Martha Wade Steketee has been a script reader encouraging playwrights, a policy analyst with an expertise in privacy and justice issues and a fan of Judy Garland.
Steketee also publishes the Urban Excavations blog, which reflects her experience with book collecting in Chicago, play going in Philadelphia, street exploring in New York and other metropolitan adventures.
A new post, Art Shay, Judy Garland, takes readers back to the 2007 exhibit of Art Shay photographs at the Chicago Historical Society. Steketee was particularly impressed by a shot of Judy Garland:
In extraordinary company, Garland shines with raw human energy and JOY. Between Marceau and Brando — mimic and consummate unique acting presence, she pops off the wall. The first time through this room, I stop and gasp. For this long time Garland fan and owner of countless biographies and related materials, this is a new image for me. And stand immobile in front of the image for a full five minutes.
For Steketee, the moment began a personal search, a search that resulted in a meeting with the photographer, an opportunity to begin her own Art Shay collection, and, eventually, a move to New York where the Shay photos are now proudly displayed, a direct connection between a Garland fan and the star herself.
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