression. The women artists on display take traditional craft arts from their heritage and transform them with contemporary twists to give voice to the multi- generational women artist community. Curator Alyssa Travis stated, “We are honored to exhibit such a powerful selection of artworks from Indigenous artists, past and present. The contemporary works on display reflect the artists’ personal attitudes towards what it means to be a contemporary Indigenous woman today.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2020/01/19/spotlight-continues-shining-on-female-native-american-artists/?ss=arts&sh=52a659ab588b Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ Citizen/Enemy: Japanese American Incarceration Camps Citizen/Enemy" confronts an uncomfortable period in American history, when the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led to the relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans to incarceration camps. The exhibition features historic documents, installations, and large-scale images from noted photographers Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee, offering a guide for reflection on this tragic political action and its repercussions for Japanese Americans. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ ​The Dazzled Eye: Navajo Textiles from the Getzwiller Collection Featuring Navajo eyedazzlers and optical textiles from world renowned collectors Steve and Gail Getzwiller, The Dazzled Eye contrasts these works of woven art with American Op Art and explores the popularity and history of Navajo eyedazzlers and optical textiles. Previous ​ Next

< Back ​ SNAP 2! Snapshots of History through Vintage Advertising SNAP! Snapshots of History through Vintage Advertising, opens May 1 and continues through November 30, 2019. SNAP! is back on view! The Museum’s extensive collection of vintage ads from the great southwest and its surrounding areas encourages guests to walk down memory lane by viewing vintage advertisements as a historical mirror of the burgeoning American consumer class, circa 1900-1960. The Museum warns that some of these ads may be offensive by current standards, as old stereotypes of race and gender abound in this exhibit. Come see the “Hidden Persuaders,” advertisements that both informed and mirrored the American experience. From colas to corsets, from cars to cigars, from Rosie the Riveter to Andy Warhol, explore memorable snapshots of twentieth century Americana. Previous ​ Next