Ted DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun

I've been wanting to visit Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia's "Gallery in the Sun" ever since I first read about him when coming to Tucson. The internationally known artist of Southwestern culture, especially Indian children and family life, chose a 10-acre site to build his home, studio, and gallery in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains.

An American impressionist painter, sculptor, and lithographer. Self-described as "the world's most reproduced artist", DeGrazia is known for his pastel images of Native American children of the American Southwest and other Western scenes. In 1951, with the help of local Indian friends, he built the Mission in the Sun using water and construction materials he hauled to the site with his old car. Other buildings which came later included his home, a studio, and gallery to showcase his artwork. The gallery was built in 1965.

In 2006, the ten-acre property, now a museum of DeGrazia's work, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He died in 1982, and is buried by the Mission.

DeGrazia's work first appeared in "Arizona Highways" magazine in 1941. In 1960, DeGrazia received a commission to produce cover art for UNICEF greeting cards. His designs have appeared on lithographs, collector plates, greeting cards, and in a series of Hummel figurines.

Photos from my visit to the Gallery in the Sun

The ten-acre site has walking trails and a wonderful collection of local plant life. The property is open each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local artists can usually be found sitting on benches along the trail, as well as locals and tourists just wanting a peaceful moment in the beautiful setting.

The Gallery contains many photographs of DeGrazia at work on the Mission and construction of the other buildings. I took a couple of snapshots showing the artist at work (below).

In the picture above, he is working on the murals which he painted throughout the complex, especially on the interior walls of the Mission in the Sun

This picture is of DeGrazia and his wife Marion at their original studio location on Campbell Road in 1946. The Gallery in the Sun was begun in 1951 on a different site, on Swan Drive just north its intersection with Skyline Drive.

The following photos were taken inside the Gallery. Describing the inspiration for building the structure, DeGrazia says:

"The gallery was designed by me and I wanted to get the feeling of the Southwest. I wanted to build it so that my paintings would feel good inside of it. As you come to it, the Entrance, there's the Yuma Prison gate. And it's built like a tunnel. I like tunnels. Then I tried to have the feeling around the gallery, no windows, because my business is pictures, and if you have windows you can't have pictures, so all the lighting in the Gallery's from the roof. And then I try to control that by achieving, through color, different effects."

The photos below were taken from a display of DeGrazia's personal belongings, representing his work as an artist. You'll notice his boots, a cigar, his easel, paint and brushes, a bottle of whiskey, and Redman tobacco.

Inside the Gallery, one room has seating for groups where they can watch a video documentary of DeGrazia's life and work. The walls of the room are covered with huge photographs of the artist (see below).

A couple of scenic shots from my walk along the trails winding their way throughout the property:

Photographs of the "Mission in the Sun" (Below)

The Mission or "Chapel" was the first structure DeGrazia built on the ten-acre site in 1951. The interior walls have murals painted by the artist. The Mission was built to honor Father Kino and dedicated to our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico.

Annual Tucson Museum of Art's "Arts and Crafts Fair"

This morning I spent two hours walking through over 100 booths of local artists and craftspersons at the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Tucson Museum of Art.

University of Arizona Tour, Photography and Art

Yesterday, Friday, I spent a few hours walking the University of Arizona campus. My reason for going there was to attend a exhibit at the Center for Creative Photography.



My first problem was finding a place to park. Like most large univerisities, the UA public parking situation is a nightmare. Take my advice and bring a bike, or ride the bus, if you visit the campus. I finally found the parking gargage across from the Marriott Hotel that sits near the campus. It took me a while, but I finally found a spot. Signs were posted everywhere: "Take your parking ticket with you. Pay at the cashier BEFORE you return to your car." When I left, I went to the cashier and had to wait in line behind twenty other people. What a pain in the neck.





The campus itself is beautiful, of course. I walked from the garage in search of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP). I saw the Arizona Historical Society Museum building first, so I visited them.

My next stop was the UA Museum of Art. On the first floor, there were two exhibitions: from El Anatsui and Jacques Lipchitz. El Anatsui is from Ghana. His work "Versatility" was a massive quilt-like material made from whiskey and other alcoholic bottle labels that he collected. His other exhibit was a room full of "anthills" created from the tops of milk cans. Jacques Lipchitz's exhibit included numerous sculptures and some of the tools he used while creating the pieces.

