Film and music festivals, art exhibitions, theater performances, and more jazz than you can shake a stick at highlights a busy June arts and culture calendar. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the catalyst for the gay rights movement, inspires several programs this month. Here are our recommendations for an artful month ahead.
Above: Hugh Kaptur’s architectural rendering of Steve McQueen’s home in the Southridge neighborhood of Palm Springs. Photo courtesy of Palm Springs Historical Society
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
HUGH KAPTUR: Organic Desert Architecture, the exhibition offering a deep dive into the career of an architect with more than 200 built projects in the Coachella Valley, ends June 17 at the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center. Info
WALKER GUEST HOUSE: Tour a replica of the Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guest House, an icon of Sarasota modernism, in downtown Palm Springs on weekends through March 2020. Info
FESTIVALS & HERITAGE
HERSTORIES: The Women’s Heritage Project presents Herstories From The Desert, a joyful, fun, and informative mentorship event June 1 sharing lifetimes of cross-cultural stories at Hotel Paseo in Palm Desert. Info
ENVIRONMENT DAY: Palm Springs Pavilion hosts a free World Environment Day celebration June 2 featuring music by Symara Stone, aerial arts by Flowbox Circus, and exhibition of environmental art, and chefs demonstrations with farm-to-table food. Info
PRIDE: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that ignited the gay rights movement, the Joshua Tree Pride festival, June 14–16 at The Shops at Zanny’s, features performances by Probe 7 and Blood Candy, as well as a poetry slam, comedy, and more. Info
FILM
LEONA: Desert Film Society presents Leona, a Mexican film, June 8 at Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs. The moving film tells the story of a young Jewish woman from Mexico City who finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love. Info
SHORT FEST: The 25th Annual Palm Springs International Short Film Fest — featuring more than 300 films and hundreds of filmmakers from around the globe — rolls June 18–24 at Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs. Info
SUMMER SERIES: Palm Springs Art Museum opens its Summer Film Series on June 27 with a screening of Hats Off to Hollywood and Word is Out, LGBTQ-themed films to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Admission is free. Info
LITERARY
EDITORSPEAK: Palm Springs Women in Film & Television presents a conversation with editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir (Deadpool 2, John Wick, and Contraband) June 6 at Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City. Info
MUSIC
MUSIC AWARDS: The seventh annual CV Music Awards will honor Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, Free, The Firm) and many local bands and musicians June 2 at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. Info
SOUND ART: Talking to Plants (Rhizome State), a sound art installation June 7–9 at Art Pop Gallery in Palm Springs, features Amber Stucke in collaboration with galindog, Demian Dine’Yazhi’, and Kate Lee Short and is inspired by knowledge of how Ojibwe people talk to plants for medicine. Info
SHAKESPEARE IN JAZZ: On June 12, McCallum Theatre Summer Institute presents Shakespeare in Jazz, performed by Daniel Kelly Quartet featuring Frederick Johnson. Info
SOMOS AMIGOS: Sonia De Los Santos and The Okee Dokee Brothers perform Somos Amigos: Songs On Common Ground on June 14 as part of the McCallum Theatre Summer Institute. Info
MOVIE TUNES: Modern Men — featuring soloists, duets, a chorus, and special guest Keisha D — presents a fun-filled evening of music from your favorite movies June 15 at the Jewish Community Center of Palm Springs. Info
SANDRA BOOKER: The singer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis & The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Billy Higgins, Harry Connick, Jr., Ernie Watts, Steve Tyrell, and many others will take the stage June 15 at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. Info
JAZZ FOR MS: Cool jazz for a hot summer is the theme of the 11th Annual Jazz It Up on June 23 at The S at Rancho Mirage. The show, which benefits ACT for MS, features Bill Marx and his Jazz Band, 3GT with Jimi Fitz, Sergio Villegas, and Jimmy Palmer. Info
JAZZ AT THE REP: Jazz pianist Scott Wilkie and his amazing band return to CVRep in Cathedral City June 24 with an exciting evening of his uniquely styled jazz compositions. Info
THEATER & STAGE
METEOR SHOWER: In Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, through June 2 at Palm Canyon Theatre, two couples watch a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower, and when they begin to flirt with each other, insanity reigns. Info
A DOLL’S HOUSE: Coyote Stageworks presents a free performance June 2 of the Tony Award-winning play A Doll’s House, Part 2 by at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs. Info
THE PLANETS: Backhausdance returns to the McCallum Theatre stage June 18 with The Planets set to Gustav Holst’s musical movement suite by the same name. Info
GRIT AND GRACE: On June 29, CV Repertory Theater in Cathedral City presents Angela Wolcott’s Grit & Grace, an elegant, yet casual cabaret celebration of the most influential and acclaimed female songwriters of our time. Info
TALES FROM THE TWILIGHT CAFÉ: Members of the CVRep Conservatory Writers Studio present an afternoon of staged readings of original works June 30. The show includes monologues, poetry, stand-up comedy, one-act plays, short stories, film, and more. Info
VISUAL ART
40 UNDER 40: The second annual Gui Ignon Memorial Exhibition for Young Artists at the CREATE Center for the Arts in Palm Desert features local artists 40 years of age and younger and continues through June 22. Info
LINES IN THE SAND: The exhibition, at Palm Springs Art Museum through August 11, explores the history of the desert through four themes: land, light, people, and place. 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
POWER PLANTS: ArtsTank Greater Palm Springs grant winner Cat Chiu Phillips presents a site-specific installation calling attention to the tonnage of e-waste generated across the globe, by appointment through August 2 at College of the Desert. Info
SUBLIME PHOTOGRAPHY: Contemporary Sublime: The Photographic Collecting of William G. Butler, an exhibition through October 6 at the Palm Springs Art Museum, taps into unconscious experiences and creates a psychological connection between viewer and image. Info
BRAVE NEW WORLDS: Explorations of Space, at the Palm Springs Art Museum through December 15: Brave New Worlds, features projects by Kelly Akashi, Gisela Colon, Victoria Fu, Karen Lofgren, and Adee Roberson. Info
SHAPING VISION: Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism — showcasing paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Willem de Kooning, Édouard Manet, Joan Mitchell, and Mark Rothko — runs June 15 through October 13 at Palm Springs Art Museum. Info
ART WALK: Visit artists in their natural habitat — their studios and galleries — June 5 during Backstreet Art District Art Walk in Palm Springs. Info
30×30: A juried community art exhibition through June 6 at Palm Springs Art Museum celebrates 30 years of public art while looking at 30 new ideas for the future. Info
IDYLLWILD ART IN THE PARK: A perfect combination of art and nature, this event June 15–16 offers an eclectic mix of ceramics, paintings, glass, jewelry, woodworking, photography, fibers, music, and more. Info
JTAG FINALE: Joshua Tree Art Gallery is closing, and its final exhibition unfolds June 15–29. Info
FLASHBACK: La Quinta Museum presents Roadtrip: Route 66 through September 14. Info
PHOTO SHOW: Images by Lewis Baltz, Joe Deal, John Divola, and Christina Fernandez are highlights in Photography From the Permanent Collection: A Closer Look at Palm Springs Art Museum through July 11. Info
CONTRASTS: Promised Gifts from the Kaplan-Ostergaard Glass Collection, through September 15 at Palm Springs Art Museum, showcases blown, cast, and kiln-formed glass by artists including Emma Camden, Steve Klein, and Nick Mount. Info
