Modernism Week Celebrating 10 years in Palm Springs!

Modernism Week Celebrates Ten Years in Palm Springs

Exciting Keynote Speaker & Central Headquarter Location Signify New Era for Annual Festival
 
Modernism Week’s signature February festival will take place February 12-22, 2015, celebrating ten years of events highlighting midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. The annual 11-day festival features more than 180 exciting events including Signature Home Tours, films, lectures, Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours, the Modernism Show & Sale, nightly parties and live music, walking and bike tours, the popular “Lost, Saved and Endangered” lecture, tours of Sunnylands and Palm Springs Art Museum’s new Architecture and Design Center, vintage fashion, classic cars, garden tours, a vintage travel trailer exhibition, and more.
 
“Modernism Week has grown into one of the most popular and internationally recognized architecture and design festivals in the world,” says Board Chairman, Chris Mobley. “We are grateful to the Modernism community and the City of Palm Springs for showing their support throughout the past ten years.
 
Modernism Week is going more social in 2015, with the introduction of CAMP (Community and Meeting Place), the new central hub of activity during the event. Located on Palm Canyon Drive at the gateway to Palm Springs’ vibrant Uptown Design District, CAMP will be the Modernism Week headquarters for tours and events. CAMP will feature luxurious, designer hospitality and lounge spaces; a café with specialty cuisine and cocktails; a film and lecture auditorium; curated pop-ups and image galleries; a social media coffee bar; live music and DJs; and private events. Open to the public with a $30 admission for all ten days ($20 for five days), CAMP is a place where Modernism Week revelers can connect, enjoy daily films and programs, and relax in the Palm Springs sun while enjoying a bite to eat between tours and parties.
 
A highlight during the first weekend of Modernism Week will be a keynote address by American-born designer Todd Oldham. Oldham, who launched his first clothing line in 1989, won the Council of Fashion Designers Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent in 1991. Known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, and television appearances, Oldham is also a book publisher and prolific photographer. In 1999 he designed The Hotel of South Beach. His talk will be presented at the Hilton Palm Springs on Saturday, February 14 followed by an opportunity to meet the award-winning designer at a poolside reception.
 
The February schedule will also include tours and a gala at the new Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion. Housed in the historic 1961 Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan building designed by renowned midcentury modern architect E. Stewart Williams, the iconic building is a classic midcentury international pavilion structure and was recently designated as a protected Class I Historic Site. The A+D Center is the country’s first historic structure to be transformed into a freestanding architecture and design museum housed in a modern building.
 
Also new for 2015 will be the release of “Desert Modernists – The Architects Who Envisioned Midcentury Modern Palm Springs,” a special 144-page commemorative book, focused on the elite group of architects who shaped the genre of “Desert Modern” architecture in Palm Springs. Including stunning photography of their most significant and historical projects, and chapters written by an esteemed collective of 14 authors, the book will highlight notable architects Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, William Krisel, E. Stewart Williams, Donald Wexler, and Hugh Kaptur, among others. “Desert Modernists” will be available at the Modernism Week CAMP headquarters and other local retailers in February.
 
One of last year’s most sought-after events, the Modernism Week Show House: The Christopher Kennedy Compound will return for a second year. Named for local designer and tastemaker Christopher Kennedy who spearheaded the inaugural Modernism Week Show House in 2014, a midcentury modern residence in Palm Springs will be re-imagined by Kennedy and fellow designers, and open to the public for tours.
 
“Modernism Week After Dark,” a series of special nightly events at stylish hotels, music clubs, and unique venues will also be back by popular demand. Introduced in 2014, the entertainment line-up will feature celebrity-chef curated private dinners in iconic homes, live bands at swanky venues, and festive martini mixers and cocktail parties throughout the week.
 
All events are open to the public and tickets go on sale November 1, 2014 at 12 p.m. PST at modernismweek.com.
 
The City of Palm Springs is the Presenting Sponsor of Modernism Week. The Hilton Palm Springs Resort, Modernism Week’s official host hotel, is offering a special room rate for a limited time only. Contact them directly at 760-320-6868 or use the link at modernismweek.com.
 
About Modernism Week:
Modernism Week is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Modernism Week is also a charitable organization, providing scholarships to local Palm Springs students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design; as well as giving grants to local and state preservation organizations for their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California.
 
Modernism Week’s Mission:
The mission of Modernism Week is to celebrate and foster appreciation of midcentury architecture and design, as well as contemporary thinking in these fields, by encouraging education, preservation and sustainable modern living as represented in Palm Springs.

Please visit modernismweek.com and “Like” them on Facebook.

Below are some photos from Modernism Week Fall Preview Weekend Taken by CoachellaValley.com