Professional Development
This Month in the Arts | COVID-19 Edition – July 2020
As Coachella Valley arts and culture organizations recalibrate their upcoming season to curb the spread of COVID-19, we’re dedicating this edition of This Month in the Arts to sharing resources to help you safely reopen venues, host events, identify emergency financial assistance, and navigate other pandemic-related concerns. First, we encourage arts venues and event promoters…
Read MoreCoachella Valley Arts News – June 2020
Watts-based artist Mister Alek from Watts spray painted a mural in memory of George Floyd on Indian Canyon Drive just north of Amado Road. Photograph courtesy Palm Springs Public Arts Commission. COVID RESPONSE Your Coachella Valley culture fix is here (Palm Springs Life)During the COVID-19 shutdown, Coachella Valley artists and arts organizations are reaching…
Read MoreEvelyn Sofia Rivera Looks Within to ‘Keep Art Alive’
Evelyn Sofia Rivera, an arts educator in the Coachella Valley Unified School District who’s studying to become an art therapist, has painted a self-portrait inspired by the COVID-19 stay-at-home order and earned a $500 grant from the nonprofit California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) to “Keep Art Alive.” “This piece can be viewed from different perspectives…
Read MoreJust Add Tech: Kristin Winters’ ‘Novel Virus’ Earns Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
So many artists — and arts organizations writ large — are turning to technology to reach and expand their audience during the COVID-19 lockdown. Count La Quinta-based artist Kristin Winters among them. A fixture on the local art scene, frequently exhibiting in Palm Desert and Joshua Tree, Winters combines experimental video and traditional printmaking in…
Read MoreCalifornia Desert Chorale Performs Virtually and Wins CDAC Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
Forced for the first time in its 27-year history to cancel its spring concert, the California Desert Chorale gave a virtual performance of “Anthem,” from Chess, by Benny Anderson, Tim Rice, and Bjorn Ulvaeus and arranged by John Purifoy. “The technical aspects of putting this together were challenging for many in the chorale, as we…
Read MoreCDAC Awards Another 26 Grants to ‘Keep Arts Alive’
Twenty-six visual artists, musicians, authors, graphic designers, and other creative professionals earned grants from the California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) in May to “Keep Arts Alive,” an initiative to provide financial support to Coachella Valley artists affected by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Established by CDAC and La Quinta Arts Foundation, the $50,000 fund…
Read MorePhotographer JC MacQueen Wins CDAC Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Palm Springs-based artist JC MacQueen found inspiration for new work right at his feet — the pavement, actually. His new series of photographs focus on the shadows, stains, and detritus he finds on the concrete sidewalks and surfaces. “The photographs are then exaggerated to figures, landscapes, and phantasms for the viewer…
Read MoreArtist, Educator Victoria Montes Celebrates Diversity, Wins CDAC Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
Victoria Montes, a part-time artist and full-time teacher of severely handicapped third- and fourth-grade students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, is using her shelter-at-home time to reflect on her community. “The Coachella Valley is a rich and diverse place,” she says. “I decided to paint Facets as a tribute to the differences that…
Read MoreDonna Miller-Haggerty Captures COVID Emotions in Watercolor, Wins CDAC Grant
As an artist, Donna Miller-Haggerty of Palm Desert strives to create works that stems from her heart as well as her environment. “My most recent paintings were made to inspire positive thoughts and hope during these uncertain and difficult times,” she says of pieces like Inside Looking Out, a watercolor and collage that illustrates the…
Read MoreWriter, Educator Rob Bowman Wins CDAC Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
“I am not built for the apocalypse,” writer Rob Bowman concedes in his new essay, “What We Sow.” “Narrow shoulders and skinny arms. I spend most of my time reading and writing and teaching reading and writing. My nails never have dirt under them and my palms are very soft, so soft that my wife…
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