Author: Jane Albright
A past president of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Jane is a life-long Oz fan. She's attended Oz events around the country regularly since 1974 and amassed an Oz collection that ranges from antiquarian books, original artwork, and ephemera to children's playthings, posters, and housewares. In addition to speaking frequently about Oz, Jane has contributed to the Baum Bugle, written for Oziana, and loaned Oz material to numerous public exhibitions. She received the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award in 2000.
Road Trip to Oz
Plane time is great time for blogging. Particularly when you’re off on an Oz adventure and haven’t even blogged about the last one yet. That trip took me to the homes of Oz friends in the Chicago/Wisconsin area as two opportunities turned into four, then six. Day One: The Oz collection of Charles Van Wissink (we called him Woot) was auctioned in Addison, Illinois, in July. I won three lots, including his archive of Oz Club related material. When I was notified my 63 pounds of boxes (!) would come with a $248 shipping bill, my friend Steve Smith offered to pick them up on his lunch hour, instead. He’d store them until I had reason to drive his way. Steve’s illustrating a story I wrote, and I’m always happy to see him and his wife Kris. I started looking at my calendar and a month later I headed north. At Smiths’, Steve led me on an exploration of his extensive, diverse collections and art before we started sorting my five Oz cartons. The books were as I’d expected. I was happy to find a few early Bugles for my personal collection in Woot’s archive as well as many duplicate copies I know will quickly find homes in the hands of friends. (I already sent a box of early issues off to our current Bugle editor Sarah Crotzer.) He had a few signed books from the 60s and 70s, and a pile of organized correspondence — including 1979 letters to and from me! Tucked inside books were clipping and ephemera. An invitation to the gallery exhibit of Michael Herrings paintings was inside a Del Ray, for instance. There was a whole press kit of Del Ray material, including a folded poster I don’t think I’d ever seen, and advertising fliers for the Reilly and Lee “white” editions. I was amused by books he had signed via correspondence. The most exciting bit for me was the discovery of the 1927 coloring contest Oz map. I didn’t have one and wanted to include it in the Club’s 2020 calendar that I’m currently putting together. I briefly despaired over a missing corner, then Steve discovered it in the bottom of the box. So, big score! There were reference books and reading reprints I already have boxed up to ship to the All Things Oz library or to give away to kids in Wamego next month. It was just treasure. Steve and I caught up as friends do. He gave me copies of his recent projects, and I picked his brain on a few publishing topics (his profession). He even offered to help the Club with fundraising for the East Aurora convention next summer. My trip was off to a terrific start.
Oz, the National Convention 2019 Photo Gallery
Instead of words about the Oz Club’s convention, held just outside New Orleans in June, I’m opting to serve up a photo gallery. Thanks to Mike Gessel, who takes MUCH better photos than I do! If you have photos from anything I’ve missed that would be fun to share, send them my way and I’ll work them in. Thank you again to all who attended. And particular thanks to Karen and David Diket. This convention was their’s from start to finish, and I am so very grateful for all the thought, energy, and care they put into it. Click the photo below to get started.
So Many Dorothys; So Little Time
The Johnson County (Kansas) Museum served up a wonderful fashion show today. Fifteen various Dorothy costumes were modeled live, each accompanied by a scrap of music associated with that costume. I gave each outfit context–laced with trivia–from the podium. The crowd turned into paparazzi, the girls had fun, and I … well, I was in my element. I loved every minute of it. More than 40 tickets were sold in advance to the catered event, with additional tickets that day. Add in the staff, volunteers, and models and the tables were comfortably filled. The room was decorated with inflatable “poppies” and an Emerald City for photos. On a side table I placed a large cut out of the Ted Eshbaugh Dorothy (Love her, but I am NOT putting that one or the Meglin Kiddie Dorothy on a person, even if those were, respectively, the first color and talking film Dorothys!). I added an MGM Garland dress, and a framed pair of bows specific to the original Ruby Slippers to the table for those curious about accuracy. I was delighted to see Oz Club brochures placed at each chair! Walter Krueger first dreamed up this fashion show concept for the Oz Club’s 2017 convention in the Chicago area. For this year’s event, I had additional costumes made, borrowed others, wrote a new script, tracked down more music, and purchased accessories. Most of my prep time was spent on shoes. We may have only needed nine specific pair–the other girls could wear black flats–but when you don’t know until a week before show time what size those nine pair need to be, it’s daunting. My closing remarks thanked, “…friends Blair Frodelius and Gregory Foreman for providing our show today with music clips. Plus the makers of these costumes. While I picked them up a couple years before I ever thought I’d need to remember who made them, Shawn Ryan made several of these for an Oz Club fashion show in 2017. Sean Barrett, Judy Bieber, Karyl Carlson, and Zoe O’Haillin contributed others, and Katie Coen and Sachi Stroder created more specifically for today’s show.” Our grand finale singled out our 1939 model, McKenna Neef, who will play Dorothy Aug. 2-10 at the Theater in the Park in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. She stepped forward to sing “Over the Rainbow.” There was a drawing for tickets to the show–one set won by my friend Chris Glasgow, curator of the Oz Museum–and we broke for photos and conversation. After sleepless nights worried about “no shows”! Stage fright! Shoes don’t fit! Technical difficulties! or some other catastrophe, the show ran smoothly and right on cue. It was only after we were finished that they had to clear the building over a water main break.
