The seventh annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition is set for September 1-29, with an opening gala and awards presentation set for September 14. Reporter Keith Bailey joins us with more information about this prestigious art show…
Of the 57 artists selected to display their art in the juried exhibition at the Joshua Tree National park Exposition in September, 21 are from the Morongo Basin, and another 11 are from the Coachella Valley. A panel of five jurors met July 20 and selected the art to be displayed from 347 images submitted by 137 artists. The artwork, which depicts or is inspired by Joshua Tree National Park and its cultural history, includes paintings, mixed media, photography, and three-dimensional pieces. The art will be on display at the 29 Palms Art Gallery from September 1 through September 29. A gala awards reception will be held at the 29 Palms Art Gallery Saturday, September 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets to the gala are $5 and are available at the door.
Joshua Tree artists include Benjamin Allanoff, Marcia Geiger, Louis Hernandez, Alane Levinsohn, and photographers Matt Collins, Doug Dolde, David McChesney, Mitch Miller, Kevin Powell, and Jim Smart.
Yucca Valley artists are Janis Commentz, Laurie Schafer, Esther Shaw, Travis Usher, Nichole Vikdal, and photographer Tami Roleff.
Twentynine Palms is represented by artists Whitney Gardner, Elisabeth Pollnow, Mark Spicak, and Timothy Warren. And photographer Bill Leigh Brewer was selected from Morongo Valley.
Coachella Valley artists selected for the exhibition are Larry Hemmerich and David A. Lee of Palm Springs; B.E. Baxter and Marilyn Froggatt of Palm Desert; De Karlan and Robin Raznick of La Quinta; Elaine Mathews and Ehrick Wright of Rancho Mirage; Dean Mayo of Indio; and Robert Miramontes and Arlene Winfrey of Desert Hot Springs.
Other California artists include Juliette Vos of Camarillo; Valerie Birkhoff and Sylviane Gaumer Giacoletto of Grass Valley; Donna Elliot of Idylwild; Karchi Perlman and Chris Turnham of Los Angeles; Lisa Liang of Millbrae; Juniper Harrower of Oakland; Emily Nunez and Sicong Sui of Pasadena; Mark Robben of Rancho Palos Verdes; Vicki Pedersen of Riverside; Kay Kaplan of San Diego; Brandon Baron of San Francisco; Kathleen Strukoff of San Juan Capistrano; Jeff Skelly of Sunland; Terry Houseworth of Tustin; and Rick Strobaugh of Yucaipa.
From up north, Canadian artist David Flatt was selected from Vancouver, British Columbia; and Bert Mattingly will be participating from Anchorage, Alaska.
Other out-of-state artists included Benjamin Calvert of Villa Park, Illinois; William Casolara of Sheridan, Montana; Michael McKay of Bozeman, Montana; Alexandra Taggart of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Jenny Baham of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jurors for this year’s juried exhibition were: artist and art instructor Mark Spangenberg of Twentynine Palms; graphic designer and art collector Lori Rennie of Benchmark Studios in Joshua Tree; photographer and Professor of Photography Emeritus, University of Laverne Gary S. Colby; arts administrator, producer for Scene Creative LLC, and former executive director of The Coachella Valley Art Scene (CVAS) Sarah Scheideman; and ceramic artist, art instructor, and president of 29 Palms Art Gallery Ed Keesling of Yucca Valley. An art exposition weekend celebration is set for Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15, from 10 to 4 both days. Artist booths, music, food and beverages will be on the lawn at 29 Palms Inn; there’ll be art demonstrations and the exhibition at 29 Palms Art Gallery; art projects at 29 Palms Creative Center; ranger talks at the park’s Oasis Visitor Center; and exhibits at the Old Schoolhouse Museum. Admission is free.
