Palm Springs Art Museum Opens In Palm Desert
The Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert opened to the public Thursday.
Members, residents and visitors to the Coachella Valley cut the ribbon at 10 a.m., and a free open house is set for March 31.
The first exhibit will be “Rodin to Now: Modern Sculpture” and feature works by Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Robert Therrien and Joel Shapiro.
The Palm Desert museum on Highway 111 at Entrada del Paseo, formerly the city’s visitor center, will maintain its ties to the flagship museum in Palm Springs. It will have a gallery, rotating exhibits and a photography gallery, spokeswoman Kristy Kneiding said.
“This expansion demonstrates the city’s commitment to the arts and makes our shared vision to make art more accessible to residents and visitors a reality,” said Harold Meyerman, chairman of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Visitors will be greeted by the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden, named for a long-time museum benefactor and trustee. Art works will be set among native plants, water features and walkways.
Palm Springs architect Reuel Young was the designer, and the 8,400- square-foot building was the first in Southern California certified “silver” under Leadership in Energy and Environmentally Design, or LEED, standards, museum officials said.
One wing will be dedicated to education, with space for art classes and lectures. It also will be available to local groups, schools and libraries.
The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thursdays, when it will be open from noon until 8 p.m., and admission will be free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Adult admission will be $5. People 62 or older and students with valid school IDs will pay $4, while children younger than 12 will get in for free. More information is available by calling (760) 346-5600 or go to www.psmuseum.org.