Something OzSome: The 2019 San Diego County Fair
Guest contributor J. Dianne Dotson takes us to the 2019 San Diego County Fair. This year marked my very first visit to the San Diego County Fair. I ordinarily would not sign up for long traffic lines to go to any fair, anywhere. But nostalgia crept in. I grew up close to the Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tennessee. So I had fond memories of cotton candy, nauseating rides, baby ducks, and seeing my friends. When I realized the Del Mar Fair had an Oz theme this year, I felt my past and present collide: my lifelong love for all things Oz, and my younger child’s field trip to the fair. I knew I had to go. To give you some context, the San Diego County fair in Del Mar, California is immense. It attracts a huge audience for its run over a period of weeks every year. So imagine my utter delight when I discovered that Oz would be on display everywhere…and it did not focus on the 1939 film, but on Baum’s actual Oz books! You can see them over the gate as you exit, as well as in an educational exhibit. There was an L. Frank Baum exhibit, and the backs of the displays were giant Oz book covers. Each display gave insightful information about Baum’s history, the stories, and the illustrators of his books. And the purist in me absolutely adored the silver shoe display! I think most people today do not realize that Dorothy’s shoes were actually silver in the books. I also loved the lighting of this space, which captured everything from the twister to the moods of various Oz locales. Very “Ozzy” characters roamed the fairgrounds as well. So much love and care were put into the San Diego County Fair Oz displays. I felt truly seen as a hardcore Oz fan, and absolutely delighted that people of all ages learned more about L. Frank Baum and his Oz books. My thanks to Dianne for sharing her photos and report. Jane
Bill Beem Honored for Oz Club Support
Best Bill Beem moment ever? Cheering as he accepted the Oz Club’s 2019 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award last weekend in Louisiana. Since meeting Bill at a Club convention in Castle Park, Michigan, in 1981 he has never ceased to amaze me. Often because when the Club really needs help⏤any kind of help⏤he’s the one who steps up. In 1999 the Club’s centennial convention was looming. There was a 30-foot wide display case in a hallway that would be a perfect Oz display. Not only did Bill agree to fill it, he visited the facility in advance, found a SECOND 30-foot case on another floor and filled both of them! His public library displays in Michigan, Club convention displays, and loan of material to a multi-collector display at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures here in Kansas City just continue to demonstrate the generosity that distinguishes him as a collector. Pieces from his collection were included in the Wizard of Oz Collector’s Treasury, too. And he’s provided checklists to the Bugle for things like Oz glasses. Then, set aside his collecting for a minute. He’s still stepping up! Like when Fred Meyer’s death left two apartments crammed full of Club publications, mailings and materials that needed to be sorted, inventoried, packed and shipped. There was Bill, diving in to make order of the chaos. With his wife Anita he chaired the 2005 Ozmapolitan convention. He was both a director-at-large for the Club, and served as our recording secretary for several years. Currently he receives all our incoming mail, inputs the details of every single member into the spreadsheets that serve as our membership database, participates in both monthly conference calls and the annual board meeting. His written reports come complete with charts so we who read them can get info at a glance. Bill’s the person who sends you renewal notices (and who lets you know when you’ve inadvertently renewed so many times you’re good through 2023…) He mails Bugles to those who join later in the year, and handles all the questions mailed to our post office box. In recent years Bill has begun attending public Oz events to represent the Club and to recruit members. He’s at Oz-Stravaganza, the Michigan and Ohio Oz festivals, Autumn in Oz, and more. Lynn Beltz who works many of those events with him swears he is personally responsible for all the members we sign up. For a little perspective, our 2018 membership increased by more than 40% over 2017 once Bill’s grin became the face of the Oz Club at these public events. I can think of other moments where we’d have been stumped without his help, but I suspect this run down helps you understand why he rose to the surface of the current nominee slate. The L. Frank Baum Memorial Award sometimes honors someone like Gregory Maguire who brought a whole new audience to Oz, or Willard Carroll whose productions and collections-based books have given more traditional Oz fans so much to enjoy. But some years the winner is honored for the unselfish, generous support that keeps our Club strong. Bill has been that faithful supporter, and I’m thrilled he’s been recognized for all he’s done. PS. Even as I wrote this draft he offered to input information on 500 members into a new online program supporting our shop.ozclub.org store. There’s no end to our appreciation for him!
