Images of Grandeur: Artists and Photographers of the Grand Canyon

What makes the Grand Canyon so grand? When and how did the Grand Canyon change from being an impassable hole in the ground to the best of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World? This presentation examines the Grand Canyon through the eyes of conquistadors, military surveyors, writers, artists, and photographers from 1541 to the present. It also explores the evolution of our interaction with nature, from “that which must be conquered” to something to be preserved and appreciated for its grandeur.

Before retiring from the Arizona Historical Society, Jim Turner worked with more than seventy museums in every corner of the state. He wrote the pictorial history book, Arizona: Celebration of the Grand Canyon State, is a part-time editor for Rio Nuevo Publishers, and writes articles for magazines and newspapers. Turner moved to Tucson in 1951, earned a master’s degree in U.S. history from the University of Arizona, and has been researching, writing, and teaching Arizona history for almost forty years.