Krista Stoker
The Tucson Desert Art Museum is pleased to present “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. This exhibition 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.
Exhibition made possible by a grant from AZ Humanities. This exhibition will be open until May 30, 2021.
Continuing Exhibitions
“Buffalo Soldiers: The 10th Cavalry Regiment Told Through the Art of David Laughlin” paints a picture of daily life for African American soldiers serving in the post-Civil War American West. Through his paintings, drawings, and block prints, artist David Laughlin depicts the 10th Cavalry Regiment’s daily activities while stationed in AZ from 1885 to 1896. With the U.S. Government pushing for western expansion, the Buffalo Soldiers’ tasks ranged from building outposts and laying telegraph lines to protecting settlers, stagecoaches, and railroad crews and fighting Native Americans, outlaws, and rustlers. Their days were full and difficult, however, their military service offered them a chance to obtain better rights as citizens in the recently liberated United States. This exhibition will be open until May 30, 2021.
“The Dirty Thirties: New Deal Photography Frames the Migrants’ Stories” 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 on to 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. This exhibition will be open until May 30, 2021.
Address: Tucson Desert Art Museum: 7000 East Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ 85715
Hours: Wednesday – Friday 10 AM – 2 PM; Saturday 9 AM to 12 Noon
About Tucson Desert Art Museum
The Tucson Desert Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, opened its doors on November 1, 2013, with a mission to display art and artifacts of the Desert Southwest and its surrounding regions, and educate our guests about the history, cultures, and art of the region. At the core of the Museum is one of the Southwest’s premier collections of Navajo and Hopi pre-1940s textiles, including displays of chief’s blankets, Navajo saddle blankets, optical art textiles and Yei weavings. The Museum also has a diverse range of historical artifacts, classic and contemporary Southwestern paintings. Special highlights of the museum include exhibits on Navajo sand painting, early armaments of the Southwest, and artifacts from the Mesoamerican period. Our motto is “visualize history through art.” We invite our guests to immerse themselves in history through our beautiful art!