LA QUINTA, Calif. — As you warm up for the holiday season, we offer our thoughtful itineraries for lovers of visual art, architecture and design, music and stage in the Coachella Valley region. A fourth, “arts concierge,” itinerary adds the best of film, dance, heritage, and spoken word.
“Curated each month for residents and visitors, our itineraries offer in-the-know recommendations and even a few bold dares (wait ’til you see this month’s production of Venus in Fur at CV Rep),” says Christi Salamone, CEO of the nonprofit California Desert Arts Council. “Our goal is to help culture lovers find some of the best offerings in our big, diverse arts and culture community.”
Here are November highlights (with links!) for arts and culture lovers:
THUNDER MOUNTAIN: Watch conservator Mark Leonard restore William R. Leigh’s century-year-old panoramic landscape painting, Thunder Mountain, from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursdays (Q&A from 4:30 to 5 p.m.) and 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. Fridays through Mondays in the Denney Wing at Palm Springs Art Museum.
https://cadesertarts.org/cdac-events/mysteries-of-the-mesa/
WAYS TO REMEMBER: Coachella Valley Art Center (CVAC) and Coachella Valley History Museum (CVHM) present exhibitions honoring veterans. CVHM features veterans from five past/current wars. CVAC showcases work by three artists/veterans: Michael Aschenbrenner, Wm. Marquez, and Jeffrey Stenbom. The CVAC show opens Nov. 10, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., and continues through December.
https://cadesertarts.org/cdac-events/ways-of-remembering/
PACIFIC STANDARD TIME: The Getty-funded Pacific Standard Time exhibitions focusing on Latin American and Latino art in L.A continue at Palm Springs Art Museum (Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art, 1954-1969), the museum’s Architecture and Design Center (Albert Frey and Lina Bo Bardi: A Search for Living Architecture), and Sunnylands Center and Gardens (Carved Narrative: Los Hermanos Chávez Morado)./
THE ARTIST COUNCIL EXHIBITION: featuring works by more than 40 of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Artists Council members, continues through Dec. 10. Jurors for this year’s show were artist Lita Albuquerque, critic David Pagel, and dealer Rick Royale.
NO GLASS CEILING! Women Working in Glass, Part 1 continues through March 5, 2018, at Palm Springs Art Museum.
https://cadesertarts.org/cdac-events/no-glass-ceiling/
VENUS IN FUR: A vulgar actress auditions to play the lead in the sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur and the line blurs between play and reality in the mysterious, funny, erotic drama through Nov. 19 at CV Rep at The Atrium in Rancho Mirage.
FAMILY STORIES: The Desert Sun and UCR Palm Desert’s graduate program for creative writing and writing for the performing arts present the Coachella Valley Storytellers Project, an evening of live storytelling on the theme of “family” beginning at 6 p.m., Nov. 16, at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.
https://cadesertarts.org/cdac-events/cv-storytellers-project/
TIMES SQUARE ANGEL: In the spirit of A Christmas Carol, the fiery and bitter Irish O’Flanagan meets an angel in the form of a sexy vaudeville magician named Albert, who reveals she’ll be killed in a botched kidnapping of a corrupt senator’s beautiful daughter. Charles Busch’s Times Square Angel runs Nov. 17 to Dec. 17 at Desert Rose Playhouse in Rancho Mirage.
CINDERELLA: Be transported back to your childhood as you rediscover Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Marvel at the lush productions of your favorite moments: the pumpkin, the glass slipper, and the masked ball Nov. 24-28 at McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.
CHELLAVISION: The first annual Chellavision short film fest rolls Nov. 18, from 4 to 11 p.m. at Indio Performing Arts Center.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS PRIDE FESTIVAL: The event (Nov. 18), organized by DiversityDHS with Cabot's Pueblo Museum and the City of Desert Hot Springs, features music, dancing, entertainment, and exhibitors. Free admission, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cabot’s Pueblo Museum.
POWWOW: Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and tribes from across the United States and Canada show off their dancing and singing skills through traditional competitions at the 36th annual Indio Powwow Nov. 24-25 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. The event also features Native American food, dance and drum contests, peon games, bird singing, and arts and crafts.
About California Desert Arts Council
The nonprofit California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) unifies, promotes, and empowers the arts and culture communities in the Coachella Valley region through its programs in cultural tourism, business and workforce development, and advocacy. Visit cadesertarts.org.