Greater Palm Springs is an oasis for art fans

18.11.2024 - 12:37 / lonelyplanet.com / Marilyn Monroe

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Nov 15, 2024 • 6 min read

Though well known as an oasis of modernism for the better part of the last century, Greater Palm Springs has cultural roots that go far deeper than the venerable Neutra, Frey and Kocher. As some of the recently unearthed artifacts on display at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum can attest, this region has been a fertile place for culture to blossom since time immemorial.  

Of course, design is only one branch of the arts to flourish in this palm-shaded, spring-fed region. Whether as a filming location for countless movies or a refuge for their stars, the Coachella Valley has often felt like an extension of Hollywood, especially during the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. Movie stars and iconic musicians began flocking here from Los Angeles starting in the 1930s – including Marilyn Monroe (immortalized in the towering “Forever Marilyn” sculpture), the Rat Pack, Elvis, Dinah Shore and more.

That artistic heritage has only continued to grow with a new generation of community-supported creatives. Indeed, there are so many ways to celebrate the local arts scene, they make for a culture traveler’s dream tour. Here are some of our favorite arts experiences in Greater Palm Springs:

In a unique mashup, ancient and modernist wonders sit side-by-side throughout the Greater Palm Springs’ nine cities. To understand the sheer scope of local creativity, start at the beginning, or as close as archeology will allow. The recently opened Agua Caliente Cultural Museum – created and run by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians – houses ancestral works that were discovered during the museum’s excavation process, which also included the tribe’s adjacent Spa at Sėc-he (built at a sacred hot mineral spring).

Among the pottery and other artifacts are manos and metates that date back approximately 8,000 years. To delve deeper into the local history and some of its most fascinating characters, head to Cabot’s Pueblo Museum and the Coachella Valley History Museum.

When you’re ready to move on to modernism, head for the excellent Palm Springs Art Museum. There, you’ll find the newly installed all-metal 1931 Aluminaire House, heralded by the Architectural Record as one of the most important buildings of the last 125 years. Taking in Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher’s gleaming design against the mountains and impossibly blue sky, you’ll start to get an appreciation for how beautifully the architects’ creations pair with the local environment.

To see more of their legacy, tour Frey’s own house – the mountainside Frey House II, also owned by the museum – and the Kocher-Samson Building, considered Palm Springs’ first modernist international-style building and recently converted