My "I'm a Harwood Steiger Addict" presentation in Tubac, AZ, yesterday went better than I could ever have expected. About three dozen people showed up to hear about my collecting experience and to see my photos and fabrics. Many present were Tubac residents and had been living there while the studio and shop were open. They shared with me their own impressions and I gathered even more information about the Steigers. One lovely little lady in particular, Jesse Alegria, actually worked for the Steigers for over 30 years. She was so sweet and so kind. I could not believe it when she gifted me with about 12 pieces of Steiger fabrics including tea towels,a placemat, tablecloth, a dress panel and yardage. She told me that in the closing days of the studio, Wanda Halbwachs (Sophie's sister) who ran the shop following Harwood's death, told her to take all she wanted or could use. So, she has a lot of fabric at home and invited me to visit her and photograph whatever I needed for the book. One fabric she gave me, Plaza, was new to me. She explained all the various ways Harwood would use the basic screen, adding different background patterns and colors. What an amazing and wonderful gift! To me these are gems more precious than diamonds.
Plaza
In addition to meeting and talking with the local folk, I had a chance to talk with the Manager of Museum Collections for the Arizona Historical Society, Laraine Daly Jones. Ms. Jones heard the lament in my voice about not having any kind of Harwood Steiger exhibit in the state. She suggested that we work together to develop a traveling exhibit. Would that not be wonderful? A real valid justification for my obsessive/compulsive acquisitions of Steiger fabrics. I would love to share my collection with anyone who might be interested and a traveling exhibit just fits the bill. I am truly and sincerely blown away!
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| Montezuma |
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| Avian |
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| Inca |
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| Summer Flowers |
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| Summer Rain |
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| Tubac |
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| Maricopa |