The UA permanent collection is exhibited on the second floor. While I was there, students were performing musical works on classical guitars in one of the galleries. It provided a nice soundtrack for my visit. I viewed masterworks from artist like Diebenkorn, Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Picasso, Matisse, O'keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, Reginald Marsh, and Jusepe de Ribera. I especially liked Ribera's "A Greek Sage" from 1630.


I found the Center for Creative Photography across the street from the Art Museum. The photography exhibit was on the first floor and easy to find. The purpose of the exhibit was to show the creative process behind famous photographs, with particular emphasis on how the photographer works. The exhibition include contact sheets, letters, notes, personal journals, diaries, calendars and other original material from a number of photographers.

One photographer featured was Wynn Bullock. The exhibit revealed his philosophical approach to photography by emphasizing space and time. "The space of the room becomes a property of the room just as real as the room itself. . .space being an independent property of all containers," I noted while reading from his journal.

The exhibit also displayed actual contact sheets from Gary Winogrand (1928-1984), showing how he marked on each sheet his choices for printing and publishing. One of his favorite collections contained photos of women in public places. He wrote a letter to the University of Texas art department (1975), which was on display at the exhibit, and I noted his comments:
"Whenever I've seen an attractive woman, I've done my best to photograph her. . . I don't know if all of the women in the photographs are beautiful, but I do know that the women are beautiful in the photographs."

The exhibit from W. Eugene Smith was my favorite. For Life Magazine, he suggested shooting an essay of Albert Schweitzer. The Nobel Peace Prize winner founded the the Lambaréné Hospital in Gabon, west central Africa. Smith traveled to Africa and photographed Schweitzer in his office and elsewhere over a few days. The exhibit contained some of Smith's contact sheets, his journal, and his personal calendar from the trip that noted the photos he wanted to take.

Another great exhibit was the "pepper" display from Edward Weston. Weston began to take photos of "assorted peppers" in 1930. In a handwritten letter they had on display, he said he delighted in shooting ". . . a pepper, but more than a pepper: abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter. . . (and it) takes one into an inner reality." It was also amusing to see that he was finacially struggling as well, when he states, "We have been living on deposits from sittings, more than I ever had in a given period of time."

Other photographers featured included Frederick Sommer and Ansel Adams.

The Catalina Mountain Foothills and La Encantada Shopping Center

One of the most beautiful areas in Tucson is the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Driving east from I-10 along Ina Road, then staying the course on Skyline Drive and Sunrise Drive, you get a beautiful view of the area. To the south of the Catalinas is the valley with the city of Tucson bedded in the midst of various mountain ranges. Tucson must be one the most beautiful cities in the Southwest.

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While making the drive last week I came upon the La Encantada Shopping Center. I'm not sure I can describe the place with words. The La Encantada is an outdoor shopping mall with multible levels and beautiful landscaping located just within the foothills of the mountains. From the upper levels as you look south you get a panoramic view of the Tucson valley area miles in the distance. The La Encantada has retail shopping for those in the upscale market, plus a sushi bar with an outdoor patio and various restaurants. At the center of this garden-and-flower-laden shopping center is a courtyard suitable for outdoor concerts and activities.

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I've been back numerous times just to walk among the well-groomed trees and plants indigenous to the Tucson area. It is an architectural masterpiece as well. Although a shopping center, it's pretty close to being a work of art.

Check out these photos I took recently at the La Encantada.

Big Brothers and Sisters Benefit from Craft Fair

Last Saturday afternoon I was driving through the foothills of the Catalina Mountains area north of Tucson when I noticed an artist and crafts fair being held at a local shopping center. Benefiting the Big Brothers and Sisters of Tucson, the fair had 4o or so booths from local artists and craftspersons selling their wares. It was getting late in the day, so I didn't have as much time as I wanted to spend visiting all the booths. It made me a little jealous. I was wishing I was a local artist and had my own booth. Maybe some day I will.
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One particular booth was wall-to-wall old photos and reproductions mounted on pieces of wood, then framed. Other wooden objects like stools and end tables also had old photos mounted on them. The woman in the photo at right was selling handpainted mugs and ceramic dishes.