It’s a simplicity of lines and the blocking of colors into crisp but vibrant patterns.
It’s a style of architecture that breaks with the extraneous ornamentations of the past.
It’s midcentury modern design seen in architecture, art and fashion that first appeared at the ‘birth of the cool.’
 
Whether it’s a house with a flat, low-slung roof or Miles Davis in a thin-lapeled, close-fitting suit reworking jazz with a minimalist touch, the style of the mid-20th century cut away extraneous fabric and revised all that had gone before.
 
And Palm Springs celebrates the magical style of 60 years past and rolls it out during Modernism Week held Feb. 16 through Feb. 26, 2017.
 
Modernism Week 2017 features an exhaustive array of home tours, fashions, lectures, art shows and gallery crawls that show how the city captures and maintains this historic style as if it was a butterfly in amber. 
 
On display during Modernism Week are tours of homes built by the stars of midcentury modern architecture such as E. Stewart Williams, Donald Wexler, A. Quincy Jones and Hugh Kaptur.
 
Along with home tours, we at GayDesertGuide.com are co-sponsoring “Modernism with A Twist”. Held at CAMP, the hub for Modernism Week at 350 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Twist hosts a list of comically skewed talks on modernism.  We just love the presenters, many of whom we call friends (and Friends of Dorothy).
This year, there are two separate content tracks – Sexy and Culture – each featuring five witty and sometimes irreverent 10-minute talks presented by leading Modernism luminaries and guest celebrities. These talks cover a range of topics and are accompanied by audio and visuals that relate to the theme of the track. For example, laments on Sexy are called Midcentury Sex Education or Casual Misogyny. Under the heading of Culture, we’ll learn about Mobile American and Carchitecture.  We’re giving away tickets on our Facebook page, so visit today!
One of the most interesting architectural events is titled the Big Reveal Party, which debuts The West Elm House. This creation shows architecture and design enthusiasts how to modernize a midcentury home for the way we live today.
Probably the most well-attended event is the annual Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale. This year, it will be held Feb. 17 through Feb. 20 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Highlights include a free art exhibition, called “Plastics from Paradise: California Modernizes the American Lifestyle.”
 
This is just a glimpse of the wide range of events offered during Modernism Week. There is much to see, but don’t worry if you miss something. There is always Modernism Week’s Fall Preview in October.