Hello from the California Desert Arts Council!  CDAC’s mission is to unify, empower, and promote the arts and culture community in the Coachella Valley. Since COVID-19 all but shut down the creative economy, CDAC has awarded relief grants to more than 40 local artists and arts organizations and continually publishes roundups of valuable information and resources…

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Jane Culp’s painting Mojave Desert: Pass Through the Panamint Mountain Range, from Echoes of the San Andreas, a new book about the life and work of the artist.   ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Modernism Week Fall Preview moves online (The Desert Sun)Modernism Week has announced that its fall preview scheduled for October will include no in-person…

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Filmmaker Greg Bassenian’s documentary “Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea” is slated to screen at the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, Sept. 25-29, in Palm Springs. Photograph by Steven Biller.   COVID-19 Problem for the arts: Insurers won’t cover virus cancellations (Reuters)Most insurers, if not all, are adding…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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