Judy Chicago will present a “smoke sculpture” for Desert X in April. © JUDY CHICAGO/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK; PHOTO © DONALD WOODMAN/ARS, NEW YORK   Stimulus for the arts, a smoke sculpture for Desert X, and a promise of an “epic” return of live performances from the developer of a new arena in Palm…

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Sunnylands reopens Feb. 17, offering several outdoor tours of the historic estate and gardens. Photo courtesy The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands   IN THE NEWS Desert X to open March 12 (The Desert Sun)The Coachella Valley’s biennial exhibition of site-specific art will run from March 12 to May 16. Organizers will announce the participating artists on Feb.…

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Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage. Courtesy and copyright The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.   Sunnylands Center & Gardens became the latest Coachella Valley cultural institution to reopen to the public — with limited access and hours and stringent safety protocols — since the pandemic shutdown began last March. Many other venues and…

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Helen Lundeberg’s acrylic on canvas painting Greys with Orange (1979) from the artist’s Palm Springs Art Museum online exhibition, on view at psmuseum.org. Courtesy Palm Springs Art Museum/Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Alan Leslie.   As the fall season starts coming into view, Coachella Valley arts organizations have begun announcing plans to present their programs with stringent…

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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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Diversity prevails in a March Madness blitz of performances, exhibitions, and screenings across the Coachella Valley. The Native Film Fest and a museum exhibition of works by Cahuilla artist Gerald Clarke lead a month loaded with architecture tours, documentary film screenings, contemporary art shows, live music and theater, and the desert’s own fashion week. We…

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Two locally based artists, Jim Isermann (above) and Gerald Clarke, have solo exhibitions at Palm Springs Art Museum; Modernism Week presents 11 days of tours, lectures, and parties; art fairs and festivals unfold in cities across the Coachella Valley; and musical and theatrical performances fill area stages. Throw in film screenings and literary events, and…

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