John Tagliabue: Professor, Poet and Playwright

February-June 2007

Bozo, from the Mario Puppet Plays

John Tagliabue (July 1, 1923-May 31, 2006), an accomplished poet and playwright, came to Bates in 1953 to teach Cultural Heritage. Tagliabue, along with his wife, Grace—who was both his spiritual and artistic partner—quickly became an integral part of the Bates community, and remained so for more than half a decade. With a generous spirit and warm personality befitting of his Italian roots, Tagliabue was a natural teacher. He developed close friendships with many former students, exchanging letters and poems with some over several decades. He retired in 1989 and passed away on May 31, 2006; Grace survives him. This exhibit is dedicated to his artistic and pedagogical legacy, and includes many of his collaborations with Grace.

Exhibit Checklist

In Ladd Library

A selection of poems, written by John Tagliabue, and illustrated by Grace Tagliabue:

• Learning to Write in the First Grade, 1977
• The Middle of October, 1974
• Due etti di bagigi per piacere, 1978
• A kite is made of a poem, n.d.
• What is a frog, 1974
• The Pastoral Reader Exactly Preparing, 1977
• What is a lion, 1974
• The Bhagavad-Gita, 1973
• Two birds visit a winter bush, 1976
• The way to conquer space, 1975
• Leonardo’s Adoration of the Magi, n.d.

Mario Puppet Plays, manuscript (in three parts). Written by John Tagliabue and illustrated by Grace Tagliabue.

A selection of Mario puppets, sewn by Grace Tagliabue:

• Mario
• Carlotta
• Three-Headed Queen
• Mr. and Mrs. Seaweed
• Mistress Green
• Green Queen
• Young Lion
• Scanizzi
• Jungle Spirit
• Medicine Man
• Skeleton
• Yellow Bird
• Snakes
• Evil Twins
• Tin Can Men
• Grasshopper Generals
• Professor Saltincelli
• Old Crab
• Sea Horse
• Bozo

A selection of correspondence with colleagues, former students, and others, including:

• Pamela Alexander
• Rudolf Arnheim
• Willis Barnstone
• Gabriella Bedetti
• John Beecher
• Henry Braun
• Gwendolyn Brooks
• George W. Bush
• Hayden Carruth
• Bob Chute
• Allen Ginsberg
• Donald Hall
• Archibald MacLeish
• Gerard Malanga
• K. Michael McKenzie
• Protásio Mélo
• Millard Meiss
• Sabina Nordoff
• Lionel Trilling
• Mark Van Doren

In the Muskie Archives

A selection of poems, written by John Tagliabue, and illustrated by Grace Tagliabue:

• Animal Poems, 1974
• Cooperation, 1976
• The luminous field, 1978
• Calder, 1977
• What is a giraffe, 1974
• Why is a tree so beautiful, n.d.
• Look keep climbing sailor, 1973
• Your Glance or Stance can Change my Customs, Costumes, 1974

For more information about Tagliabue or the extensive collection of his papers held by the Edmund S. Muskie Archives, see: http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie_archives/FindingAids/JTagliabueFA.shtml