Palm Springs Art Museum Launching LGBTQ Initiative

The Palm Springs Art Museum on Saturday will launch a new initiative that centers on LGBTQ+ artists.

The Q+ Art initiative will be held from 1-7 p.m. at the museum, located at 101 North Museum Way.

Tickets are available for $16 at psmuseum.org.   

Attendees can expect a lecture on LGBTQ+ art history, a panel reflecting on the term "queer," a presentation of the inaugural distinguished keynote award, a soundscape performance, and an exhibition opening titled "To Move Towards the Limits of Living."

"The museum has been working with many LGBTQ+ identified artists over the years, but I felt it was time to make a more formal commitment to our community with the creation of a well-defined and comprehensive program,'' said Adam Lerner, the museum's Joann Mcgrath executive director/CEO.

Board of Trustees President Craig Hartzman encouraged the development of the initiative and agreed to provide seed funding after Lerner discussed the ideas with him last year, museum officials said. Hartzman and his husband James John gave an endowment gift of $1 million to secure the program in perpetuity, which subsequently attracted the interest of more supporters.   

"We are thrilled to give a gift that ensures Q+ Art remains an ongoing part of the museum's program, and we are thankful to the other donors who have gotten on board early to make it a reality,'' Hartzman said.   

Among those who have made contributions to help found and secure the program are Simon Chiu, Arthur Cohen, Daryl Otte, Kevin Comer, Rick Distel, Mark Hamilton, Juan Francisco and John Monahan, according to museum officials.   

Q+ Art will become an ongoing public showcase through art and design exhibitions, a speaker series, films and performances, collection of LGBTQ+ art and design, and an annual recognition through a national award, according to museum officials. The annual award will celebrate achievements of highly accomplished people and help support younger artists' careers.

"Considering how significant the LGBTQ+ demographic is to Palm Springs, it's simply obvious that our museum should take a leading role nationally in telling the stories of LGBTQ+ contributions to art and design,'' Lerner said.