It’s the calm before the storm, the last month of a long, hot summer — and the slowest month of the year in terms of arts and culture events. But the calendar has hardly gone dry. Here are our staff’s recommendations for the best film screenings, music and stage performances, art exhibitions in September.
Above: John Divola’s photograph N34°09.951’W115°49.269’, from his Isolated Houses series, is one of our favorites in the photography exhibition Journey Through the Desert – The Road Less Traveled at Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. © John Divola. Courtesy Gallery Luisotti, and Palm Springs Art Museum.
FESTIVALS & HERITAGE
CAFTANS & KIMONOS: Billed as “an affair to remember,” this event September 14 at Antique Galleries of Palm Springs invites you to put on a caftan or kimono and enjoy sake tastings and the spinning vinyl of DJs Kiki and Greg Tormo of Glitter & Sand. Info
FIESTAS PATRIAS – EL GRITO: Celebrate “El Grito” September 16 at Rancho Las Flores Park, which is hosting live music and entertainment, a kid’s zone, and local food vendors. Admission and parking are free. Info
FILM
HITCHHIKERS GUIDE: This science fiction comedy follows the misadventures of Arthur Dent, the last surviving man following the Earth’s demolition by an alien construction crew. His rescuer, Ford Prefect, is both an alien and a researcher penning a new edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The film screens September 5 at Rancho Mirage Public Library and Observatory. Info
CINEMA DIVERSE: Featuring a variety of LGBTQ feature and short films from around the world, the 11th annual Cinema Diverse festival rolls Sep. 20-23 at Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theatres) in Palm Springs and Sep. 28-29 at Mary Pickford Theatre in Cathedral City.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Lit Flicks at UCR Palm Desert continues September 26 with a screening of the Academy Award-winning neo-western thriller. In this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, a man finds a fortune in drug look in 1980 West Texas and tries to recover it but must dodge a lawman and a bounty hunter. Info
MUSIC
TIM CONNELL: His performances September 7–9 at CV Rep features songs from contemporary Irish singer/songwriters (Van Morrison, Glen Hansard, Damian Rice), Broadway (George M!, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Finian’s Eainbow), and good ol’ reliable folk and pub songs. Info
OPERATIC LOVE AFFAIR: OperaArts presents a passionate evening of opera September 19 with soprano Jamie Chamberlin and tenor Nathan Granner accompanied by Victoria Kirsch at Rancho Mirage Public Library and Observatory. Info
THEATRE & STAGE
A NIGHT OF STORYTELLING: A night of true, first-person storytelling by LGBTQ journalists from across the nation unfolds September 5 at Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs. This show is about connecting diverse people through the shared values illuminated by idiosyncratic personal experiences. Info
SOUTHERN FRIED FUNERAL: Funerals bring out the worst, the best, and the funniest in people, and Osborne and Eppler Dewey Frye are no exception. This big-hearted comedy about family runs September 14 to 23 at the Indio Performing Arts Center. Info
VISUAL ART
DESERT ICONS: Open now through October 21 at the new Yucca Valley Visual & Performing Arts Center (aka YV Arts), this exhibition focuses on how 36 artists reflect on their experience in the High Desert. curator Michael McCall challenged artists to steer away from clichés and force viewers to think about what one may consider an “icon.” Info
POP-UP EXHIBITION: The Light Which Reveals the Alarming Ghosts, a pop-up exhibition of media-based installations, has been extended through at the Coachella Valley Art Center in Indio. Organized by LIFEWORK Gallery, the show features work by Griselda Calderon Lopez, Zach Fleming-Boyles, MLN17, and Kevin Townsend. Info
ART WALK: The galleries of the Backstreet Art District in Palm Springs welcomes guests September 5 to see their latest exhibitions and meet their artists. Info
WILD REIGN: Presented by Coachella Magazine, this group art exhibition (September 1-13) features Uncle Reezy, Mr. Bbaby, Flux Lugo, Cory Hamilton, Janet Zepeda, Lunafora, Kylie Knight, La Maniaca, Eater of Worlds, Frank Lemus, Father Akki, and Sofia Enriquez at Flat Black Art Supplies in Palm Desert. Info
LINES IN THE SAND: The exhibition opening September 8 at Palm Springs Art Museum explores the history of the desert through our relationship to the land. It features highlights from the museum’s collections of indigenous art, depictions of the California desert through painting and photography, and contemporary art inspired by the physical and cultural environment of the state. Info
FLIGHT PLAN: The Birds of Sunnylands, an exhibition opening September 12 and continuing through June 2, 2019, at Sunnylands Center and Gardens, consists of 52 striking images produced by internationally recognized wildlife photographer Tim Laman. A regular contributor to National Geographic, Laman spent two years capturing the courtship dances, hunting habits, and mid-air acrobatics of many of the 130 species of birds that have been sighted at Sunnylands so far. Info
DESERT PHOTOGRAPHY: Journey Through the Desert – The Road Less Traveled, a survey of photography from the early 20th century to today, continues through November 25 at Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. The show includes Stephen H. Willard, John Divola, Lee Friedlander, Karen Halverson, Wanda Hammerbeck, Richard Misrach, and Mark Ruwedel. Info
