PIZAZZ Gala 2009

Expect the unexpected on Saturday, January 31, 2009, when the Palm Spring Art Museum becomes the home of PIZAZZ Gala 2009. Look for your invitation in the mail the week of Thanksgiving. If you’d like to support PIZAZZ by becoming a Sponsor or Benenfactor, please click here.

Enrichment Lectures

You must be a member of MAC to make reservations for our lecture series. However, MAC members are welcome to bring guests. All lectures take place in the Annenberg Theater and lunch is served in the Hibbert Orientation center immediately after the lecture. Sorry, no refunds or exchanges can be made. Tickets are $65 per person and reservations may be made by calling the Box Office at 760.325.4490.

Click here to download our season lecture brochure.

From Monet to Modernism: Painting and Gardening at Giverny - 02.09.09 10:30 AM

Dr. Eric Haskell

The relationship between Claude Monet’s painterly techniques and his gardening practices as he used them to create canvasses in the landscape at Giverny is the focus of this lecture. From the 1890’s until his death in 1926, he defined the essential contours of Impressionism and then proposed new terrains for experimentation. Central to our concerns is an examination of how Monet moved beyond representation to abstraction and thus prefigured the Modern aesthetic in the most subtle of terms. Haskell is Professor of French Studies and Humanities at Scripps College and the Director of the Clark Humanities Museum.

Digging into Degas - 04.06.09

Scholarship Awards & Mumsey Nemiroff

Always an emotional and rewarding event, our scholarship presentations this year feature several new scholarships thanks to our wonderfully supportive MAC members.

Following the awards ceremony, Mumsey Nemiroff delves into impressionist master, Edgar Degas and his spontaneous approach to creativity. His use of the “new” art of photography helped to create the sumptuous canvases that enrich our lives today. Nemiroff created UCLA’s “The Art of Collecting Art” program and lectures internationally.

Enrichment Excursions

These adventures combine the experiences of art and friendship. A day trip is a great way to meet new people or enjoy visiting with old friends. Our enrichment excursions are exclusively for MAC members. Sorry, no refunds or exchanges can be made. Reservations may be made by calling the Box Office at 760.325.4490.

Click here to download our season enrichment excursion brochure.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Getty Villa & Frederick R. Weisman Museum at Pepperdine University with lunch and dinner

$225 per person

Board the bus for a full day and night in Malibu! No swimsuit or suntan lotion required, just an interest in art through the ages and an adventurous palate. Our first stop takes us to the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University to view the whimsical and wacky financial creations of Robert Dowd. Dowd’s humorous paintings of U.S. currency led him to be accused of counterfeiting by the FBI. Our group has been offered the opportunity to view the exhibition prior to the public opening on January 17th. Be the first to view this inaugural exhibition from a unique voice in American Pop Art.

After a short bus ride through scenic Malibu, we arrive at the beautiful Getty Villa where a lovely lunch awaits us. Our afternoon is filled with exploration of the Getty Villa’s first exhibition of contemporary artwork. A highlight of our docent-led tour will be sculptor Jim Dine’s work based on ancient terracotta pieces that show the influences of the classical on the contemporary. You are welcome to stroll the lovely gardens, view the exhibition of Roman portraits and modern copies and visit the Museum store.

Our full day concludes with a festive Greek feast complete with live performers at the legendary Taverna Tony in Malibu. Please note this excursion departs the desert at 8:30 am and returns at approximately 9:30 pm.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Broad Museum at LACMA and lunch

$125 per person

Join us for a fascinating trip to the newest museum in Los Angeles! Upon arrival we will enjoy a delicious lunch at Penimento. A docent will lead us through the special exhibition Art of the Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures. This challenging exhibition explores the political, social and historical contexts of art created in the Western liberal democracy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Eastern communist dictatorship of the German Democratic Republic from 1945 to 1989. Not an exhibition of “East vs West”, this show humanizes the struggle of a country divided. This excursion will depart from the desert at approximately 9:00 am and return at approximately 7:00 pm.

October 21 - 24, 2009

Special Seattle Area Out of Town Enrichment Adventure!

Pilchuck Glass School and Gala Auction

$2,150 per person

Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, the Pilchuck School is the premiere educational center for artists working in glass and at the forefront of the growing art glass movement. Join fellow MAC members for an insider’s look into the exciting world of art in the Pacific Northwest.

This four day, three night adventure will provide a fantastic overview of the Seattle art scene. You will experience the excitement of the annual Pilchuck Annual Auction with Patron seating.

