October is National Arts & Humanities Month, so when you’re Instagramming pictures from local performances, exhibitions, and festivals, use the hashtag #ShowYourArt2019 to support your favorite events and organizations — and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Here are highlights of this month’s arts and culture events in Greater Palm Springs.
Above: #ShowYourArt2019 is an advocacy initiative by the nonprofit Americans for the Arts and promoted in Greater Palm Springs by the California Desert Arts Council.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
MODERNISM WEEK: The Modernism Week Fall Preview unfolds Oct. 17-20 with double-decker bus tours, lectures and panel discussions, tours of midcentury homes and neighborhoods, parties, and the Modernism Show & Sale. Info
BREAKING ALL THE RULES: An exhibition of works by the San Francisco-based graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, the pioneer of “California Cool,” continues through January 20, 2020, 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
ART
REACH FOR THE SKY: Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage presents a season-long exhibition, Reach for the Sky: Tradition + Inspiration, featuring totems by the Hunt family of Canadian First Nations artists and the musician and artist Herb Alpert. Info
OPEN STUDIOS: The 18th annual Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours is a free, self-guided tour of more than 100 artist studios in Joshua Tree and other High Desert towns. Visit the artists over three weekends: Oct. 5–6, Oct. 12–13, and Oct. 19–20.
CORAZON DE MEXICO: Visit the 1926 Smiley-Tyler Adobe House and peruse the exhibition Corazon de Mexico, featuring the Coachella Valley History Museum’s eclectic collection of Mexican folk art, including textiles, pottery, costumes, and wooden toys. The exhibition opens Oct. 5 and continues throughout the season. Info
ART WALK: Visit artists in their natural habitat — their studios and galleries! — Oct. 2 during free-to-the-public Backstreet Art District Art Walk in Palm Springs. Info
SHAPING VISION: Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism — showcasing paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Willem de Kooning, Édouard Manet, Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, and others — closes Oct. 13 at Palm Springs Art Museum. Info
BRAVE NEW WORLDS: Five Southern California artists — Kelly Akashi, Gisela Colon, Victoria Fu, Karen Lofgren, and Adee Roberson — come together in “explorations of space,” through Dec. 15 at Palm Springs Art Museum. Info
FLIGHT PLAN: The Birds of Sunnylands, an exhibition of 52 photographs taken last season by National Geographic lensman Tim Laman at Sunnylands Center and Gardens, is on view through May 2020 at the Coachella Valley History Museum in Indio. Info
BEE OUR GUEST: S.C.R.A.P. Gallery’s exhibition Bee Our Guest reflects the impacts of pollution, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change that threaten the survival of the bee species. Another exhibit features artwork inspired by bees, butterflies, bats, and other pollinators and made from recycled materials. Info
FESTIVALS
EAST VALLEY PRIDE: The third annual Eastern Coachella Valley Pride, set for Oct. 26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Coachella, includes performances by Fabeyoncé, Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, and others. Info
GOLF CART PARADE: The 55th annual Golf Cart Parade and Festival rolls onto El Paseo in Palm Desert Oct. 27 with pint-size floats asserting a “Let the Good Times Roll” theme. Music and dance performances follow, with food trucks to keep you fueled. Info
FILM
CINEMA CULTURAS: Festival in the Fields, featuring Mexican and Latino filmmakers addressing life in Southern California, is set for Oct. 12 at UCR Palm Desert and includes a presentation and discussion on Latinos and mental health, followed by a screening of the acclaimed Spanish film Champions.
REEL WOMEN: The sixth annual Reel Women’s Film Festival offers diverse and inspiring films about women Oct. 27 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Info
MUSIC
CONCERTS IN THE PARK: L.A. Sound Machine leads off the city of Palm Desert’s free Concerts in the Park series with a Oct. 3 performance at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. Other concerts feature Amanda Castro Jazz Band (Oct. 10), ’90s Rock Show (Oct. 17), The Pack (Oct. 24), and Dead Man’s Party (Oct. 31). Info
TEJANO MUSIC FEST: Grammy winner Grupo Atrapado headlines the third annual Tejano Music Fest Oct. 12 at Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City. Grupo Uniko, Jr. Gomez Y Los Conjunto Bandits, and Tejano Highway 281 round out the lineup. Info
JOSHUA TREE MUSIC FESTIVAL: The fall edition of the Joshua Tree Music Festival returns Oct. 10-13 to the Joshua Tree Lake Campground, featuring more than 25 bands, including Coachella Valley’s Ocho Ojos and The Flusters on the lineup. Info
THEATER & STAGE
12 ANGRY MEN: Desert TheatreWorks presents Reginald Rose’s courtroom drama about a 1950s New York jury faced with whether to convict a 19-year-old defendant (and a certain death penalty) over two weekends, Oct. 4–6 and Oct. 11–13 at the Indio Performing Arts Center. Info
SISTERHOOD DANCE: BrockusRed, whose choreographic style blurs the lines between modern dance and jazz at Celebrate Sisterhood, presents a moving program of dance at an Oct. 4 lunch program during Palm Springs Women’s Week. Info
THE CRUCIBLE: Arthur Miller’s chilling play comes to the stage Oct. 10–13 at Palm Canyon Theatre in downtown Palm Springs. Info
MAMMA MIA!: The popular Broadway musical featuring hit songs by ABBA returns to the Indio Performing Arts Center Oct. 18–Nov. 3. Info
