While Modernism Week just ended, don’t despair. More Modernism-focused events continue this month with the Beg Borrow and Steal exhibit at both Palm Springs Art Museum locations through June 2; the Black & White photography exhibit at the Villa Fontana, March 23; the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation’s Leisure Life Weekend, March 22-24; and the Meet the Museum membership drive event March 29, through which members are invited to dozens of art exhibits and special events throughout the year.
Beg, Borrow And Steal
Beg Borrow and Steal is the first exhibition to be installed simultaneously in the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert in The Galen building. The exhibits are ongoing through June 2.
Originally organized by the Rubell family for an immense, annual installation from their permanent collection, the exhibition has been refined to accommodate the museum’s galleries.
In 2005 the Rubells had a series of conversations with artists Kelley Walker and Wade Guyton, who talked about the generosity of some artists in the nature of their work. Walker and Guyton described how artists like Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp and Richard Prince opened doors for other younger artists like themselves to walk through.
This show was borne out of those conversations, and its title comes from a quote attributed to Picasso: “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
This selection includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, and videos by 58 artists from the Rubell Family Collection/Contemporary Arts Foundation.
This installation’s emphasis is on those working on the west coast, especially Los Angeles. The Southern California focus is significant, not only for its relevance to Palm Springs, but also because the region has had a formidable influence on the use of appropriation in art, the subject of the exhibition.
In Black and White
A museum fundraiser on Saturday, March 23, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Villa Fontana in the Movie Colony, the special exhibit In Black & White, salutes both Truman Capote’s parties and the days of glamorous black and white photography.
Think of everything from George Hurrell celebrity photos, to What Becomes a Legend Most, and the museum’s own Bill Anderson photos of Palm Springs parties, currently on display in the museum’s Muse Cafe.
As part of Palm Springs celebrity lore, Truman Capote owned a home in the Movie Colony and was an integral part of the desert’s social scene attending the parties of Walter Annenberg, Bob Hope, and Frank Sinatra.
Relive the era in black & white!
Cost is $100 per person. For reservations, call (760) 323-4858.
Leisure Life Weekend
The next great adventure in Palm Springs’ modernist architecture is PSPF’s “Leisure Life” Weekend, March 22-24.
The weekend’s fun and educational activities will kick-off with a glamorous Friday night cocktail party and silent auction. Saturday and Sunday are filled with tours of some of south Palm Springs’ well-known and lesser-known modernist condominium complexes.
The Saturday tour will feature at least fifteen great units in four different complexes and Sunday’s tour includes champagne brunch at the Indian Canyons Golf Resort (formerly the Canyon Country Club). A 32-page tribute journal, authored by PSPF board member Erik Rosenow, will be released as part of the celebratory weekend.
For more information and tickets see http://www.pspreservationfoundation.org/canyonview_2012.html
Meet the Museum
Meet the Museum, the Palm Springs Art Museum’s 8th annual membership drive party, will be held on March 29 from 6-9 p.m. at 101 Museum Way, Palm Springs.
Meet the Museum encourages new museum membership by offering a discounted admission to this signature party, along with enjoying benefits of membership for one full year.
Last year nearly 1,000 people attended and the event is expected to sell out again this year.
The evening will feature pop art photography, DJ entertainment, multiple open bar and food stations by Lulu California Bistro, Tulip Wine Company and more.
All proceeds benefit museum operations, exhibitions and education programs.
This year, financial adviser and philanthropist Jim Casey and his partner Jason Altieri are chairs of the annual event. Casey’s company, Integrated Wealth Management, has been the lead sponsor of Meet the Museum since 2006.
Cost of $75 includes one year individual membership and a single admission to the event; $135 includes one year dual membership and two admissions to the event. Existing members can purchase regular admission for $40 or VIP admission for $100 per person.
To attend, contact the museum’s membership office at 760-322-4825
Arts and cultural events in Palm Springs today continue to celebrate Modernism’s influence on the region and supports recognition of its impact on the arts, culture, architecture and lifestyle that still embodies the Southern California experience today.
Pamela Bieri