Artist Pia Camil’s Lover’s Rainbow for Desert X 2019. The 2021 event has been postponed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
GRANTS AND FINANCIAL RELIEF
Gov. Newsom proposes $25 million for arts in California (Californians for the Arts)
The funds support a grant program for museums and theaters and $15 million to the California Arts Council for a statewide pilot, California Creative Corps, “which will fuel positivity, regain public trust, and inspire safe and healthy behavior across California’s diverse populations through media, outreach, and an engagement campaign.”
CAC launches individual Artist Fellowships program (California Arts Council)
California Arts Council is prioritizing this year’s grant funding to nurture and heal our communities through the arts; to keep the doors of our arts and cultural institutions open; to protect jobs in the creative field; and to preserve our cultural heritage, stories, and culture bearers.
NEA welcomes applications for art project grants (National Endowment for the Arts)
These grants support arts projects that use the arts to unite and heal in response to current events; celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage; invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values; and enrich humanity.
ART
Desert X postponed due to coronavirus pandemic (The Desert Sun)
Organizers of the outdoor biennial art exhibition announced they are postponing the exhibition originally scheduled to open Feb. 6 and will announce a new opening date as soon as they believe they can safely do so.
What to expect when Palm Springs Art Museum reopens (The Desert Sun)
In addition to new works of art, including Gonzalo Lebrija’s nosediving car, History of Suspended Time: Monument for the Impossible, the institution will implement temperature screening and social distancing for staff and guests.
Artists Council fosters community through virtual programs (The Desert Sun)
The Artists Council has announced a series of virtual classes and lectures, from acrylics to watercolor, available to the community through June.
April auction planned to benefit museum (Palm Springs Art Museum)
Art Auction ’21 goes live on Sotheby’s for a week, April 9–16, and proceeds will support exhibitions, collections, and educational programs at Palm Springs Art Museum, as well as participating artists and galleries.
Artist Robert Longo hunkers down in Palm Springs (Palm Springs Life)
The New York-based artist has a new, socially and politically charged series showing in L.A. and a growing appreciation for the slower pace of life in the desert.
Sunnylands’ mindfulness programs offer a creative spark (Sunnylands Center & Gardens)
For a mental break, local artist and educator Judy Nemer Sklar shares easy art project ideas that may help you to clear your head, alleviate stress, and unlock your creative impulses.
Meet your makers (Palm Springs Life)
Five local artisans — Paul Lowe, Isabel Espriu, Bruce Hearn, Janelle Pietrzak, and Greg Maxson — show how creativity thrives in the desert.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Modernism Week announces programming for April (Palm Springs Life)
Tickets are on sale for home tours, the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, and Modern Design Expo, walking architectural tours, an outdoor garden tour, and talks. Online programs will also be available on the Modernism Week website.
MUSIC
Watch the Coachella Valley Music Awards (Coachella Valley Weekly)
The eighth annual event presented 39 awards, including the Trailblazer Award to Armando Flores, Pioneer Award to Tony Tornay, Icon Award to Keisha D, and Lifetime Achievement Award to Kal David & Lauri Bono. Josh and Linda Heinz won a new award, “Live From the Living Room.”
THEATER AND STAGE
Start-up theater company makes Palm Springs debut with ‘West Side Story’ (The Desert Sun)
The new North Star Theatre stages a live, drive-in production of the Broadway musical West Side Story from Jan. 17 to Feb. 11 in the parking lot of the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
‘Mental Amusements’ goes live, and it’s about to get weird (Dezart Performs)
The virtual mindreading show, running Jan. 13–24, invites you to imagine having your mind controlled, secret thoughts revealed, and predictions made about your imminent future all through the screen and from your own home.
Theatre Thursdays adds ‘virtual stage’ performances (CVRep)
Glenn Rosenblum returns to the CVRep Virtual Stage on Jan. 21 with his new presentation, “Broadway Showstoppers: Just Dance!” This is a free event; donations are encouraged.
Out of this year’s wreckage, a new model for theater? (Los Angeles Times)
Golden ages in theater happen through a circuit of audiences, artists, and institutions. All three elements must be in place for the stage to flourish.
IDEAS
With no tickets to sell, arts groups appeal to donors to survive (New York Times)
Virtual cocktail parties have replaced black-tie galas as cultural institutions struggle to pay their operating costs.
The artist isn’t dead (The New Republic)
Eulogies for the creative class are premature. Art workers can organize — and survive.
The unifying appeal of the arts (American Purpose)
In the conversation about reviving social cohesion, some continue to overlook the arts.
Out with the Old Masters? (The Critic)
Art and architecture historian Charles Saumarez Smith wonders whether traditional museums will be replaced by modern “experiences.”
What a Biden presidency means for the arts (Forbes)
For the past few months, Americans for the Arts has been advising Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the best way to forge a new partnership between the arts and government.
