Tubac Festival of the Arts 1990 through 1999

This decade began with another controversy. According to a Southern Arizona Trails, June 1990 article, "Businesses in Tubac were polled recently [by the Tubac Chamber of Commerce] and, surprisingly, 15 out of 56 responses found nothing good about the Festival of the Arts last February," despite what many considered to be a supremely successful festival. One of the issues was the length of the festival and several suggested shortening the event from 9 to 3 or 5 days.

Again in July of 1991, the question of whether Tubac would have an official Festival of the Arts arose. The Tubac Chamber of Commerce announced it would no longer support the event because a competing event on Camino Otero sponsored by local merchants had become "just too much for the village to handle; and had created a "carnival midway atmosphere."

The Festival did indeed continue each year of the decade and by 1996 the co-directors for the first time in Festival history invited Native American artists to display their work.

In July 1997, the Tubac Chamber of Commerce addressed a number of issues with emphasis on returning the Festival to its Tubac, Santa Cruz County roots, showcasing local artists, artisans and shop owners; a return to volunteerism; and fund-raising potential for non-profit organization participation. Again they discussed and decided on shortening the festival from 9 to 4 days.

But the 1998 Festival ended up running two weekends, February 5-8 and 12-15. However, controversy still lingered and derogatory signs and leaflets were posted or distributed in the village during the Festival. This dispute led to the Chamber board resigning en masse.

By 1990 at the end of a 9-day Festival of 125 visiting artists, the new Tubac Chamber of Commerce board declared it a financial success and the issues seemed to be resolved.

The 1999 Festival also marked the beginning of 11 straight years of Amado Pena posters advertising the Tubac Festival of the Arts.