Oz Exhibit Opens at El Segundo Museum of Art
Due west in the “wish I were there” category, the spacious galleries of the El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA), just a stone’s throw from LAX, feature the museum’s own lavish, mural-filled Oz exhibit. Visitors can interact with online content inspired by the collection of original art borrowed from collectors around the country. (To get a feel for it yourself, click into the “Grid” section of the ESMoA website.) Five massive murals look at Oz from unique perspectives, so visitors see “… Munchkinland through Glinda’s bubble, or the poppy fields as the size of a regal mouse.” And everywhere there’s original art. The Oz Club rarely loans material from our collection, but you will see pieces from our collection here. I loaned a few, as did Peter Hanff (Oz Club director, past-president, curator, and more), Brady Schwind (Lost Art of Oz project), Cindy Ragni (Wonderful Books of Oz rare book specialist), Patty Tobias (one of my very first Oz friends and a past recipient of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award), many other Club members. Perhaps most of all, Freddy Fogarty. Freddy, a collector from El Segundo, is who first involved me by looking for original art that might be available for this exhibit. Would I loan? Could I recommend others to approach? (You know that song in Oklahoma, “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say ‘No'”? That’s my mantra….) Freddy lives in an environment packed with Oz. Cases line his room floor to ceiling packed with books, toys, and vintage Oz treasures. Posters cover every scrap of wall space. The presentation of his collection at home is so striking the museum opted to recreate a part of it on its own walls. Extraordinary! Expanding on this already unique exhibit, ESMoA is offering public programming on an events calendar starting with a June 27 panel. Freddy, Patty Tobias, and Paul Bienvenue (Book Collectors Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz) will “discuss the fun and magic of collecting Oz artworks and memorabilia.” The talk will be moderated by curator Jeff Cason. Keep an eye on their event calendar for more; I understand they are looking for a date when Brady Schwind can speak. Judging from the look of this exhibit, there’s just no telling what all they might dream up to do! https://www.jcprd.com/330/Museum https://esmoa.org
Expanding Oz Exhibit Opens
The summer’s Expanding Oz exhibit in Overland Park, Kansas, (a Kansas City suburb) is open and wonderful. It’s always fun to loan material from my collection to a public exhibit. This one, where the Johnson County Museum has done such a beautiful job of creating an Oz environment, is particularly satisfying. These photos, taken just ahead of the opening event, will give you an idea of what you can expect Murals cover walls. You wander between them among cases of Oz items. Bits of ephemera, book covers, and photos have been enlarged and incorporated with W.W. Denslow’s original artwork. I took my large bookcase, re-styled it to include all Baum’s books, and they’ve presented it life-sized in one place. They created a fun corner with some vintage pieces made for a child’s bedroom. And the Oz Club! Their presentation of our organization is everything I could hope for. I’ve agreed to support some public events in July, including hosting a fashion show of Dorothy costumes. We first did this at our Club convention in 2017. I’ve changed a couple costumes, added more, and look forward to introducing fourteen versions of Dorothy to the audience. https://www.jcprd.com/330/Museum
The Woodsman, Expanding Oz, Oz-Stravaganza, and ESMoA
The Woodsman, on stage now at the Bluebarn Theater in Omaha, is an engrossing, innovative production I completely loved. Although I heard James speak last summer and read his interview about The Woodsman in the Winter 2018 Baum Bugle, I had not seen the play performed live. You can read a glowing review at BroadwayWorld.com. Much of what made my visit memorable happened after the show when writer/director James Ortiz introduced me to cast members and showed me some of the extraordinary puppets used on stage. Thursday May 30 and June 6 following the 7:30 p.m. shows, James is scheduled for talk-back sessions with the audience. Too fun! If you could make it, I can’t encourage you enough. Tickets are general admission. Arrive early and have a Green Monkey at the bar… Bluebarn Theatre 1106 S 10th St Omaha, NE 68108 http://bluebarn.org Phone: 402.345.1576 The only reason I won’t be there again is because I have an exhibit opening June 1 here in Kansas City. Expanding Oz borrows hundreds of pieces from my collection aiming to “trace the growth of the The Wizard of Oz phenomenon, explore its global appeal, and illustrate its influence on popular culture.” An opening event is planned May 31; I’ve included all Kansas and Missouri Oz Club members on the invitation list, but if you can join us, let me know! The more the merrier. Johnson County Museum 8788 Metcalf Ave. Overland Park, KS. 66212 https://jcprd.com/330/Museum Phone: 913.826.2787 But the Midwest isn’t the only place to end the month. Oz-Stravaganza!, the wonderful weekend festival produced by the All Things Oz museum , kicks off May 31 in Baum’s hometown of Chittenango, NY. Saturday’s parade — the only Oz parade in the country — is always a highlight. All Things Oz Museum 219 Genesee St. Chittenango, NY 13037 http://allthingsoz.org http://www.oz-stravaganza.com Phone: 315.687.7772 West Coast? You’ll have to wait a couple weeks, but the El Segundo Museum of Art opens Experience 41: Oz June 13. I’m especially pleased that selections from the Oz Club’s collection will included in this exhibit. Which reminds me to sign and return paperwork! I’m loaning a few pieces, too. ESMoA 209 Main Street El Segundo, California 90245 https://esmoa.org/experience/oz/ Phone: 424.277.1020