The year is 1960.  A 1955 Borgward with five passengers enters the Mule mountains and begins its climb to the pass.  After 200 mostly monotonous miles of desert driving, the mountain scenery is a welcome change to the family.  An even more welcome change is the fact that the youngest family member… a six-year-old boy… has stopped reciting his whiny mantra of, “When are we gonna get there?”  He knows it isn’t far to Grandma and Grandpa’s now.  Soon they come to the most exciting part of the trip: The tunnel.  They enter it from the west side.  Dad dutifully honks the horn, as is the ritual.  Then as they emerge through the east end of the tunnel, Bisbee suddenly appears as if the tunnel has transported them into another dimension, a dimension not only of historical people like Grandma and Grandpa, but also of historical buildings and copper mines. They have entered the Bisbee Zone.

This, more or less, describes one of many trips I made with my family to the border mining town of Bisbee.  The town has been a part of my life pretty much since I was born.  My Mother and Grandmother both grew up there.  My Grandfather had been a mining engineer with Phelps Dodge for the first three decades of the 20th century.  Although my family and I lived in Phoenix, my Grandparents had remained in Bisbee, and it was sort of like a second home to me for the first 10 years of my life. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa were the main attractions for me during those years, but there was always something both fun and exotic about the town itself that captivated me. The old Victorian and Edwardian buildings, people’s houses perched on mountainsides, the proximity to Mexico, my family’s history intertwined with the history of the place, even the mine itself all blended together into a state of mind that, for me, was both real and somewhat surreal, the before-mentioned Bisbee Zone.     

After my Grandparents died in the late 1970s, I continued to come to Bisbee once or twice a year just to enjoy the beauty and character of the mile-high town, something that I continue to do to this day.  During my walks I soon discovered the many stairways that led from the downtown area up into the residential areas.  It’s easy to imagine that you are in some southern European town while going up and down Bisbee’s stairways and forget that you are in the American Southwest. To me, Bisbee has always been sort of a work of art in itself. 

One evening in the lobby of the Copper Queen Hotel, I became intrigued with some postcards depicting Bisbee. They were colorful and vibrant, with an almost animated quality that perfectly captured Bisbee’s spirit in my mind. The postcards were replicas of paintings by a local artist named Judy Perry.  Shortly after the copper mine closed down, artists who appreciated the old mining town’s picturesque setting, began to arrive. Judy Perry was among these early arrivals and has been living and painting in Bisbee for 50 years. During that time, she says that she has gone through many phases trying to make a living as an artist; commissions, real shows, theatre, bands, chorus, painting murals, making souvenirs.  She shared a gallery space for four years with multiple artists. With a degree in public recreation, she also gets called upon to serve on boards such as the chamber board, arts commission, Central School Project artist studios, Woman’s Club (since the ’80s), and 20 years on the board of Bisbee’s Alternative Therapies Clinic. Her favorite day of the month is the day the clinic is open free to the public. She also tends gardens at two churches.   

Judy considers her accomplishments to be the result of a group effort. “I am so grateful to all the creative folks that call Bisbee home. We truly help and encourage each other. I would not have done what I do without the help and encouragement of my buddy of 36 years, Mike. He helps me make things for my projects such as trophies for the annual Bisbee Stair-Climb. He drove us all over… camping, hiking… him photographing, me painting. I’m so grateful for a beautiful life, wonderful friends, and this amazing town.” Her works aren’t being displayed in a gallery at this time, but her studio is open by appointment.  She describes her studio as, “a living shrine to early young folk like me who came to town after the mines closed down. I am trying to document the history of the house, neighborhood, and many ways I have tried to make a living doing artwork and living a simple life. I have different walls of maps, new age, theatre, postcards, self-portraits, travel paintings, Bisbee, and the evolution of my art.  As I age, I want to find a way to share my experience. The world has changed so very much. I hope young folk may be inspired by our stories.”   

Prints of Judy’s paintings can be found at Bisbee Books and Music. Her postcards and folding cards can be found at Redbone Vintage. There are also souvenirs she has created at various places such as the Mining and Historical Museum, B Active, and High Desert Market to name a few. Of course, her magnificent murals are on public display at a number of locations around town. Works and shows of other local artists can be found at several galleries, including the newly opened Carriage House Gallery in Warren (just below Bisbee), and also the Subway Gallery. The Central School Project has exhibitions, movies, festivals, readings, performances, community space and videos, and opportunities for artists.  Artemizia Foundation is an international art museum with a gallery, mural labyrinth, and sculpture garden.   

You can also see works of art that Bisbee residents have created on their own properties as you climb the stairways and walk the side streets. Some of the displays are lovely and tasteful, others are more quirky and fun. So, check out this mile-high artsy mining community nestled in the mountains near the Mexican border. Your own Bisbee Zone is waiting to be discovered, and the wonderful works of Judy Perry, as well as other artists, will enhance the search.