Tubac Festival of the Arts 1970 through 1979

The second decade of the Tubac Festival of the Arts continued to grow exponentially in attendance, in the number of participating local and international artists and in the addition of non art events.

In 1970, internationally known artist Ted DeGrazia, was asked to perform the ribbon cutting to open the Festival. Sculptor Harold Wilson suggested awarding a "best artist" of the show a Masters Meed medallion borrowed from the time of the early renaissance when Charlemagne gave rewards for outstanding work in craftsmanship.

Harold Wilson later designed and created the model for the Tubac Center of the Arts in October 1972. The new arts center hosted the juried show of the Festival throughout the 1970s, while St. Ann's Hall exhibited the Member Show and the Children's Art Exhibit.

In 1974, a controversy arose between some local merchants and artists and the Tubac Center of the Arts board of directors. In October, the Green Valley News announced an agreement not to hold the Festival because "it's just too much work", but in November, the board unanimously voted that the Festival would continue.

In 1976, a Tubac Village Council was established in a joint venture with the Santa Cruz Valley Art Association in the planning and execution of the ever-growing Festival.

In 1978, the village adopted the theme "where art and history meet" and by the end of the decade attendance had grown to a record 20,000 visitors.