One of my favorite Palm Springs’ galleries, Stephen Archdeacon Gallery, is presenting a collection of photos featuring images from the Hollywood studio archives.  A great celebration that conincides with the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  Here’s the info:

Coinciding with the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Stephen Archdeacon Gallery will present a selection of limited edition, archival photography from the 1950′s through the 1970′s of Hollywood Cinema. A selection of images from curator and archivist Howard Askenase will be featured, including: a Warner Brothers Studio still of James Dean from ‘REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE’ and a 20th Century Fox Studio still of Marilyn Monroe from ‘GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES’, along with an image portrait of Clint Eastwood from ‘HANG ‘EM HIGH’, a beefcake shot of Steve McQueen, and a busty Elizabeth Taylor together with costar Marlon Brando from ‘REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE’ among many others.

Terry Hastings is a Palm Springs artist who will be unveiling a portraiture series of RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner: Bebe Zahara Benet that are based on classic Hollywood starlets.

Documenting the trip between Hollywood and Palm Springs, Eric Nash will have new drawings on view. Collected by contemporary Hollywood players, Nash can be found in the homes of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer, Orlando Bloom, Hillary Duff, Mena Suvari, and entertainment attorney Jacob Bloom in addition to many others.

A portion of the proceeds from silent auction items at this evening event will go to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Riverside County which provides thousands of advocates to children who have been removed from their families because of abuse and neglect. CASA of Riverside County has been a pioneer in developing programming catered to LGBTQ foster youth. http://www.casariversidecounty.org/

Saturday, January 7, 6-9pm 

Please register for this event Click Here     

Stephen Archdeacon Gallery      

760-673-7520      

865 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262   

Midcentury Modern aficionados get ready! The untouched living room of design legends Ray and Charles Eames wil soon be available for public viewing at the Los Angeles County Museum as part of an upcoming exhibition- California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way.” The exhibition will showcase California’s role in shaping home and interior design in the US. The show will open October 1, and will be available through April. While the living room contents are on display, a complete renovation of the home will take place under the direction of the Eames family, the first renovation since the home’s construction in 1949. More information can be found at LACMA’s website: http://lacma.wordpress.com/

To celebrate the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement’s (do.co,mo.mo) National Tour Day on October 8 and 9, 2011, PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM WEEK is pleased to offer its most popular event, the Modernism Double Decker Bus Architectural Tour, a fun, open-air, double decker bus tour of Palm Springs’ notable mid-century modern architecture.

The tour is conducted by a guide who is knowledgeable about the local renowned modernist architects and their striking architecture, as well as Palm Springs’ fascinating 90-year history as a glamorous destination and celebrity outpost. The three-hour bus tour focuses on the exteriors of dozens of residential homes and commercial mid-century modern buildings throughout Palm Springs. Participants will learn the history of Palm Springs’ architecture and the celebrated architects that put modernism on the map. As ground zero for mid-century modern architecture, and with the world’s largest concentration of mid-century modern architecture, participants will see why Palm Springs draws modernism aficionados from around the world.

As a bonus, participants will receive free admission to the architecturally-significant Palm Springs Art Museum, designed by the late modernist architect E. Stewart Williams, a 10% discount from the Museum’s gift shop, a complimentary booklet on Class 1 Historic Sites of Palm Springs produced by the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, and a tour map of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the Palm Springs Modern Committee.
$75

For more tickets, go to: http://www.ticketderby.com/vendor/modernism-week-id-1809

The Palm Springs Art Museum is a popular attraction with many exhibits with contemporary themes.  A current exhibit,   The opening of the exhibition will feature deSoto’s 2004 sculpture CONQUEST, a simulation (“faux-riginal”) of a 1965 car that never existed. This actual car carries within its branding, color schemes, and inherent metaphors the language of colonial power in the Americas, referencing the white war horse that Hernando de Soto used as a conquering weapon in the new world. DeSoto’s wry sculptural and video inventions in combination with actual Mesoamerican objects bring to light the historical meanings of the museum’s holdings by positioning them within a contemporary context. The car will remain on view through September 18, 2011.

One of the most overlooked attractions in Palm Springs is the fabulous Air Museum.  The museum houses one of the largest collection of flying WWII era planes.  It’s easy to forget what a provincial outpost Palm Springs was during World War II.  The El Mirador Hotel became a military hospital ( Now, it’s a hospital again), and Livmor and Playmor Streets have roundabouts that functioned as a holding area for fighter planes.  The displays are interesting, and the planes are especially interesting- you’ll realize what cramped flying conditions are once you’re in the cabin of some of these big bombers.  Check the museum’s website http://palmspringsairmuseum.org/ for a full schedule- they host some special events thoughout the year, where being a passenger in some planes is an option.  See you at the hangar!

One hidden gem in the desert is Palm Springs’ Backstreet Art District.  The disctrict’s Downs Studio D is hosting “Open Studio” July 16th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm; cocktails and hors ‘devourers at 5:00.  Hope to see you there!

The Trend Bible for the UK has predicted Palm Springs Style as being a major influence in the UK for the color palette in a range of household products from towels to disposable napkins as well as home furnishings and paint colors! As residents of snazzy Palm Springs, we already knew that we were trendsetters!

UK Style Trends 2012

A vintage photo compilation of a look back on Palm Springs throughout the decades.