New sculpture exhibition to debut on El Paseo

The public is invited to a free ceremony celebrating the arrival of new sculptures on the median of Palm Desert’s shopping thoroughfare.

The El Paseo Exhibition takes place on Monday, January 5 at 6 p.m. at The Gardens of El Paseo, according to Public Information Officer David Hermann. Featured artists will be introduced on the lawn in front of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Palm Desert’s Art in Public Places Commission selected 18 artworks from among scores of artists who submitted their work for consideration. The 2015/2016 Exhibition includes works from local Coachella Valley artists as well as sculptures created by artists from around the United States, Hermann said in a release. More than half of the sculptures were created by artists from Southern California.

Included among the sculptures is a horse composed of rusted scrap metal, a spiny Joshua Tree crafted out of thousands of pieces of hand-forged iron and three brightly colored pinwheels that evoke flowers in a giant blue vase.

Hermann said the artworks will be displayed on pads in the El Paseo median for two years. Free docent-led walking tours featuring the sculptures will be provided to the public.

Hermann said the popular El Paseo Exhibition and the city’s extensive public art collection are reasons why Palm Desert was named one of the five art destination cities in America by Southwest Art Magazine.