Member Travel: Desert X | Palm Springs

The Society for Contemporary Art is pleased to announce an art-filled weekend in Palm Springs, California. Associate Curators Robyn Farrell and Giampaolo Bianconi of the department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, will lead our group in exploring Desert X, as well as visiting select museums, architectural spaces, artist studios, and private collections.

Desert X 2023 is curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-curator Diana Campbell. The Desert Biennial, a not-for-profit organization founded in California, conceived to produce recurring international contemporary art exhibitions that activate desert locations through site-specific installations by acclaimed international artists.

Hospitality supported by Christie's

To register and for any questions related to the itinerary and travel arrangements please contact Lou Malta directly at: lou@liaisonscorporation.com

Registration is now open for all SCA Members

Download the brochure

Desert X 2023 will feature eleven artists from Europe, North America and South Asia will present poetic and immersive works that span sculpture, painting, writing, architecture, design, film, music, performance and choreography, education, and environmental activism in the exhibition curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-Curator Diana Campbell.

Participating artists:

Rana Begum, b. 1977, Bangladesh, based in London
Lauren Bon, b. 1962, USA, based in Los Angeles
Gerald Clarke, b. 1967, USA, based in Anza, California
Paloma Contreras Lomas, b. 1991, Mexico, based in Mexico City
Torkwase Dyson, b. 1973, USA, based in Beacon, New York
Mario García Torres, b.1975, Mexico, based in Mexico City
Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin, b. 1987, India, based in London and Delhi and David Soin Tappeser, b.1985, Germany, based in London and Delhi)
Matt Johnson, b. 1978, USA, based in Los Angeles
Tschabalala Self, b. 1990, USA, based in New York
Marina Tabassum, b. 1968, Bangladesh, based in Dhaka
Héctor Zamora, b. 1974, Mexico, based in Mexico City

Dates: March 29th - April 2nd, 2023 (4 nights)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29th

• Check-in at The Rowan Palm Springs
  Address: 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262

• Private visit of Linda Usher’s vacation home and collection
  Designed by Chicago-based architect Laurence Booth who cites Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as an influence; the house was built to fit a 42-foot-long artwork by artist Keiko Hara and to complement the 1956-built Frederick Loewe Estate, a highlight of the desert enclave’s popular Modernism Week tours.

• Welcome dinner hosted by Christie’s at Le Vallauris
  Located in a restored historic landmark, Le Vallauris is one of the finest culinary destinations in Palm Springs. Enjoy traditional French Mediterranean food by chef Jean-Paul Lair while dining alfresco or indoors.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30th
Breakfast at hotel at guests’ preferred time

• Private VIP tour of Desert X art installations.
  Diana Campbell will co-curate with returning artistic director Neville Wakefield.

• Lunch at Azucar
  Located in La Serena Villas, Azucar serves modern contemporary cuisine with an emphasis and focus on flavor utilizing high quality and local ingredients.

• Private visit to the Palm Springs Museum
  Founded in 1938, the Palm Springs Art Museum is the largest cultural institution in the Coachella Valley, featuring contemporary art exhibitions, a vast permanent collection, and sculpture garden. The museum will be closed to the public on the 22nd so we will enjoy a private led tour of the Philip K Smith III exhibition on view, accompanied by the artist and the museum director Adam Lerner.

• [Pending] Private visit to the Aluninaire House
  The three-story house, assembled in just ten days, was designed by A. Lawrence Kocher and Swiss architect Albert Frey. Aluminaire House is considered a masterpiece of modernist design, recently listed by Architectural Record as one of the most important buildings completed worldwide in the past 125 years.

• [Pending] Private visit of Phillip K. Smith III’s Studio
  The contemporary artist creates from his Palm Desert studio, light-based work that draws upon ideas of space, form, color, light & shadow, environment, and change.

• Dinner at Workshop Kitchen
  Set in a Spanish-style building from the 1920s, while the interior is a modernist temple of polished concrete is chef Michael Beckman’s Workshop Kitchen + Bar. The restaurant is devoted to fresh seasonal dishes and locally sourced ingredients.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31st
Breakfast at hotel at guests’ preferred time

• Private VIP tour of Desert X art installations
  Diana Campbell will co-curate with returning artistic director Neville Wakefield.

• Lunch at Chi Chi
  Serving up fresh, chef-inspired fare, their menu reflects a vibrant, spirited take on delicious real ingredients and authentic West Coast cuisine.

• Site-specific exhibition at The Cody Family House
  Curated by Peter Blake, this site-specific exhibition of contemporary art and historical modern design will be on view at the architecturally significant, mid-century home designed by William F. Cody, a masterpiece of post-war modernism. The exhibition features noted Light and Space artists such as Lita Albuquerque, Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Gisela Colon, Helen Pashgian, Phillip K. Smith lll, James Turrell, and DeWain Valentine, among others. Design is represented by important
  works by Antoine Philippon & Jacqueline Lecoq, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Angelo Mangiarotti, Vladimir Kagan, Gio Ponti, Joe Colombo, and others.

• Private visit of the Architecture and Design Center Edwards Harris Pavilion
  Located in downtown Palm Springs, is the creative hub for midcentury architecture and design exploration. Featuring exhibitions, and educational and community programs, as well as research space, and a storage area for the museum’s growing architecture and design collections, and archives.

• Dinner at SO.PA
  This refined institution offers a unique alfresco dining experience in an intimate setting.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1st
Breakfast at hotel at guests’ preferred time

• Visit of the Desert X installation at Sunnylands followed by a private tour of the gardens and historic estate
  The historic midcentury modern estate was the winter residence of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners in the late 2000s, the Center is surrounded by a nine-acre art garden planted with more than 70,000 arid climate plants and trees. Landscape architect James Burnett said that the design was inspired by the Annenbergs’ collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.

• Lunch at Sunnylands Center & Garden
  The historic midcentury modern estate was designed by Frederick Fisher in the late 2000s, the Center is surrounded by a nine-acre art garden planted with more than 70,000 arid-climate plants and trees. Landscape architect James Burnett said that the design was inspired by the Annenbergs’ collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
  
• Private visit of a contemporary artist studio
  [details to follow]

• Sunset private VIP tour of Desert X art installation by Lauren Bon in North Palm Springs
  The environmental artist from Los Angeles explores self sustaining and self-diversifying systems of exchange that feed emergent properties that regenerate the life web.

• Dinner at Sandfish
  Engin Onural, the restaurant’s chef and owner, blends traditional Japanese technique with modern global touches. The result is one of Palm Springs’ most genre-bending dining spots.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2nd
Breakfast at hotel at guests’ preferred time

• End of program

*Itinerary is subject to change

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Included:

• 4-night accommodation at Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel

• Private luxury ground transportation to all activities included in the final itinerary

• Exclusive program of activities

• All meals and culinary experiences during the trip in the most sought out restaurants

• Special access and private guided tours to cultural sites, and private collections, among others

• All taxes, tips, and gratuities for all activities outlined in final itinerary

• Art Institute Curators and SCA Staff with group at all times

Not included:

• Air travel to and from Palm Springs (please note that the participants are responsible for making their own airline arrangements)

• Airport Transportation

• Travel Insurance

• Early check-in/late check-out

• Personal items and expenses, such as telephone, laundry, and dry cleaning, minibar, etc.

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• Double Occupancy: $4,360 USD

• Single Occupancy supplement: +$1,160 USD

• Registration deadline: February 20th, 2023