The Forever Marilyn statue (shown in its first location in downtown Palm Springs) is being reinstalled near Palm Springs Art Museum. File photo/Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism
ISSUES
‘Forever Marilyn’ installation underway in Palm Springs (The Desert Sun)
Installation work on the controversial statue continues until June 17 with a public unveiling ceremony scheduled for June 20, according to Aftab Dada, chairman of PS Resorts, the hotel association that bought the statue earlier this year.
FILM
ShortFest ready to roll with in-person screenings (Palm Springs Life)
The 27th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest will hold all of its screenings in theater, June 22-28. The festival includes 49 programs showcasing 295 films, which were selected from more than 5,500 submissions from 104 countries.
ART
Another Way of Looking at Things (Palm Springs Life)
Robert Cumming, the genre-bending artist who made questioning reality an art form, has been living in virtual anonymity in Desert Hot Springs for several years. Steven Nash, former director of Palm Springs Art Museum, re-introduces him in the June issue of Palm Springs Life.
La Matadora Gallery celebrates four years in Joshua Tree (CV Independent)
The gallery, which has a robust schedule for summer and fall, commemorates its anniversary July 10, featuring artists Kim Green, Tracy Brown and Hector Santos, with DJ AlKimmy (aka Kim Green) and Third Circle Visuals.
MUSIC & THEATRE
With the Alliance of Desert Theatres, a new star is born (The Desert Sun)
One silver lining of the pandemic: a new alliance to advocate for and nurture a vibrant performing arts community in the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin.
McCallum adds 2 execs to management team (The Desert Sun)
Yvonne Bell, a fundraising professional who has worked for performing arts centers across Southern California, is the new vice president of development, and Tony Jilek-Guidry, a sales and ticketing operations executive from Minnesota, fills the new position of vice president of marketing, sales & guest services.
Curtain drops on Coyote StageWorks (Palm Springs Life)
The award-winning Actors’ Equity professional theatre company has closed after 13 years. Artistic Director Chuck Yates says Coyote’s legacy will live on through the Palm Springs Young Playwright’s Festival, which was designed to help discover and nurture the next generation of writers.
Meet the Palm Springs Youth Training Orchestra (The Desert Sun)
The new nonprofit group, based on the Broadway pit or Hollywood film orchestra model of 24 musicians, trains students and presents its entire concert season at events organized by partnering organizations. “Our method trains students for the real music market,” says founder Nunzio Sisto.
Local musicians form reggae band (CV Independent)
Bradley Burton (Captain Ghost), Spade Haivyn (Empty Seat) and Ryan Alexander Diaz (Crucial Culture, Unity Frenzy) have formed The Ill Eagles — a big change from their previous, harder-rocking bands — and their debut single is due out July 2.
LITERATURE
Summer reading with a Palm Springs twist (Palm Springs Life)
In his hilarious novel The Guncle, Palm Springs-based author Steven Rowley conveys the challenges of unexpectedly inheriting a pair of children. Meanwhile, in Christina Clancy’s Shoulder Season, a Playboy Bunny’s coming-of-age tale begins in Wisconsin and ends in Palm Springs, where “the best is yet to come.” Start your summer reading list here.
