The installation of the "Forever Marilyn" sculpture attracted a crowd to downtown Palm Springs on June 20.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CARL SCHOEMIG
In front of hundreds of Coachella Valley residents bracing 100+ degree temperatures on June 20, the "Forever Marilyn" sculpture once again stands as a focal point in downtown Palm Springs. After spending two years in Palm Springs from 2012-14, Palm Springs city officials happily welcomed the 26-foot Marilyn back in what they hope is a boom to its tourism efforts following the state's reopening just last week from the coronavirus pandemic.
Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege called the sculpture by artist Seward Johnson a "magnificent attraction" to the city.
"We would like to thank PS Resorts for their incredible work to bring 'Forever Marilyn' back to Palm Springs where she belongs," says Holstege. "She was greatly missed so we're happy to have her back in our community. Today we honor her legacy with this sculpture."
Palm Springs City Council member Lisa Middleton recalls the smiles the sculpture put on people's faces the last time she was here, "and that's what will happen again. If there is anything we need today it is more smiles on the people that we encounter."
A group clad in pink with signs that read "Bad Art, Bad Politics" and "It's Not Nostalgia, It's Mysogyny" remained vocal throughout the installation with boos and chants of "exploitation" and "move her 100 feet" in reference to her perch on Museum Way that sits in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum. They have asked the city to move the sculpture to the new downtown park that is still being finished next to where she stands.
• VIDEO: View the Installation of the Sculpture on Our Facebook Page .
