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  • May at DAC & High School Art Show

    05/14/2026 2:05 PM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC,

    While May seems to be offering a quieter, slower pace in the valley, the DAC is open and bustling. We still have a beautiful collection of original, locally created artworks. Stop by and give your eyes and soul some lovely inspiration. We'll have the AC on for you!

    This weekend features our annual High School Art Show in the Terry Masters Gallery, May 15–17. The show highlights student artwork from all six Palm Springs Unified School District schools. Our judges had a difficult time selecting outstanding works in several categories. Such talent!

    It is worth a trip in to help celebrate the efforts of our art department teachers and their students. The Terry Masters Gallery is open during regular gallery hours, 10AM – 4PM.

    While our galleries go on hiatus June through August for refreshing, DAC is not fully closed. We still host a handful of wonderful art classes by our seasoned art instructors. Summer is a great time for locals and visitors to relax inside a historic and light-filled room to learn something new or practice with a master.

    As always, we appreciate your support and enthusiasm and hope to see you soon.

    High School Student Art Show

    May 15, 16, and 17
    10AM – 4PM in the Terry Masters Gallery

    Please stop by and enjoy this annual exhibition of student 2D and 3D artworks from Palm Springs area high schools.

    Place ribbons are awarded to the top three students in several categories. Grant prizes are awarded to art departments in support of their arts education programming, along with a President's Senior Scholarship award.

    Many thanks to our donors and patrons. This wouldn't be possible without your support.

    Upcoming Events

    May

    • May 15 – 17: High School Student Art Show — Terry Masters Gallery
    • May 31: Gallery closes at 4PM for the season

    June – August

    • Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: Adult art classes

    September

    • September 4: Gallery soft reopen for 77th season (weekends only)

    October

    • October 1: Season 77 officially opens
    • October 2: Opening Reception + UpTown Art Crawl | First Fridays | 5PM – 7PM

    Summer Class Offerings

    June – September
    Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only

    • Ceramics – wheel and handbuilding
    • Watercolor
    • Oil Painting
    • Acrylics
    • Life Drawing
    • Painting Open Studio

    Head to our online calendar for details and registration information.

    In Loving Memory


    Lindy Wayne Ballard
    August 6, 1953 – April 22, 2026

    In loving memory of long-time fellow artist and facilities manager.

    Our hearts are with his family and friends. He was greatly appreciated and is sorely missed.

  • Remembering Lindy Ballard

    04/22/2026 9:30 AM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)


    It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved member and handyman, Lindy Ballard.

    Lindy served the Desert Art Center for several years as our trusted “fix-everything” person. He often came in early to make sure everything was in working order, helping the DAC run smoothly day in and day out. His presence was a constant on campus, and his contributions touched every corner of our space.

    Beyond his generosity and dedication, Lindy was a deeply talented artist and musician. He was especially known for his acrylic paintings, creating vivid, chaotic, imaginary “real estate” scenes that were uniquely his own.

    Lindy’s spirit, creativity, and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

    The Desert Art Center has established a memorial fund for Lindy’s family. All donations collected will be given directly to his family.

    Memorial Fund Donation Link:
    https://square.link/u/DiFoomua

    We are currently in contact with Lindy’s family and will share details for a Celebration of Life as soon as they are available.

    Below is a video of Lindy from 2021, just before his Featured Artist show at the DAC; a moment that captures his spirit and presence in our community:
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CUSb2e6JF9-/

    With sympathy and remembrance,

    Bruce Weber, President

  • Annual Report 2025/2026 Season

    04/19/2026 2:00 PM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    25_26 Annual Report

  • Artist of the Year

    04/12/2026 12:30 PM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)


      


    Congratulations to 

    Jean Bradley, finalist for AOTY 2026!


    Enjoy these images from this inspiring day of celebrating the finalists in action. (photo credits: Brad Arnold, T Santora, Jen Shakti, and Diana Shay Diehl)
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

    Thank you to all who attended and enjoyed this inspiring, beautiful desert evening with us!
      

    Happy 93rd Birthday to Robert Rogers!! Robert is a long time ceramic artist and instructor for our DAC community. His students threw him a well deserved birthday party last week. Joyful celebration was had by all.
      

  • Highlights from our last opening reception for this season

    04/11/2026 4:30 PM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    Highlights from our last opening reception for this season

     (photo credits: Brad Arnold)
      
      
      
      
      
      

      

    Happy Customers!

    We don't always have the right time to capture the joy we see when someone finds art work that speaks to their heart. Even more special is when the artistis present to see who their work gets to live with. When we do, it is a pleasure to share!

