2017 Indian Wells Arts Festival Commemorative Print, “Desert Dreaming” original 48 x 36 acrylic painting by David Palmer
“It’s exciting for us to combine the discovery of up-and-coming artists with the stature and prominence of some incredibly distinguished artists,” says Dianne Funk, Indian Wells Arts Festival producer.
Indian Wells, CA (PRWEB) March 23, 2017
Affirming the Coachella Valley as an international destination for art and entertainment, the 15th annual Indian Wells Arts Festival will showcase 200 top artists from 25 countries across 5 continents and over 20 states throughout the nation. Among exciting new artists and local art legends are more than 40 highly acclaimed artists with accolades from some of the most prestigious art institutions in the world including the Smithsonian, Los Angeles Natural History Museum, San Diego Museum of Art, de Young Fine Arts Museum, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Palm Springs Art Museum and the Kyoto Museum in Japan.
Attracting upwards of 10,000 festivalgoers from as far abroad as Germany, our neighbors to the north in Canada, as well as day-trippers and weekend-trekkers from Los Angeles, San Diego, and nearby Arizona, art enthusiasts are treated to a luxurious stroll through the grass concourse of the renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden transformed by the Festival’s March 31 through April 1 and 2 superbloom of color and art. Thousands of one-of-kind works in 28 mediums and categories ranging from painting, sculpture, jewelry, wearable-art fashion, photography, and ceramics are presented for festivalgoers to purchase directly from the artists.
“It’s exciting for us to combine the discovery of up-and-coming artists with the stature and prominence of some incredibly distinguished artists,” 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.
Husband and wife artists Michael and Christine Adcock from California will exhibit their Smithsonian Best in Show-winning collaboration of ceramics, basketry, paper collage and countless stunning combinations of the three. Chinese artist and fellow Smithsonian, Yan Inlow, will showcase her hyperrealist silk embroidery that blends Japanese brush painting with an intricate cross stitch art-form her mother taught her as a child.
Sculptor Ken Newman from Idaho will present his bronze and wood sculptures beautifully depicting life’s journeys from blue collar sedulity to wildlife, which have been featured in museums from coast to coast including the San Diego Natural History Museum. Local art legend and High Desert stone sculptor David Falossi will display his artistry of chiseling polished form out of solid rock that has earned him the distinction of being cataloged as a record of art history by the Smithsonian. In addition to his exhibition, Falossi will demonstrate his skill by sculpting a large-scale piece throughout the Festival’s three-day event.
Lending to the international acclaim of the Festival, Oaxacan textile artist Antonio Mendoza will present and demonstrate the 2000-year old Zapotec Indian weaving technique he uses to craft vibrant tapestries with his great-grandfather’s wooden pedal loom. Medoza’s extraordinary art is included as part of a major permanent collection at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. Presenting at the festival for the first time this year is Hans Ladislaus, an international painter whose abstract and figurative paintings are exhibited in numerous museums including the San Diego Museum of Art and the Hawaii State Art Museum in Honolulu.
In all, nearly half of the Festival’s artists are represented among significant corporate and public collections and art repositories, and reflect a global perspective in artistic expression. The Festival offers a true experience for art enthusiasts of all types and ages with its Gourmet MarketPlace featuring original production artisan fare such as organic bath and body confections to epicurean oils and vinegars; artist demonstrations; live music and entertainment; and engaging art activities including pottery-throwing, printmaking, and a kid’s palette-knife painting class.
Adding a special treat for its 15th anniversary year, the first 25 guests each at its Saturday and Sunday “Eggs + Champagne in the Garden” brunch menu till noon will receive a free commemorative Indian Wells Arts Festival wine flute, with various other foodies’ delights available throughout, along with the ever-popular RumChata and Champagne Circle bars serving savory spirits.
Presented by the City of Indian Wells, the 15th 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 31 through Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Gates close at 4:00). Children are free to the event, adults $13. Free parking and valet available. For more information visit, http://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 The Desert Sun, 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 36 mediums, and is ranked in the top 100 fine art and fine craft shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine and Greg Lawler Art Source Review. It has also been recognized as a Top 100 Event by 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 2017 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, Lady Lead, Old Town Artisan Studio, SafeHouse of the Desert, and Venus Studios Art Supply.
