Meet Marshall Shore of Marshall Shore: Retro Spectacular

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marshall Shore.

Marshall, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Relocating from NYC all I heard about Phx was that there was no history. Though I was working in a library that had a rich oral tradition of the community, realizing that modern history wasn’t been talked about. Plus, everywhere I went I kept stumbling upon amazing history stories that were unique to Arizona.

I have worked in Libraries for almost 20 years and left about a decade ago to merge my passions of community building, information, and theater with the goal of connecting people and place. That was the beginning of the Hip Historian. A friend lets me perform my unique blend of education and entertainment at a furniture and it continued to develop and include tours and other edutainment experiences.

Currently, I Host BINGO at the Clarendon Hotel, a monthly history program at Valley Bar, conduct VIP Home tours, and fill the big yellow bus to tour and talk about Arizona and Phoenix history. Arizona LGBT+ History Project is a collaboration with Phoenix Pride, ASU Library and U of A Libraries to collect, preserve and make accessible Arizona’s LGBTQ community history.

I currently a volunteer with two organizations one is the Pioneer Cemetery that is full of amazing Arizona History and with the goal of preserving it for future generations.

Notable interred folks are Jacob Waltz, better know as the lost Dutchman, for people are still searching for his mine; Lord Duppa who is said to have named Tempe and Phoenix.

A few years I started a group called WEARizona, to start a dialogue about Arizona’s fashion history. because this I was asked to join the board of there Arizona Apparel Foundation. This group is a collaboration with the city of Tempe with the mission to provide Arizona’s emerging designers and brands with innovative, small-batch manufacturing and strategic business resources, so they can build sustainable fashion.

Businesses locally. My particular role is community outreach and we are just beginning to a create an exhibit showcasing Arizona’s fashion history.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I started doing a monthly history show and at a Mid Century Furniture. They had lots of chairs and sofas for folks to sit on. That kick-started me and got me in front of people.

The business aspect has grown to include, tour both private and group, emceeing events, planning special events, and presenting to a wide variety of audiences that include 4th graders to active seniors. The hardest part is explaining what I do. I’m an artist, my medium is history. I recently performed and the host was blown away as an Arizona native, about how much he hadn’t known. I find my audiences are newbies to the desert and also seasoned desert dwellers both looking for my unique bent of history presentations.

Marshall Shore: Retro Spectacular – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Marshall Shore is Arizona’s “Hip Historian” or “Hipstorian” who specializes in finding and sharing the most interesting bits and curiosities from our past: the semi-forgotten people, places, and events that have made us who we are today. As the official “Unofficial Phoenix Historian,” Marshall uses storytelling magic, found film footage, old photographs, sound recordings, ephemera, and artifacts to bring our history to life in his entertaining and educational presentations.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My success is measured by asking Did I engage participants to look at Arizona in a different way, looking beyond the newspaper headline. Learn about the people and places that make Arizona unique. Venue’s are often surprised by the number of attendees at events, and bus tours continually sell out. The opportunity to try new efforts, currently working on a Movie Location tour to highlight how important the film industry has been to Arizona.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marshallshore
• Phone: 602.373.5421
• Email: info@marshallshore.com

Image Credit:
Michelle DePiano, Debe Branning, Jason Brock

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