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Galaxy of the Stars
On October 14, 2003, the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre housed its very first performance. The gala celebration to mark this “beginning” was called Gateway to the Stars. The event title grew out of the belief that this theatre will transform the entrance to the University by being a gateway building… welcoming all who come to campus. As home to the UA Dance program, it also provides a passage for students as they move to higher and still higher levels of artistry. The Gateway event marked the beginning of a new era of Dance… one that celebrated the artistic vision of the theatre’s creators and the work of faculty, staff, administrators and community volunteers. Underlying all is the generosity of the donors who gave unprecedented support for the construction of the theatre and who continue to support the program as it develops. The Galaxy of the Stars was created to honor that generosity and has become a public piece of art in and of itself. The image is a 360 degree panorama of the sky above Tucson on the night of January 28, 2006, framed with an accurate profile of the mountain ranges surrounding Tucson. The names of the donors are placed on the aluminum profile of the mountain ranges. The piece was created using actual photographic imagery that places the celestial bodies in their correct locations for that evening. Rae Douglass worked with astronomers at the Steward Observatory and Axel Mellinger, an astral photographer from Potsdam University, to develop the image. Photogenic galaxies, nebulas and stars were enlarged to reveal their special character as a metaphor to the unique star that shines in all of us. The image was then printed onto a continuous piece of lexan (24'x4') mounted behind plate glass and backlit with LED strips. Rae Douglass - Lead Artist and Designer Thomas Fleming - Astronomer Axel Mellinger - Astral Photographer Ed Olszewski - Astronomer Richard Poss - Lead Astronomer Ted Springer - fabrication and installation David Zeigler - Graphic Artist Printer - Agio Imaging LED light source - Supervision Intl.