Author Greg Niemann will discuss his book Palm Springs Legends: Creation of a Desert Oasis at 6:30 p.m. in The Learning Center (TLC) at the Palm Springs Public Library. He is the author of several other books including Baja Legends and Big Brown: the Untold Story of UPS. The Palm Springs Public Library is located at 300 S. Sunrise Way, on the corner of Baristo and Sunrise in Palm Springs. For more information call 322-READ.
Palm Springs Art Museum
Current Exhibition
Picasso to Moore: Modern Sculpture from the Weiner Collection
The exhibition of modern sculptures from the famed Weiner collection includes major works by Arp, Calder, Lipchitz, Marini, Modigliani, Moore, Noguchi, Picasso, Schuler, Zajac and other significant sculptors of the 20th century. On extended loan from Gwendolyn Weiner, the art was inherited from her parents Ted and Lucille Weiner who had residences in Palm Springs and Fort Worth, Texas. The modern sculpture collection demonstrates the collectors' strong and fine-tuned sense of personal preferences and fascination with the sculptural forms. The collection has been on extended loan to the Palm Springs Art Museum since 1970 with sculptures donated by Gwendolyn Weiner over the years.
Palm Springs Art Museum
Exhibition
Bill Viola: The Crossing
Viola uses the communications media to create art that is direct and profound. In The Crossing, Viola has placed a large projection screen in the center of a darkened gallery. On both sides of this screen, a human form approaches the viewer from a deep distance. Once this figure of a man stops, the two natural elements of fire and water begin to appear on the screen. On one side, a small flame licks at the figure's feet, and on the other a small stream begins to drip and then pour on the figure's head until the artist dissolves into the image and the cycle begins again.
From 10.17.07 to 12.23.07
ANNENBERG THEATER PRESENTS: THE LETTERMEN
Friday, December 7, 2007, 8 pm
From their first hit in 1961—The Way You Look Tonight, through 18 gold albums and scores of top singles, the popularity of The Lettermen is still going strong. Original founding member Tony Butala performs with Donovan Tea (who joined the trio in 1984) and Mark Preston as they continue the same smooth silky vocals and great showmanship this group is known for.
Tickets:
Gold Seat $55, Museum member $50; Silver Seat $45, Museum member $40; please call the box office at 760-325-4490 or buy tickets online.
Indio-based designer/artist Phillip K. Smith the III is putting the final sandblasting finishes on his magnificent Infinity Column project this week with his team. This work in progress will be located on Dinah Shore Drive, east of Monterey Drive, and is the second Art in Public Places project for TAO in Palm Desert. The Infinity Column is, at its conceptual roots, a simple geometric progression. The form is a triangle at the top, which is the least sided polygon. Moving down the sculpture from the triangular top, the form morphs into a square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, and so forth until the resultant form at the base is a circle, which is an infinitely sided polygon. Built from 45 layers of powder-coated 4" high ¼" steel, the 15'0" high sculpture will be a landmark in this newly developing part of the desert.
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES
DEC. 7 AT BARNES & NOBLE IN WESTFIELD SHOPPING TOWN
“Valley Voices of the Muse” will read the Dylan Thomas story on Friday, December 7 at 6 P.M. at the Barnes & Noble Book Store in the Westfield Shopping Center in Palm Desert. This will be a group reading by several local poets and artists. Dylan Thomas is the world renowned poet who died in 1963. “Valley Voices of the Muse” is a monthly poetry series hosted by Sacramento Poet, Patricia D’Alessandro. These events are free and everyone is welcome. Start the holiday season in a festive mode!
Article by Stefanie Frith reprinted from the Desert Sun 11.24.07 regarding the much loved yet much aligned Rainmaker Scultpure in downtown Palm Springs, proving that Public Art needs to be well thought out before commissioned. 
Debating the Future of The Rainmaker
That's the question concerning the future of the Rainmaker Fountain in Frances Stevens Park.
Last month, the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission unanimously voted to decommission the fountain because of high maintenance and repair costs.
But on Nov. 7, the City Council decided to take a more detailed look at the costs of repairing and operating it.
Since then, many people have spoken out for and against saving the fountain.
The Palm Springs Sun asked Public Arts Commission Chairman Michael Stern and Friends of Public Art founder David Aiken, representatives of both sides in the debate, to present their arguments. Aiken also served as chairman of the Public Arts Commission when the fountain was bought in 1999.
Here's what both had to say:
MICHAEL STERN:
Recently, the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission unanimously voted to remove the Rainmaker Fountain from Francis Stevens Park. I'd like to clarify the thinking that led to that decision.
First and foremost, the decision was not based on any individual's like or dislike of the fountain. It was purely a fiscal decision, prompted by the exorbitant costs for maintenance and repair. The annual cost paid by the Public Art Fund, for routine, basic maintenance, is approximately $70,000 per year.