    Come in and find your 

    special treasure!

    L. Ian Cooke; Bottom L. work by Alannah Kern as captured by Alannah with her customers; Bottom R. Ellen Finan
      

  • April 2nd

    04/01/2026 11:00 AM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC,

    This is no April Fools! Tomorrow, April 2, opens our last big show rotation of the 76th season. Doors open at 10AM. Come in for a quiet preview before the weekend madness. We are wrapping up this season with a bang! Please read on to discover all that is in store. We would appreciate you sharing the news with your friends and family who may be interested as well. Many thanks in advance.

    Of note:

    • Artist of the Year FINALE is Friday, April 3. The competition begins at 3pm on the lawn (weather permitting). Finalist announced during the reception that evening.
    • Main gallery will host all new juried works to include newly juried artists.
    • Terry Masters Gallery will host the Super Bloom all members show from April 2-5 and April 9-12.
    • Mini Masters fundraiser is this month! This year all pieces are $76 in honor of our 76th year. The theme is Desert Vibes.
    • Friday, April 3 is the last opening reception for this season, 5pm-7pm.
    • UpTown Art Crawl is also going on - First Fridays north end of Palm Canyon!
    • And finally, we welcome 9 newly juried artists to the main gallery. Plus, 2 regular gallery artists have added 3D medium to what they show at DAC. 

    As always, for full itinerary and details to all our happenings, please visit our website. Button to access is at the end of this newsletter.

    We look forward to seeing you here!


      

    See someone wearing this button or on display in a studio space or gallery? Ask them about the benefits of belonging to the iconic Desert ArtCenter.

  • Updated Bylaws

    01/19/2026 1:55 PM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    Please review our updated ByLaws. Voted into action 01/19/2026

    Restated Bylaws

  • Monday, November 17, 2025

    11/27/2025 11:23 AM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)


    'Tis the Season...

    Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC,

    The holiday season is upon us. Housed inside the main gallery, the DAC is excited to offer the Holiday Shop again this year. Doors officially open on Wednesday, November 19 as the entire building will be closed on November 17th and 18th due to city scheduled maintenance. 

    In this news edition, you will find our updated calendar, images from recent events, and Meet Our Artists is back - stories about DAC artists interviewed and written by fellow artists.

    As always, you can visit our newly revamped website to discover all the art classes, workshops, and special events as well as sign up for any that interest you. 

    From our homes to yours, may your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with warmth, good health, and a grateful heart. We are grateful for YOU because without you, there wouldn't be a DAC. 76 years and counting.....

    We look forward to seeing you all here.

  • Wednesday, October 29, 2025

    10/29/2025 11:21 AM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)

    We are on a roll...

    Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC,

    We hope this newsletter finds you healthy and enjoying these beautiful desert fall days. In this edition, we bring your attention to events around the corner, save the dates, and nods to notable things of the past. The annual all members Inclusion Show opens November 7th in conjunction with Palm Springs Pride Week. Come in and vote for your favorite art work as we continue our People's Choice awards. Our Holiday Shop is back and should open on November 19th through early January. Please note, the gallery and entire building will be CLOSED on November 17th and 18th for a city scheduled fumigation and insulation project. We will reopen on the 19th barring any issues.

    Also, we have revived our publicity email so it will now be a much easier and prudent way to communicate with the DAC on all things related to promotions and publicity for our members and supporters. Do you have an artist by artist interview to share? Artful tidbits for beginning or emerging artists (and even us pros)? An image of where your art, purchased at DAC, went to live? How about a favorite quote that inspires your studio work? Anything else related to our events, educational opportunities, field trips, socials...or simply some questions related to information shared? If so, please contact Diana Shay Diehl directly at publicity@desertartcenter.org. If sending photos, please send NO MORE than 2-4 of your best along with some information about what and why (event, people names, date) related to this current season and DAC. No personal gallery or art show info, please. No guarantees they will get used but we'd love to have member and community input in shining the light on all things DAC.

    And, speaking of publicity, Andrew and Scott Marr have joined the publicity team to help bolster our social media presence as well as some other juicy fun things the board has been brewing. Welcome Andrew and Scott! 

    Finally, the window is open as we call to art anyone interested in being juried into the DAC. You do not need to be a member to apply. Link for Online Juried Shows is below. The deadline is November 6, 2025. Good luck!

    We look forward to seeing you all here.


  • We Are Open

    09/10/2025 11:37 AM | Cheyenne Poe (Administrator)


    Greetings Friends and Fans of the DAC!

