Javelinas de Tubac
Javelinas de Tubac was a community-wide endeavor that began as an idea developed by local artists. Virginia Hall and Nicholas Wilson who pitched the idea to the Tubac Center of the Arts and the project was born. Many artists and community members have been involved at every step of the process and continue to collaborate and work towards a shared goal in bringing the highest caliber of art to Tubac, AZ.
In the Beginning
Nick Wilson, the Javelina Sculptor
Nicholas Wilson was commissioned to create the javelina sculpture that would be cast in fiberglass for the project.
About Nick:
Nick has been a painter, sculptor, and printmaker for over 50 years. His main career focus has been on wildlife art, where a special emphasis on drawing has opened up numerous opportunities for him. While curator of exhibits at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (1970-1972) near Tucson, he developed his talent for expressing his deep love for nature. This led to a professional career as an artist being represented in many galleries–Settler’s West, Tucson; Trailside Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ & Jackson Hole, WY; and Carson Gallery, Denver, CO—and receiving many invitations to participate in prestigious exhibits across the U.S.: the Prix de West, Oklahoma; the Governor’s Invitational, WY; and The Artist’s of America Show, Denver, CO. The largest and most challenging opportunity for the artist was painting a 16, 250 square foot mural in the Jungle World Exhibit at the Bronx Zoo which took two and a half years to complete in the early 1980’s.
After almost two years of planning, fifty javelinas arrived in Tubac and were distributed to local artists for their creative embellishment. The painted javelinas were delivered to the workshop of volunteer and TCA board member, Gary Pundt where a team of volunteers added a finishing coat and built bases before installing them throughout the community.
Squadron leader and Tubac Chamber President, Bob Ocha led a team of volunteers through the two-year project.
The two-year project culminated with an online silent auction in April of 2020 that raised funds for
Tubac Center of the Arts and other local organizations.
