With the exception of the most ardent collectors and the older generations, the influence and legacy of the big bands is largely forgotten despite their overwhelming popularity and significant role in early radio. Join Larson as he revisits the sounds that America listened and danced to for more than three decades. Learn how iconic artists […]
John Wayne was born in Iowa and lived for most of his adult life in California. Yet, he spent many years exploring, living, and investing in Arizona, where he produced his own films, raised cattle, operated a game ranch, and was seemingly everywhere at once. Wayne remains an iconic presence in American popular culture. In […]
Arizona is home to some of the crown jewels in America’s national park system, including Canyon de Chelly, Saguaro National Monument, and, of course, the Grand Canyon National Park. It also harbors lesser known treasures, such as Chiricahua National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post, and the recently added Agua Fria National Monument. Join McNamee in exploring […]
This illustrated presentation will introduce audiences to the lively voice of diarist Mary “Mim” Walsh. Her 50-year-long journal reveals her heartfelt experiences as an Irish immigrant to Arizona. Her writings record her negotiations of several challenges, from invitations to “perform” as Irish characters at social events to the desire to become a successful fiction writer […]
Vicariously experience the environment and atmosphere of a 1960s-era Civil Rights Movement camp. Through theatrical performance, music, poetry, and participatory activities, audience members will examine the culture of discrimination, racial prejudice, and social injustice in the United States as it was during the 1960s. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s strategy of passive resistance will be […]
Discovered in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg, the Vulture Gold Mine was the first big gold mine in Arizona. The mine and its colorful cast of characters, along with the town of Wickenburg, were instrumental in stimulating considerable growth and development in Central Arizona. This presentation will share the multi-layered story of the gold mine, thus […]
In 1921 the Hopi were told that “church people” petitioned Congress to stop their “pagan” dancing. A platform was erected on the U.S.Capitol steps where both Houses of Congress assembled with their families to see the Hopi dancers. Following the performance, Congress passed a Resolution giving the Hopi permission to carry on their dancing “for […]
Vicariously experience the environment and atmosphere of a 1960s-era Civil Rights Movement camp. Through theatrical performance, music, poetry, and participatory activities, audience members will examine the culture of discrimination, racial prejudice, and social injustice in the United States as it was during the 1960s. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s strategy of passive resistance will be […]
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and early 1930s and it was an unprecedented period of expression by African Americans in music, literature, art, dance, poetry, politics, and economics. Never before had America seen such a rich explosion of black culture. This interactive presentation, which includes storytelling, poetry, theatre, art, […]
The building of the railroad across Arizona in 1879-1880 was a wonder of technology and human will. It created a series of small communities linked by their role in supporting that technology and the initiatives behind it. Overnight it transformed southern Arizona, including Vail, whose story resonates with many other southern Arizona communities. Business and […]
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Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.