    We hope you had an enjoyable and healthy summer. We've missed you! To our newest subscribers, welcome! We look forward to meeting you at any of our many events throughout this 76th season.

    Our doors are now open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in September. Our first open day was a GRAND success! Within the first 7 minutes, we made a huge sale which brought the day's total into a new record. Patrons from all over came in to visit us - from our local Coachella Valley folks to Seattle, from as far away as Germany to communities around Southern California. What a auspicious omen for our 76th season! 

    You will see links in the calendar below. For more details on what is posted, please follow that link to our website.

    A few of many things to look forward to this season:

    • New website
    • More workshop opportunities
    • Artist of the Year competition
    • Master Classes with well-known guest artists
    • Field trips
    • Members' only luncheons and happy hours
    • New ways of communicating with our members and subscribers
    • Stronger presence in many publications in and around the Coachella Valley
    • ASK ME button program
    • and many more tidbits of connection and fun....

    This "may be" the last newsletter coming from the Mailchimp platform. We are almost completely exported and transitioned into the WildApricot system where everything we need to accomplish within the DAC community and beyond can seamlessly happen under one "roof".

    If you suddenly find you are not getting DAC newsletters (1-2x a month now), please reach out to us at info@desertartcenter.org so we can make sure your email is in the new system. You do not have to become a member in order to receive our news - however, we sure appreciate it when you do and are confident you will appreciate the many benefits our memberships afford.

    Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work the bugs out!
     

    Always appreciative of your support and enthusiasm.
    Come see us, weekends in September!
    Below left, within 7 minutes of opening, our very first visitor happily displays 2 David Farnsworth original and whimsical sculptures she found to take home. Below right, DAC juried artist and host for the morning, Melissa Stahlberg, assists with jewelry selection - getting a jump on holiday shopping!

    Desert Art Center
     

    Our newly redesigned website is now LIVE. We are fully aware of the glitches and missing pertinent information and are diligently working behind the scenes to get things properly spiffed up. In the meantime, please click the link above and explore around. We will have the details in place by the end of our soft launch / reopening. A critical function for DAC is our soft opening of the gallery in September so we can fine tune the flow and changes made over the summer. And changes we have made - inside and out!

    Many hands make light the work. The DAC is incredibly grateful to all who have donated their expertise and time to make this historic art center the spot for enrichment in our high and low desert communities. 

    We can't wait to see you HERE.
    JOIN DAC! New Membership Levels! There is something for everyone. 

    2025 Calendar of Events 

    September:

    • September 5 - 28: Soft reopening of the main gallery; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays only in September. 10AM - 4PM all three days.
    • September 21 and 28:  Abstractions in Cold Wax and Mixed Media workshop with Diana Shay Diehl, held at DAC. Click here for more info and to register.

    October: 

    • October 2:  76th season formally opens, 10AM - 4PM, 7 days a week. All new juried artists show + Shadows and Light all members' show!
    • October 3:  Open reception for the 76th season, 5PM - 7PM
    • October 3:  Artist of the Year Program begins! This is the first of 4 heats. Details will be forthcoming in our next newsletter. Email info@desertartcenter.org to see if there are any spots left in this fun competition.
    • Week of October 6:  Weekly classes resume as well as more October workshops. Click here to learn what is available.

    2025 - 2026 Art Workshops, Classes, and Events Teaser:

    We now will be offering classes in the evenings as well as
    weekdays and weekends!

    Click this link to see what is available to register for now.
    Check back often as we continue to update our events.

    • Two different cold wax workshops: one creating landscapes, one focusing on abstractions and mixed media, 2 different artists
    • Elements of Watercolor
    • Hand Tinting Photographs Using Classic and Modern Materials
    • Fine Art Gel Plate Printmaking
    • Introduction to the Art of Beeswax
    • Portraits in Pastels
    • AI is Your Friend
    • Creative Color Techniques in Acrylic
    • Landscape Paint Along
    • Cyanotype
    • Clay and Texture Hand-building Experience
    • Portraits of Men in Oil
    • Plein-Air Landscape
    • Open Studio time
    • Artist of the Year competition
    • Master Class workshops with guest artists 
    • and more!
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Desert Art Center
550 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 info@desertartcenter.org (760) 323-7973
 

Desert Art Center has served as a creative hub in Palm Springs since 1950. Located in the historic Frances Stevens School at the gateway to the Uptown Design District, we offer exhibits, art education, and community outreach programs to support artists of all ages and levels.

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