Media
Steve’s Story
I am a storyteller and I use photography, writing and public speaking to tell those stories. My favorite stories are about the people, places and things that are often overlooked, unappreciated, or undervalued in Tucson and our surrounding communities. Recent topics I covered as a writer/photographer for the DesertLeaf magazine include: Chinese family-owned grocery stores, Tucson barbers and barbershops, and square dancing.
At The Tucson Gallery, I am the author/photographer of a book entitled “Downtown Tucson in the 1980s: A Photographic Journey.” The book is made up of street documentary style black-and- white images of Downtown Tucson during a generally forgotten-about period of Tucson’s history. In the book, I photographed ordinary people doing ordinary things like riding the bus, walking by a street preacher and sitting and raising a glass inside the Buffet Bar – the oldest bar in Tucson. I think the book is one of a kind...
The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware in a blue-collar family. We didn’t sit around the drawing room, drinking tea in porcelain cups and have vigorous art critiques very much, especially when professional wrestling came on television featuring a cage match between Bobo Brazil and Bruno Sammartino. When I was younger, I considered that type of upbringing a weakness, especially in the Art world. Now I realize it is the source of my greatest strength. I can talk to and relate to everyone; from a disabled veteran living under a bridge to a corporate CEO flying in her own private jet. Everyone has a story to tell.
Tell us about your family
I come from a family of five children and two parents. Father was a city-raised Italian boy who worked as a bricklayer his entire life. Hard work. My mother was a red-haired country girl, English and Scottish heritage, raised on a farm who successfully parented five children. Kind-hearted. On the outside they appeared simple and unassuming, but inside they were as complex as anyone.
I have identical twin sons named John and David. They have grown up to be successful and wonderful men. Best thing that ever happened to me.
Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them?
Have always been an animal lover, especially dogs. Presently, don’t have any pets but that could change tomorrow.
When did you know that you would be an artist?
In third grade, Mrs. DeAngelo assigned us to write something during third period. I guess I got into it because when the period ended she asked me to stand up and read what I had written down. I wouldn’t have volunteered for this in a million years. I was very shy.
So I stood up and read what was on my paper. Half-way thru reading, I dared to look up for a micro-second to see what everyone else was doing. They were all paying attention and looked interested in what I was reading. I looked down and finished reading then I sat down. My teacher said that was a good story. Thanks Mrs. DeAngelo.
What is your favorite media to work with?
Words and photographs.
What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do?
Actually, there is no separation point where art ends and real life begins. It’s all smooshed together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The next discovery could be just around the corner. For example, one time while trying to find a roof leak in a house I lived in, I discovered an old autograph book tucked away in a box in the corner of the attic. Inside the book where many signatures of well-known African American entertainers during the 1940s. Autographs inside the book were Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Included in the book was an autograph from a man named Herb Jeffries. Who was Herb Jeffries?
Turns out, Herb Jeffries was the one and only Black singing cowboy who appeared in five western films made in the late 1930s and early 1940s. From there, I went down the rabbit hole learning about Mr. Jeffries, African American films, Black cowboys and the story of Western migration from an African American perspective. It was so interesting and fun to learn about. Everything was new to me. I have turned that knowledge into several magazine articles and numerous public speaking presentations for the Arizona Humanities throughout the state.
From The Book
These photographs of Downtown Tucson during the 1980s and many others can be found in the photography book by Steve Renzi sold at the Tucson Gallery.
Stop in and say hi, this book is not available for sale online
The Tucson Rodeo Parade
During the entire decade of the 1980s, the Tucson Rodeo Parade marched through downtown Tucson. It was fabulous and a mixture of the Old West and New West as the world’s largest non-mechanized parade passed through the shadows of Tucson’s tall buildings. Everybody loved it, the streets were lined with kids, families and smiling adults. I wish it would come back downtown.
Stella Foster Dances Downtown
A photograph of Stella Foster during the 1980s who danced on the sidewalk at the corner of Stone and Pennington in downtown Tucson. Stella was an ex-hoofer from New York City before she moved to Tucson. In the afternoons, during the lunch hour she would bring her portable battery-powered cassette player, pop in a cassette and dance to the music. She never asked for money and passersby loved to watch her dance.
A Dorian Gray Moment
The tale of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde seems to come to life as this photograph shows an elderly couple in a quiet, intimate moment as a few feet away a picture of a much younger couple also embrace. This photograph was taken in front of the then closed and boarded up Fox theater during the 1980s.