The costs do not end there. An additional $35,000 for repairs to seal the leakage in the fountain's bowl and to clean off mineral deposits from the wands was spent last year. Unfortunately, it appears that this work was not fully successful, as there appears to be leakage in the bowl and the wands are again caked with mineral deposits.
Now we are looking at a $75,000 repair (which is only an estimate) to make the fountain operational, something that it has not been for some time. There is absolutely no guarantee that this $75,000 estimate will be the final fix.
At the time of its construction, certain cost-saving measures were implemented that were ultimately detrimental in the long run. Additionally, our hard water and windy conditions were not factored into the design. The interactive nature of the fountain has found some unanticipated participants - namely the local homeless population, who have turned it into a bathing facility (and, with some frequency, a bathroom facility).
Weighing the pros and cons of the fountain, we found that the costs of maintenance and repair have already exceeded the value of the piece. There is no guarantee that its future will be problem-free. We understand that fountains require maintenance, as do all of the works of art in the collection, but the fountain appears to be so fundamentally flawed in its construction that it is likely to be an ongoing burden to the Public Art Fund.
Palm Springs deserves a signature work of public art that is a functioning aesthetic enhancement to our city and the downtown experience. Due to its extremely problematic nature, Rainmaker does not fulfill that goal.
DAVID AIKEN:
The Rainmaker is not just a fountain. It is a major piece of art in a very small but exciting public art collection owned by the city of Palm Springs, and as it is part of the city collection, it has to be maintained.
We want to thank the City Council and David Ready (city manager) for the decision to move forward with the repairs on the Rainmaker. This will lead to the first realistic bids for the maintenance of the fountain.
As most are aware, the numbers for the cost of maintenance have been difficult to swallow. The current maintenance costs are too high - we couldn't agree more - but is decommissioning the only option? No.
We feel that the monies spent to repair Rainmaker will also lower the cost of maintenance. The independent inspector stated that Rainmaker is structurally sound and can be repaired.
The arguments that this money is better spent on police officers and other city needs tend to forget that the monies used by the Arts Commission are collected and can be only used to support art for the city. Friends of Public Art intends to help with the cost of the repairs and to find alternative ways to raise money for the maintenance.
The City Council served the citizens correctly by overriding the Arts Commission's suggestion to decommission. David Morris (artist) and the Arts Commission, which worked with the artist, put the sculpture and fountain before the City Council, Planning Commission, Risk Management and Parks and Rec - all of which voted to approve this piece of art.
Additionally, local community groups and the citizens of Palm Springs were polled to approve this piece of artwork as the gateway project to mark the north entrance of the downtown area of Palm Springs, which indeed happened.
We want to thank those who have shown a great deal of enthusiasm toward saving Rainmaker: local citizens and those out-of-town visitors that have left comments about the fountain. We invite you to view their comments, watch a video and peruse the photos of the fountain at www.friendsofpublicart.org. Thank you.
Dezart One Gallery
2688 Cherokee Way
Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 328-1440
When: Friday, November 23rd at 8:00pm. Doors open at 7:30pm
Saturday, November 24th at 8:00pm. Doors open at 7:30pm
Tickets: $16 at the door. (Credit card - $18)
Dezart One Gallery proudly presents live theatre at the gallery, with an original play written and performed by Daniela Ryan, “4 at 40: Mothers’ Letters to Their Daughters”. The story spans five generations of women in one California family, from the first settler, to a modern day mother. Each mother desperately reaches out to her daughter through a family tradition. On the mother’s 40th birthday, she writes a letter to her daughter in an attempt to bridge the generation gap between them, passing on valued lessons learned from her journey in life. The family’s history is, in essence, California’s own, from stoic determination to take the land, to prosperity, to the comforts and uncertainties of modern day life. Each mother learns something about herself as she shares her story with her daughter. For those who have a mother and/or a sister or daughter, you will relate to the characters as they capture the intimate portrait of relationships between women and their daughters and the generational and historical influence on those bonds.
Daniela Ryan is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Theatre Arts. In addition, she has a Masters degree in Film and Television from San Diego State University. Ms. Ryan has worked in the film industry for the past 10 years. She began acting at the age of 7, performing in local and community theatre throughout California. In Los Angeles, she co-wrote and performed in Demeter Theatre’s acclaimed play “Speaking of Evil”, the story of an ambivalent Nazi, Kurt Gerstein. She is a writer and associate producer of film, working with a local independent film production company. A fourth generation Californian, Ms. Ryan resides in the desert with her husband and two children.
The Palm Springs Art Museum has launched a new website that is much easier to navigate, is vibrant and interactive, and allows for access to an instant calendar of all current events. 
