99 Buck Art Sale

One of the fun annual art events to attend in the Coachella Valley is happening this Saturday at the Hotel Zoso downtown Palm Springs. Guests can browse more than 550 original works of art by local and national celebrities and for less than one hundred dollars, you can purchase one of them. It's the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annual 99 Bucks Art Sale. Okay, the artworks are only on 5"x7" canvasas but come on, size doesn't matter if you really love it, right? And you'll be surprised at how much beauty and artistry can be created on a small canvas when a wide range of materials are utilized including acrylic painting, oil, glass, fabric, clay, assemblage and whatever else is born from someone's wild imagination. These are photos of previous year's creations.

Last year I had my eye on this palm tree painting, but ended up purchasing a dreamy oil painting of a woman lounging on a beach that I framed and gave as a birthday present to my sister. I felt a little silly when I spent more on the framing than I did on the painting, but the total cost was still only about $200, and for an original framed oil painting, that's not bad.

Some of the celebrities creating works this year are Tommy Tune, kd lang, Bob Mackie, Michael Childers, Linda Ellerbee, Michael Costello, Kaye Ballard, James von Praagh, and Joe Mantegna.

The works are sold anonymously (they're signed on the back) and that's part of the fun. Buy what you like and if it ends up being a piece by Tommy Tune or kd lang, so much the better!

There's no cost to attend. The lower level bar will open at 4 p.m. and doors to the event open at 4:30 p.m. The hostess for the evening is the fabulous Bella Da Ball who will keep the festivities lively and announce the sales of celebrity canvases after they are purchased. All proceeds benefit the museum's educational programming. For more information, go to http://www.psmuseum.org/.

PS Art Museum in Palm Desert

I had the opportunity to enjoy a sneak peak of the new Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert the other night.

Greeting me inside the door was one of the centerpieces of the opening exhibit, Cybele, a monumental bronze seated figure by Auguste Rodin, ca 1890. The piece by the French artist is the perfect introduction to the exhibit on the history of sculpture in the modern era.

Moving into the open gallery, there's a sense of whimsical fun with Robert Therrien's pop art piece, No Title (stacked plates, butter), 2007.

The main room and smaller, connecting galleries will expand on the exhibit with works by other important artists of the twentieth century including Edgar Degas, Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Antony Gormley, Claes Oldenburg, Bettina Pousttchi, and many more.

"Ongoing and temporary exhibitions of internationally important art in different media" are planned for the 8,400 square foot building, according to the museum's website.

A key component of the new museum site is an ambitious education program with school tours, artist demos, family affairs, film screenings, and other community-minded events.

Finishing touches were still underway during my visit.
The museum will open to the public March 15. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, The Galen, 72-567 Highway 111, Palm Desert. Located at Entrada del Paseo at the western most intersection of Highway 111 and El Paseo. 760-346-5600. http://www.psmuseum.org/