The Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin is delighted to announce the acquisition of the Tom Campbell and Guacamole Fund Collection. The Guacamole Fund has fought for environmental justice and other causes for decades, throwing festivals and concerts featuring Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Pearl Jam. Campbell’s work with the Guacamole Fund is a vital fusion of art and activism in the United States and exemplifies the power of political art and community activism.
The Guacamole Fund was formed by progressive activist and artist Tom Campbell in 1994. Campbell started his career as a musician and songwriter in the 1960s, with artists like Nanci Griffith, Linda Ronstadt, and John Denver recording his songs. Campbell staged his first fund-raising concert in 1974, in support of an Earth First! project to protect New Mexico wilderness areas. He co-produced the famous 1979 series of “No Nukes” concerts, which sold out five nights in New York’s Madison Square Garden, and included a protest rally at Battery Park that drew about 250,000 people.
Campbell’s benefit concerts became frequent showcases in New Mexico in the 1970s, featuring artists like Pete Seeger, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Steve Martin. Over the decades, Campbell worked with more musicians and causes, like expanding Redwood Tree National Park and protesting nuclear war. From that foundation, Campbell and the Guacamole Fund have hosted over 1,200 events.
“Almost all the benefit concerts that Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and I performed were for the Guacamole Fund,” says legendary musician Graham Nash. “We all believed that Tom and his team were always trying to make this world a better place. They concentrated on the ’smaller’ organizations that were essential in spreading important information about the world around us. Housing the archives at the Briscoe Center is a wonderful idea.”
“My non-profit organization has been extremely proud to be affiliated over the years with the stellar work of Tom Campbell and the Guacamole Fund,” says Tom Clements of the Savannah River Site Watch. “That Guacamole has enabled us to meet respected musicians and garner their support has been icing on our activist cake and has brought us joy and pride that we have loved to publicize. We are pleased to know that the archives of Tom Campbell and the Guacamole Fund are being preserved at the Briscoe Center and will be available to the wider public for years to come.”
The collection includes correspondence, notebooks, press releases, guest and volunteer lists, tickets, programs, posters, tee shirts and more. Campbell passed on August 13, 2024, and his work and activism lives on in this collection.