Highlights of the 2008 trip included:

• Cocktail reception with acclaimed Seattle artists.
• A visit to the Pilchuck campus which is normally closed to the public. Guests will tour the scenic 54 acre grounds, enjoy glassblowing demonstrations and have lunch at the Pilchuck Lodge.
• Lunch and tour of Dale Chihuly’s spectacular Ballard Studio.
• Visit studios of established artists Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, Martin Blank and Ginny Ruffner.
• Learn about the medium during talks from artists Dan Dailey and Linda Beaumont.
• Visit extraordinary private homes with museum-quality art collections.
• Dinner at the Olympic Sculpture Park.

The itinerary for the 2009 trip will be available in the coming months. Our trip will definitely include a Patron level auction ticket, exquisite meals, local transportation, knowledgeable tour guides and access to exclusive collections. Hotel and airfare are not included. A special rate of $195 plus tax per night for participants will be available at The Westin Hotel in lovely downtown Seattle.

Only 70 guests are allowed to attend this special trip each year. The Museum Associates Council has secured 40 of those seats. Don’t wait to reserve your space! Reservations will be taken on a “first come, first serve” basis.

Contact the MAC office to receive a reservation form and details about the trip by calling 760.322.4844or emailing .

The Art of Shopping

Circle Monday, March 2, 2009, on your calendar! The Art of Shopping returns with even more exciting, innovative and exquisite artists offering unique wearable art, jewelry, accessories and home décor. From across the country these wonderful artists bring their best for this exclusive shopping opportunity that raises money for the Palm Springs Art Museum. A large tent in the parking lot will host up to fifty one-of-a-kind artists, a stage for modeling, gourmet coffee bar and an opportunity to win incredible prizes. Everyone enjoy a delicious lunch from Spencer’s In our lovely sculpture gardens, Annenberg Theater, Jorgenson and Marks Galleries.

Tickets for the event will be $100 and include lunch and shopping from 1:00 to 4:00. Become an Angel at $1,000 and enjoy the most exclusive shopping opportunity in the desert! Angels will have exclusive access to our artists from 10:00 am to Noon! Angels receive two tickets to the event, the assistance of a personal shopper, a special valet area, express check out and reserved seating for lunch. PLUS Angels will be invited to an exclusive event on Feb. 24th at the spectacular Bighorn home of Lola and Duane Hagadone! Click here to download an Art of Shopping Angel for or  call Stacy Maddux at 322-4844.

LUEY Gone Wild!

Our extremely popular Let Us Entertain You (LUEY) series of parties returns bigger and better than ever. This season generous hosts from across Southern California will throw incredible theme parties to benefit the Palm Springs Art Museum.   You can still RSVP for the following great parties by calling 322.4844:

December 18, 2008
Host: Heather James Art & Antiquities
Theme: It’s A Wonderful Life

December 20, 2008
Host: Jamie Kabler
Theme: Bollywood Meets Hollywood

January 8, 2009
Host: Sally & Miles Berger
Theme: Hot Diggity (Chicago) Dogs!

January 16, 2009
Host: Cheryl & Bob Fey, Mimi & Don Gittelson, Libby & Buddy Hoffman, Ginny & Phil Krumb, Janet & Hugh Langford, Fern & Bert Miller and Betty Rinnig
Theme: High Desert Western Shindig

February 12, 2009
Host: Melissa Morgan Fine Art
Theme: The Color of California Culture

February 19, 2009
Host: Edenhurst Gallery
Theme: Western Ho Down!

February 22, 2009
Host: Lynda & Murray Feiwell, Wilma & Bert Finmark, Barbara & Bernie Fromm, Bea & Neil Keats
Theme: Mardi Gras Brunch

March 8, 2009
Host: Baccarat and Daum Crystal
Theme: An Afternoon in the Gardens of Versailles

March 20, 2009
Host: Judy Allen & Jim Hummer and Donna & Cargill MacMillan
Theme: Stars, Moons and Diamonds

March 26, 2009
Host: Bobbi Holland & Annette Lerner
Theme: The Art of Golf at Tamarisk Country Club

April 1, 2009
Host: Maybe it’s you!
Theme: Phantom of the Museum

April 4, 2009
Host: Rohrer Fine Art Gallery
Theme: Moonlight Serenade

May 9, 2009
Host: Lindi Biggi, Carol Corcoran, Yvonne Monahan, Dee Wambaugh
Theme: Hollywood Moon  

Our sincere thanks to all of our hosts who go the extra mile to not only throw the best parties in the desert, but support the Museum by opening their homes, their hearts and their checkbooks.