The East Coast vs. West Coast Modernism House Design at Midcentury event will feature iconic properties like the Grace Miller House designed by Richard Neutra. PHOTO BY COLIN FLAVIN
After a preview weekend in October, Modernism Week (modernismweek.com) returns Feb. 17 to 27 with a slate of more than 350 immersive events celebrating midcentury modern architecture, art, interior and landscape design, and the historic culture of Palm Springs. Here are our highlights from the extensive list of iconic neighborhood and home tours, educational talks and glamorous fetes. modtix.com
1. THE PALM SPRINGS MODERNISM SHOW & SALE One of the week’s most anticipated events, the 21st annual show Feb. 19 to 21 at Palm Springs Convention Center features 20th and 21st century furniture, fine art, one-of-a-kind jewelry, vintage clothing and other finds from 90 national and international dealers. A preview reception with open bar, hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment Feb. 18 affords viewers first dibs on the thousands of design items before the sale opens to the public. Also included is access to the convention center’s concurrent Modern Design Expo, which spotlights hot new modern living design elements—such as energy-efficient building materials and tech-forward electronics— from over 45 exhibitors.
2. CAMP AT THE HYATT PALM SPRINGS This new downtown location for CAMP (Community And Meeting Place) serves as a central activity hub with an information desk, a box office, a merchandise store run by Destination PSP, a theater and sponsor activations, open to the public from 9AM to 6PM Feb. 18 to 27 The CAMP theater will host an exciting roster of presentations, including East Coast vs. West Coast Modernism House Design at Midcentury, Love and Buildings: Alfred Hitchcock’s Architectural Infatuations, Palm Springs Modern Dogs at Home, Star Trek Modern: The Midcentury Designers Who Furnished the Final Frontier and Stories Untold: Black Modernists in Southern California.
3. MODERNISM WEEK OPENING NIGHT PARTY: LOVE, MODERNISM STYLE Celebrate the return of Modernism Week with a retro love-in that will have guests dancing and partying throughout the night. This star-spangled night will be full of 1970s glam, with decadent libations and culinary creations at one of the most iconic midcentury modern clubhouses in Palm Springs. Designed by Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison in 1961, the elegant setting will bring the glamour of old Palm Springs to a new era of Modernists. Enjoy luxe catering by Lulu and over-the-top entertainers including Casino Royale and DJ Mod Girl. Tickets include elegantly presented hors d’oeuvres, full-service dinner stations, a hosted bar with signature drinks and other surprises.
4. 2022 MODERNISM WEEK VINTAGE TRAILER SHOW A coveted ticket for the second weekend, this Feb. 26 to 27 show— which promises to be bigger than ever—celebrates the vintage trailer lifestyle and appeals to anyone with wanderlust. One of the largest U.S. trailer exhibitions, the popular event showcases a curated collection of vintage trailers, campers, buses and motor homes—including some of the rarest and most dazzling vintage RVs. Viewers can talk history and travels with the trailer owners and restoration craftsmen who’ll be on hand, and pop-up retail vendors will sell related products for anyone inspired to hit the open road.
5. KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: JEANNE GANG, FAIA, MAKING ARCHITECTURE This year’s keynote presentation will be given on Feb. 19 from 1 to 2PM at the Annenberg Theater by architect Jeanne Gang—founding principal of Chicago-based international architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang. The author of Studio Gang: Architecture, Gang is renowned for the Writers Theatre in Illinois, Chicago’s Aqua Tower and new 101-story The St. Regis Chicago—the world’s tallest tower designed by a woman. A book signing and VIP reception in the Palm Springs Art Museum’s sculpture garden will follow.
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