Author: Jane Albright

When David Eckerd of the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center mentioned an art gallery we could use for a convention exhibit, I was intrigued. I’ve lost count of the Oz exhibits I’ve supported through the years. Sharing my Oz collection in ways that allow the public to appreciate a wide picture of Oz is one of my favorite things. But Oz art? Never.  My first question was “can I fill a gallery?” It turned out I had more original art and signed prints than I had dreamed. (I stopped counting at 70.) As I ruled out 3-dimensional pieces that would require space-consuming boxes to transport safely, I realized I actually could fill the car with pieces give us an art-filled gallery for our opening reception. I’d just have to frame about 40 of them first. So I agreed, and David offered to co-host our reception with the center’s own patrons as our opening event.  But what an eclectic variety I have! With exactly one published John R. Neill piece from Wonder City of Oz, and one original W.W. Denslow Scarecrow, my published original art proved to be quite a mix. Barry Moser, Evan Dahm, Libico Maraja, Wes Lowe, Michael McCurdy, Anna Maria Cool, and signed prints from Graham Rawle. There’s comic art from Giorgio Trevisan to Skottie Young. Add a magazine cover, a rejected MGM VHS packaging design, and a Rick Wicks political cartoon…  Continuing to dig I discover wonderful oversized pieces from the proposed Wonderful World of Oz theme park once planned for the Kansas City area. Not only wonderful, but drawn by William Stout! And then there’s the fan art. Oz Club favorites like Irene Fisher, Bill Eubank, Dick Martin, Eric Shanower, and Rob Roy McVeigh. Pieces I’ve purchased from my friends John Coulter, and Joe Shipbaugh, as well as gifts and auction wins from artist names that were new to me. I did commission a portrait of L. Frank Baum from Joe, and Otis Frampton is making an exception to his usual all-digital creation for his new Patchwork Girl of Oz graphic novel work to create one piece by hand for me to frame and share. But for the most part, I just need to frame and frame and frame some more! I’ll be filling the car in June to set up the gallery in Aberdeen, then bringing it home with me at the close of the convention. I love unloading drawers and portfolios to fill walls with art that’s seldom seen. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing it in Aberdeen as much as I’m enjoying putting it together for you. Jane Albright Chairman, Oz the National Convention 2025

Set your course for Aberdeen, South Dakota, for Oz the National Convention 2025! Registration is open and plans are in place to fill July 17-20 with an unforgettable weekend.  As a Club, we’ve visited Baum’s New York birthplace, the home where he and Maud married, the Chicago area where he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, even the site of his Michigan “Sign of the Goose” vacation home. This year we add Aberdeen, his home from 1888-1891. Here Baum experienced the prairie, honed his skills as a writer, and grew his reputation as a children’s storyteller. Our program will make the most of this destination—with plenty of more general Oz fun for fans. The $290 registration fee covers events beginning with a Thursday evening reception and running through 4pm Sunday. Friday lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner, and Sunday lunch are included.bWrite us at [email protected] to register children (12 and younger) at half price.  We have a group rate of $129 The Quality Inn Aberdeen 2923 6th Ave SE, Aberdeen, SD 57401-5403 For reservations call (605) 226-0097 or visit the hotel website at: https://www.choicehotels.com/south-dakota/aberdeen/quality-inn-hotels/sd022 While camaraderie (and carpooling!) is generally considered a fun part of an Oz Club convention, no programming will be held at the hotel should you prefer to make other housing arrangements.  Need to fly in? There are two flights a day into Aberdeen from Minneapolis arriving at 12:45 and 8:10 pm. Departure times are daily at 6:39 am and 2:41 pm; if you plan to participate in Sunday afternoon activities, you’ll want to fly out Monday. Other airports within a four-hour drive include Sioux Falls, Fargo, Bismarck, and Watertown, SD. If you planned to rent a car in Aberdeen anyway, compare fares and times; driving a last leg of the trip from Sioux Falls, for example, might prove to be a more economical choice. Even more so if you drive it with a friend.

Oziana 2022 features the fiction of Bob Baum, great-grandson of Oz author L. Frank Baum, and a wonderful team of Oz illustrators. This is the first time Bob’s original writing has been collected in one volume; we are so pleased that he offered to work with us on this issue. We’re also delighted to bring you the work of these illustrators, some of whom are returning to Oziana for the first time in decades. Bob’s stories are historical fiction tales that relay what happened–or might have happened–to inspire some of our favorite Oz characters. Illustrated by Oz fans, edited by Gina Wickwar, and published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, this annual collection continues the Club’s 50-year tradition of encouraging authors and illustrators to create their own stories exploring the Land the Oz. In this issue you’ll find: How I Meet the Scarecrow: As Related to Me by L. Frank Baum, Illustrated by Donald Abbott Young Frank and His Imagination: Hot Off the Press, Illustrations adapted from Dick Martin  A Moment in Time, Illustrated by Rob Lauer  Early Morning Coffee with Matilda, Illustrated by Dave Kelleher  Dinner at the Del, Illustrated by Autumn Rose Frodëlius  Memory Scraps, Illustrated by Bill Campbell and Irwin Terry The Trunk in the Attic, Illustrated by Mel Vavaroutsos Oziana 2022 is available now from The International Wizard of Oz Club as a print-on-demand softcover book through Lulu.com. Priced at $8.50 (plus tax/shipping) click here to order.