Name/Title
Roxy TheatreEntry/Object ID
2013.1Description
This 1958 oil on board painting of the Roxy Theater is by Luis Maza. The Roxy Theater was once located at 12 W. Jefferson Street in Quincy, Florida (on the corner of East Jefferson and North Adams). Originally a tobacco warehouse owned by C.R. Shaw, Nate Williams of Interstate Enterprises began his movie career with this building in 1924. Known first as the Enterprise Theatre, it was remodeled around 1931 and named, The Shaw. The Shaw Theater was a segregated theater, allowing African Americans to sit in the balcony. In 1949, Williams built the Leaf Theater, a few blocks east. William's Black movie house, the Roxy, moved into the building and was used exclusively by African American audiences until it was demolished.
The artist, Luis Maza, was drawn to the building for its unusal architecture.Acquisition
Accession
2013.1Source or Donor
Luis MazaAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Maza, LuisRole
ArtistDate made
1958Interpretative Labels
Label
Luis Maza is a native of Cuba and came to Quincy, Florida, in 1957. He lived in Quincy with his life-partner Dick Munroe and studied painting at Florida State University with Karl Zerbe. Maza and Munroe moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the the early 1960s and opened and ran a theatre company for many years. Maza studied theatre set design and taught scene design in the drama departments at Spellman College and Clark College. Maza did have an exhibition of his work at the Handshake Gallery in Atlanta in 1978, titled, "The Works of Luis Maza: 20 Year Retrospective". Maza is was living in the same house in mid-town Atlanta, that he and Munroe moved to 50 years ago, when he died in 2019.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 11, 2012