AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO ART IN THE PALM SPRINGS DESERT
Greater Palm Springs is a haven for travellers with an interest in contemporary art, modernist design and quirky installations set in a surreal desert backdrop. Home to numerous fine art galleries and a wealth of exclusive art exhibitions, art enthusiasts can enjoy art year round, including biennial art exhibition Desert X, annual Modernism Week and permanent outdoor public art.
Exhibitions and public art installations
Modernism Week: Taking place every February, Modernism Week is a celebration of mid-century architecture, design and culture. The aim of the event is to encourage education and preservation of the modernism style, whilst informing and inspiring visitors about the creative side of Greater Palm Springs. Modernism Week Fall Preview takes place in October and is a ‘mini-Modernism Week’ to kick off the celebrations, where there’s interactive courses, double-decker bus architecture tours to peek into the yards of old celebrity homes, mixology lessons, insightful lectures and late-night parties. New this year is new homes to view and a mixology course. Tickets for Modernism Week go on sale 1 November.
Desert X: A biennial outdoor exhibition that features site-specific installations and performances by a collection of specially curated international artists. The installations typically span 50 miles across the Coachella Valley from the Salton Sea and Mexico. IN 2019, 19 artists came together to with pieces inspired by timely topics, from indigenous rights to nuclear testing. Desert X returns in February 2021.
Sculptures and murals: Public art is widely available across the Coachella Valley asking to be grammed. From steel sculptures, whimsical fountains and colourful murals in Cathedral City, to native bronze statues, wax castings and quirky art in Palm Desert. See more outdoor art installations and create your own art walking tour here.
Museums & Galleries
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum: Set to open in downtown Palm Springs in early 2020, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will celebrate the history, culture and modern times of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The museum will include never-before-seen artefacts as well as a spa and bathhouse, complete with ‘snow room’. www.accmuseum.org
Palm Springs Art Museum: With locations in both Palm Springs and Palm Desert, the Palm Springs Art Museum gives an insight into both contemporary and Native American art as well as modernist architecture which the region is most recognised for. www.psmuseum.org
Sunnylands Center & Gardens: One of Rancho Mirage’s highlights, Sunnylands Center & Gardens offers beautiful landscape gardens set around a historic estate, the former home of philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg who hosted countless political, business, educational and entertainment leaders. sunnylands.org
Palm Springs Art Museum
Weird & Wonderful
Salvation Mountain: Salvation Mountain is an intricate work of art by local resident Leonard Knight. The man-made mountain is Leonard’s tribute to God and uses random materials, such as painted cement, hay bales, telephone poles and car windows, to create an intricate hill standing at 50 feet tall. www.salvationmountain.us
Coachella Murals: Spread across downtown Coachella, the Coachella Walls are a series of colourful murals which represent and celebrate the diversity of the local Mexican-American community. www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/our-cities/coachella
Salvation Mountain
2020 news
Hotel Indigo: The city of Coachella’s first luxury resort opening 2020 – this is a BIG deal because it’s the first luxury hotel on the east end of Greater Palm Springs – which is typically an agrarian and hospitality-based community. The Coachella Arts & Music Festival was named after the city of Coachella/the Coachella Valley and the word Coachella is actually a made-up word – rumour has it that Coachella is a mistaken word, potentially meant to be the word ‘conchilla’ which is Spanish for seashell; Spanish settlers called the area ‘conchilla’ because they found sea shells in rocks in the area.
The nine cities of Greater Palm Springs are made up of Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Coachella, Indio, Indian Wells, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta and Palm Springs.
Head to visitgreaterpalmsprings.com for further details.
