COVID-19 Guidelines and Resources for the Arts
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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Coachella 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…
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Evelyn 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…
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Just 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…
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California 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…
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‘Self-Portrait’ Earns Jacalyn Lopez Garcia CDAC Grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’
As the COVID-19 crisis set in, Jacalyn Lopez Garcia, a La Quinta–based transmedia storyteller, postponed events at her family-owned and operated Goldie’s Farm Artist Retreat and Spiritual Healing Center in a West Shore neighborhood of the Salton Sea, and was suddenly faced with time to work on new and back-burner art projects.“I enjoy challenging audiences…
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CDAC 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…
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Photographer 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…
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Artist, 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…
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