The Coachella Valley is set to bloom in a colorful efflorescence of fine art at the 16th annual Indian Wells Arts Festival, March 30, 31 and April 1, 2018. Ranked as a Top 100 Fine Art Show in the country, the festival has selected 200 artists by jury from more than 25 countries, 5 continents and 20 states across the nation. Renowned for its international palette, more than a quarter of its artists hail with accolades from 60 of some of the most prestigious art institutions including the Smithsonian, the Los Angeles and San Diego County museums of Art and Natural History, the U.S. Department of Interior Art Museum, Japan’s Kyoto Museum, and the Carrousel Gallery of the Louvre Museum.
The festival delivers a diverse showcase of art in 31 mediums and categories ranging from painting, sculpture, jewelry, wearable-art fashion, photography and ceramics, making the event a prime source of acquisition for serious buyers and collectors. Upwards of 10,000 festival-goers are expected descend on the 3-day event held at the luxurious Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA, some from as far abroad as Germany and Canada, and others as day-trippers and weekend-trekkers from San Diego and Los Angeles.
In addition to its showcase of the eminent, the festival is a hotbed for discovery of emerging artists whose feature at the Indian Wells Arts Festival is often followed by their rising-star factor taking hold as prominently featured in the art world such as prior Indian Wells Arts Festival Commemorative Print artists impressionist Erin Hanson, pop-artist David Palmer, and contemporary artist Marna Schindler. The opportunity to meet such artists and collect their works ahead of the curve makes the event a reward-yielding experience for art enthusiasts and budgets of all levels.
Artist Carolyn Johnson of Laguna Niguel, CA, has been chosen as the festival’s 2018 Featured Artist and was commissioned to create an original painting to serve as this year’s Commemorative Print. Johnson, who considers herself a drawing artist with a foundation in painting, applied her signature ‘soft carving’ and developed an entirely new technique she calls ‘pastel fusion’ to produce “Midnight Bloom,” a 39”w x 54”h mixed media painting. Dramatic details in free-hand drawing, impasto and marbling form an image celebrating the spectacular night sky as can only be seen from the desert floor. Both the original painting and its replication in commemorative posters will be available for purchase at the event.
Amid the thousands of one-of-a-kind works of art, the festival incorporates a Gourmet MarketPlace featuring original production artisan fare such as organic bath and body confections to epicurean oils and vinegars; artist demonstrations include glassblowing and a 2000 year-old Zapotec Indian textile weaving technique; live music and entertainment; and, engaging art activities including pottery-throwing and a kid’s palette-knife painting class.
A Saturday and Easter Sunday “Eggs + Champagne in the Garden” brunch menu till noon under the shaded pavilion culminates the various foodies’ delights available throughout, along with the ever-popular Oasis Bar and Champagne Circle bars serving savory spirits.
“It’s the perfect way to spend Easter weekend with family and friends enjoying an extraordinary collection of art and fun activities,” says Dianne Funk, Indian Wells Arts Festival producer. “The show gives art-lovers a chance to see and collect new artists on the rise and connect with highly sought after artists at an affordable price,” continues Funk.
Presented by the City of Indian Wells, the 16th annual Indian Wells Arts Festival is hosted by the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and held on the venue’s Grass Concourse (Enter from Washington Street at Via Sevilla, between Highway 111 and Fred Waring Drive, Indian Wells, California), open Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Children are free to the event, adults $13. Free parking and valet available. For more information, visit https://www.IndianWellsArtsFestival.com.
ABOUT THE INDIAN WELLS ARTS FESTIVAL
Presented by the City of Indian Wells, hosted by the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and sponsored by Art Patron Magazine, Palm Springs Life Magazine, Hot Purple Energy, Signature Party Rentals, and Desert Golf Car Company, the Indian Wells Arts Festival is a juried show with a panel of judges who award first, second, and third place ribbons to artists in 12 categories and 31 mediums, and is ranked in the top 100 fine art and fine craft shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine, Greg Lawler Art Source Review and the American Bus Association. The Festival incorporates a number of local charities as Festival Partners and donates to their art scholarship funds. Participating organizations in 2018 include the Coachella Valley Youth Ensemble Program, Create Center for the Arts Palm Desert, Cathedral City High School’s DATA Digital Imaging Apple Distinguished Program, Old Town Artisan Studio, and SafeHouse of the Desert.