Palm Springs Art Museum

THE MUSEUM IS COMMITTED TO BEING AN INCLUSIVE & ENVOLVING CENTER OF COMMUNITY BELONGING.

FOUNDED IN 1938, PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM (PSAM) IS THE LARGEST ARTS CULTURAL INSTITUTION IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY. ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS, THE MUSEUM HAS 28 GALLERIES, TWO SCULPTURE GARDENS, FOUR CLASSROOMS, A RESOURCE CENTER, FIVE STORAGE VAULTS, AN 85-SEAT LECTURE HALL, A 433-SEAT PROFESSIONAL THEATER, A 1,000 SQUARE-FOOT STORE SPACE, A PERMANENT COLLECTION OF 12,000+ WORKS OF ART (INCLUDING PAINTING, SCULPTURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAWINGS, PRINTS, AND MEDIA WORKS, WITH STRENGTHS IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART), AND A BISTRO ALL IN A 150,000 SQUARE-FOOT ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDING. OUR SATELLITE LOCATION, THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN CENTER, EDWARDS HARRIS PAVILION FEATURES A 17,000 SQUARE-FOOT SPACE FOR EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMMING. WE ALSO HAVE A SATELLITE OUTDOOR VENUE, THE FOUR-ACRE FAYE SARKOWSKY SCULPTURE GARDEN IN PALM DESERT WHICH IS FREE AND OPEN 24/7. WE CURRENTLY OFFER 10 MEMBERSHIP LEVELS RANGING FROM $50 TO $25,000. ALTHOUGH THE MUSEUM'S MEMBERSHIP FELL DURING THE PANDEMIC CLOSURE, FOR FY 2021 THE NUMBERS STEADILY CLIMBED TO 3,340 MEMBERS IN FALL 2022. IN TERMS OF VISITATION, LEVELS HAVE TRACKED WELL ABOVE OUR PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. IN FY 2021, OUR VISITOR TOTAL WAS 119,836; IN FY 2022, WE SAW A NEARLY 12% INCREASE TO 134,557 VISITORS. IN TERMS OF REVENUE, FY 2021 REVENUE WAS $761,925; IT INCREASED BY 17% TO $910,791 IN FY 2022. IN SEPTEMBER 2022, THE MUSEUM HIRED A NEW ASSOCIATE CURATOR, MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART; A FURTHER SIGN OF THE MUSEUM'S REBOUND FROM THE PROLONGED CLOSURE. THE MUSEUM PRESENTED FOUR MAJOR EXHIBITIONS IN OUR MAIN MUSEUM IN FY 2022. TWO OF THE EXHIBITIONS WERE TRAVELING SHOWS THAT WERE ADAPTED FOR PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM; THEY FEATURED ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTER HELEN FRANKENTHALER AND GEOMETRICALLY ABSTRACT ARTIST LEON POLK SMITH. TWO MAJOR ORIGINAL EXHIBITIONS WERE CURATED BY MUSEUM STAFF AND FEATURED WORK BY INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED (AND NEW PALM SPRINGS RESIDENT) ROBERT LONGO AND BY MEXICAN ARTIST GONZALO LEBRIJA. THE MUSEUM ALSO INTRODUCED A NEW PROGRAM CALLED OUTBURST PROJECTS WHICH ARE SMALL-FORMAT EXHIBITIONS THAT ARTISTS CREATE FOLLOWING A MONTH-LONG ARTIST-RESIDENCY. THE FIRST TWO PARTICIPANTS WERE LOS ANGELES-BASED ARTISTS MR. WASH AND DEVIN REYNOLDS; THE SUBSEQUENT ITERATION OF OUTBURST FEATURED A GROUP OF LATIN ARTISTS FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING FOUR WOMEN. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN SEVERAL SMALLER-SCALED EXHIBITIONS OF WORK DRAWN FROM THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION, INCLUDING PRESENTATIONS OF GLASS ART, MEXICAN DRAWING AND PAINTING, CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY, DESERT LANDSCAPES, CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTISTS, AND ONE FEATURING RECENTLY REDISCOVERED ARTIST HELEN LUNDEBERG. ADDITIONALLY, THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN CENTER FEATURED TWO EXHIBITIONS IN 2021-2022: A SURVEY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN CHAIR AND A PRESENTATION OF THE WORK OF MIDCENTURY TEXTILE DESIGNER JACQUELINE GROAG. IN THE SUMMER OF 2022, PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM HIRED A CHIEF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER WHO HAS STEADILY EXPANDED OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMMING EFFORTS. UNDER HER LEADERSHIP, THE MUSEUM HELD "SUMMER NIGHT SESSIONS" FEATURING FREE ADMISSION FROM 5:00 8:00 P.M. AS WELL AS ART ACTIVITIES AND DJS IN THE GALLERIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO WELCOME NEW AUDIENCES THROUGH OPEN MIC POETRY NIGHTS, ACOUSTIC NIGHTS, BLACK BOOK NIGHTS, AND OPEN DECK NIGHTS. THE MUSEUM ALSO WELCOMED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH RIVERSIDE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION, MIGRANT EDUCATION WHO BROUGHT STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE EASTERN END OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY TO DO STUDIO VISITS WITH OUR ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE THROUGH THE OUTBURST RESIDENCY. THE MUSEUM CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE PALM SPRINGS BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMMITTEE, MODERNISM WEEK, AND THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. INDIVIDUAL LECTURES WERE PRESENTED INVOLVING EXHIBITING AND VISITING ARTISTS AND CURATORS, ARCHITECTS, CREATIVES, EDUCATORS, AND EVEN NFT EXPERTS. MANY OF THESE LECTURES WERE PRESENTED AS HYBRID WEBINARS FOR THOSE UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO PALM SPRINGS AND WERE LATER POSTED TO THE MUSEUM'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. IN 2022, THE MUSEUM AGAIN PRESENTED A MUSEUM-WIDE PRIDE CELEBRATION FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND ITS ALLIES, AS WELL ITS ANNUAL SUMMER FILM SERIES. THE MUSEUM COLLABORATES AND PARTNERS WITH THE THREE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE REGION, INCLUDING PALM SPRINGS UNIFIED, COACHELLA VALLEY UNIFIED, DESERT SANDS UNIFIED, AS WELL AS PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND THE AREA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGE, COLLEGE OF THE DESERT. WE SERVE STUDENTS OF ALL AGES IN A RANGE OF CREATIVE PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES. WE ALSO HAVE PRINTED SELF-GUIDED SCAVENGER HUNTS ENTITLED "GALLERY QUESTS" WHICH FEATURE WORKS FROM OUR GALLERIES THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED DURING OUR FREE THURSDAY NIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, THE MUSEUM ANNUALLY CELEBRATES DA DE LOS MUERTOS; THIS PAST YEAR, FOUR STUDENT GROUPS CREATED ALTARS THAT WERE THEN DISPLAYED IN THE LOBBY AMONG A HOST OF OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES. IN EARLY 2022, OUR IMAGINE ANTIRACIST FUTURE PROGRAM FEATURED WORK BY PSUSD MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO SHARED THEIR VIEW OF A TIME WITHOUT RACISM. OTHER SPRING PROGRAMS INCLUDED A CHALK ART DEMONSTRATION FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND AN INTIMATE MEET-AND-GREET WITH MR. WASH, ONE OF THE ARTISTS FEATURED IN THE MUSEUM OUTBURST PROJECTS PROGRAM.PSAM HAS ALWAYS HAD VERY ROBUST VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT. THE MUSEUM SERVICE CORPS (MSC) WAS OFFICIALLY FORMED IN 1986 TO ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND SUPPORT MUSEUM STAFF. EAGER, ENTHUSIASTIC AND ENGAGING, MSC VOLUNTEERS ENCOMPASS A BROAD RANGE OF SKILLS AND PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE MUSEUM'S OPERATIONS, PROGRAMS AND EVENTS. MSC LEADERSHIP REPORTS THAT FOR FY 2022, 211 AMBASSADORS DONATED OVER 14,928 VOLUNTEER HOURS. LOCATED WITHIN THE MUSEUM, THE STATE-OF-THE-ART ANNENBERG THEATER CAN SEAT 433 PATRONS. WE BRING AUDIENCES A RENOWNED COMBINATION OF VISUAL ARTS-RELATED PROGRAMMING AND PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS; THE THEATER ALSO BRINGS IN SIGNIFICANT INCOME FROM RENTALS. PROGRAMMING ALSO INCLUDES COLLABORATIONS WITH THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND THE PRESENTATION OF LECTURES, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND SYMPOSIUMS. MUSEUM PRODUCTIONS FALL INTO THREE CATEGORIES: ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCES & SHOWS, EDUCATIONAL LECTURES & SYMPOSIUMS, AND FILMS. IN FY 2022, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 11 RENTAL PRODUCTIONS FOR A TOTAL OF 20 PERFORMANCES AND 5,326 ADMISSIONS. THE MUSEUM ALSO RESUMED ITS CELEBRATED CABARET 88 SERIES FEATURING THE BEST OF BROADWAY'S PERFORMERS ON THE ANNENBERG STAGE FOR A TOTAL OF 1,350 ATTENDEES. OUR OUTREACH WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT OUR DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THE WEBSITE HAS SINCE BEEN VISITED BY 425,000 USERS WHO MADE CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUAL PAGES MULTIPLE TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF 1,650,000 ACCESS HITS. ADDITIONALLY, THE OPEN RATE ON OUR DIGITAL E NEWS (WHICH IS SENT OUT EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY EVENING) WENT FROM AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 3,800 IN APRIL 2022 TO 9,300 AND AN EXTRAORDINARY +144% INCREASE! ON INSTAGRAM, THE MUSEUM HAS 35,900 FOLLOWERS; ON FACEBOOK WE HAVE 37,000 FOLLOWERS.