Chihuly Exhibit at Palm Springs Art Museum
By Wendy VanHatten
Once a small museum, specializing in Native American artifacts, the natural sciences, and the environment of the surrounding Coachella Valley, the Palm Springs Art Museum has evolved into the primer cultural center of the desert.
One of the permanent exhibits features a collection of works by Dale Chihuly. His work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. The Palm Springs Art Museum is fortunate to be one of those.
Chihuly received at Fulbright Fellowship in 1968, where he went to Venice to learn the craft of blowing glass. Since then, he has turned his works into fine art forms, creating more than a dozen of well-known series of works. His Cylinders, Baskets, Seaforms, Venetians, Persians, and Chandeliers are just a few. When you see a Chihuly work…you know it.
I was fortunate to view some of his works at the Palm Springs Art Museum. They’re mesmerizing, eye-pleasing, and playful all at the same time.
If you take a trip to the Palm Springs area, this is one stop you’ll want to make time for in your schedule. There’s more here than Chihuly…a lot more.
The Museum’s permanent collection of more than 55,000 objects features art of the Americas and 20th Century California art. Collections include modernist and contemporary painting and sculpture, Western American art Native American and Mesoamerican art and artifacts, contemporary studio glass art, photography, modern architecture and design, and graphics/works on paper.
Situated 123 miles east of Los Angeles, the Palm Springs Art Museum serves the greater Inland Empire, which covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties with a population of approximately 2.4 million residents. Located in the Coachella Valley, Palm Springs is one of the nine cities in the valley.
Keeping with the vibrant nature of the Palm Springs area and the microcosm where diversity and unique cultures blend, it’s easy to see why the Palm Springs Art Museum membership continues to grow.
If You Go: The museum is open every day except Mondays and major holidays. Thursday evenings from 4 to 8 and every second Sunday the admission is free. With the inside temperature at an even 75 degrees, it’s an excellent place to escape the summer heat while perusing the latest collections. The café and museum store both offer something for everyone. More information may be found at www.psmuseum.org .
