The arts have always played a major role within the Coachella Valley. Starting in the early 20th century with the first desert artist colonies, artists have been the cultural bedrock of our cities. Even in the modern day the importance of our art culture here in the wider Coachella Valley has not declined. In fact, one could even say that it has become an even more important driving economic force for those who reside here. Further cementing the arts as a cornerstone of our valley are associations like the California Desert Arts Council and events like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival which have been helping to bring different types of artists together and getting them to immerse themselves in the local community and economy for years.
Support today’s local artists
To celebrate our artistic cultural heritage come and support today’s local artists at Cathedral City’s Desert Open Studios. You’ll find styles ranging from the classical to the abstract with the wide range of artists on show! The festivities kicked off Friday, March 4th, with an opening night-party for the preview exhibition at the Coachella Valley Art Center in Indio. The studio tours themselves will take place on the coming two weekends (March 12, 13, 19 and 20) and will include 109 local artists!
Three nonprofit art centers will be featured during the tour. These will include Coachella Valley Art Center, who will host the sampler exhibition, The Desert Art Center, which is located in Palm Springs and will be presenting demos, and finally the CREATE Center for the Arts in Palm Desert, which houses artists as well as demos! There will be no shortage of art on this tour with a cavalcade of artists and their unique styles on show. You can travel from Indio in the east through La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Palm Springs and finally Desert Hot Springs in the west! You choose the artists that pique your interest and the places that you want to visit by region or by style of art. The route you take is entirely up to you!
Painters, ceramicists, jewelry-makers and photographers all on show
Desert Open Studios was created two years ago by four founding members. These founders are Kim Manfredi, Lynda Keeler, Anne Bedrick and Chris Blades. These four art-lovers desired to bridge the gap between the East and West valley and sought to unite these artistic communities together. One of the ideas behind Desert Open Studios was to offer the public insight into what makes the art community and how these artists operate. These tours do a far better job at informing the public as to what goes on than gallery shows. The public gets invited into the artist’s workspace so they can see the creative process. Not only will painters be on show but ceramicists, jewelry-makers, photographers and even artists who work in the medium of glass!
To find out more and get involved with Desert Open Studios check out their website here for more information! Available on Desert Open Studios’ website are maps of the tours and even interviews with some of the local artists that will be on show. Get immersed in the local culture of art and check it out!
