Before WWII, the resident art community of Arizona was comprised mostly of women, and this talk explores these independent spirits. Kate Cory, one of the first to arrive in 1905, chronicled the Hopi mesas. Marjorie Thomas was Scottsdale’s first resident artist. Lillian Wilhelm Smith came to the state to illustrate the works of Zane Grey. […]
What is Día de los Muertos? From where does it originate? And how is it celebrated? Día de los Muertos or Days of the Dead is a significant and highly celebrated holiday in Mexico, Latin America, and the Southwestern United States. To understand Día de los Muertos one has to set aside preconceived notions. To […]
Sedona is known for its colorful rocks, but how did this striking landscape come to be? Join Ranney on a thrilling trip back in time when the red rocks were part of a coastal plain, a Sahara-like desert, and warm, tropical seas. Learn how the area became sculpted into a maze of breathtaking buttes, spires, […]
During the Second World War, Arizona’s open spaces, sparse population, and mild weather made it an ideal location for a wide range of military operations including combat training, POW camps, and flight training. By war’s end, more pilots received their wings in Arizona than in any other state. This presentation discusses the war’s impact on […]
Surrounded by cargo, Weber presents as John Wesley Powell writing a letter to his wife, Emma, the night before embarking on his 1869 journey of exploration into the "Great Unknown." Preparing to face the perils and the mysteries of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, he contemplates what may lie ahead, the colorful crewmembers […]
This presentation explains who the mountain men were, how they lived, and why they were in Arizona. Using a colorful presentation, Weber, clad in buckskins, focuses on the life and times of Pauline Weaver, Prescott, Arizona's first white citizen, and other famous mountain men who made their way through this territory. Using photos, maps and […]
Join Goodwin in a conversation about sustainability issues facing Arizona. Topics can include the coal-burning Navajo Generating Station, the Colorado River dams, uranium mining around the Grand Canyon, wind turbines, water conservation and catchment, the costs of water and electricity, preservation of natural landscapes, and others. The presentation can be focused on one or more […]
Knowing one’s culture implies being educated about who you are, what social order expects of you, and it provides the primary steps to individual identity. Stories of the Emergence, Trotting Coyote, First Man and Spider Woman, among others, teach the past, suggest the present, and create a pathway to a satisfying future. Through recurring themes […]
Beginning with a short overview of the epic 1804 journey of Lewis and Clark, Weber then focuses on the little known history of Sacagawea's son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born on the expedition, adopted by William Clark, and went on to become one of the most interesting and foremost figures in early […]
Charles Lindbergh is best known for his famous 1927 flight across the Atlantic Ocean. But few realize that Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, played a brief but important role in archaeology. In 1929 they teamed up with noted archaeologist Alfred Kidder to conduct an unprecedented aerial photographic survey of Southwest prehistoric sites and geologic features […]
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