The Tenth Annual Garden Tour takes you to four designed private gardens.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MODERNISM WEEK
Modernism Week has announced an exciting array of in-person events set to take place during the April, 2021 Modernism Week festival. These events include home tours, the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, and Modern Design Expo, walking architectural tours, an outdoor garden tour, talks, and other programs specifically designed to allow for social distancing and safety protocols.
In addition to on-site events in April, newly created online programs will also be available on the Modernism Week website running simultaneously with the festival. All in-person tours and events are available for previewing on the website until Dec. 31. Tickets for these events will be available for purchase on Jan. 1 at noon (PST) at modernismweek.com.
Local and state requirements for gatherings and social distancing prompted Modernism Week to offer two versions of its popular event - the February Modernism Week Online Experience (Feb. 1 – 28, 2021) and an additional festival featuring in-person events running from April 8-18, 2021.
The popular Modernism Show & Sale at the Palm Springs Convention Center will be offered April 8-11, 2021. Tickets for the February Modernism Week Online Experience (an all-online array of more than 20 video programs) will be available for purchase and on-demand streaming during February. An exciting online architecture and design auction developed by Modernism Week will accompany the online programs from February 1-14, 2021.
The new April Modernism Week will feature many new and popular returning in-person events. These programs will include two newly-remodeled designer featured homes that will be open for timed, ticketed, socially distanced tours, and the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, which will be organized to allow for social distancing and timed entry. Other April events will include a variety of outdoor walking tours; narrated self-driving tours of Palm Springs architecture; self-guided modern landscape and outdoor neighborhood tours in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells; tours of Sunnylands and the Lautner Compound; fashion events; a vintage automobile exhibition; and tours of two architecturally significant private homes in Desert Palisades. All events are designed to accommodate social distancing and safety protocols.
Here are some highlighted April programs:
Tours
Modernism Week will offer tours of two featured homes on April 9-12 and April 15-18; each tour is $35.
"Sunburst Palms" - Tour H3K’s latest renovation of a 1956 Lawrence Lapham property in the iconic Deepwell neighborhood. "Seventies Sackley" – This architectural home tour in Indian Canyons will allow participants to experience a seamless blend of contemporary furnishings and vintage pieces on display at this stunning 1975 Palm Springs residence designed by noted architect Stan Sackley and offered by Grace Home Furnishings.
Modernism Week sponsors Brizo, Dunn-Edwards Paints, Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, Jenn-Air, and Willis generously contributed to these projects.
Twin Palms Guided Tour: An Insider's Perspective of the Desert's First Modernist Neighborhood
April 10-12, $25
Experience Krisel, Kaptur, Wexler and more on the first guided tour of the desert’s first Modernist neighborhood, best known for its innovative and insightful Krisel-designed and Alexander-built residences. The area also features less well-known but significant midcentury works from architects Hugh Kaptur, Donald Wexler, and Hal Levitt, as well as more-recent contributions from other notable designers and builders.
Desert Modernism: Two Perspectives. Two Home Tours – Kappe and Lockyer
April 8-18, $60
One ticket, two tours. Discover both architect Raymond Kappe's last project as well as architect Sean Lockyer's newly completed Desert Palisades project. Palm Springs Life has partnered with the Kappe family, and Sean Lockyer, and the builders of Desert Palisades to bring these homes to the public eye.
Walking the Wells
April 9, $40
Enjoy a guided, safely distanced, gentle walking tour of historic Indian Wells. View homes designed by notable architects including William Cody, Charles Dubois, John Outcault, Charles Doty, John Walling and others.
The 10th Annual Modern Garden Tour
April 17, $75
Experience and embrace the modern aesthetic of drought-tolerant and desert-friendly plants while touring exquisitely four designed private modern gardens located in Palm Springs during the 10th annual Modern Garden Tour. Come discover a wide range of garden designs from minimal to lush, all using modern materials and plantings. A keepsake brochure and map will be provided at check-in.
Fins and Tails – Classic Private Car Collection
April 12, $25
This tour offers the opportunity to view a large collection of restored classic American and European collectable cars that are now in private ownership.
Lazy Sunday Afternoon….High Desert Driving Tour
April 11, $50
This is a self-driving tour of the high desert visiting the exteriors of well-known sites, art installations and unique high desert architecture.
Sunnylands Tours
April 8-18
$125 – Landscape Tour
$25 – Historic Walk
Sunnylands is the former winter home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The 1966 estate contains a golf course, 11 lakes, outdoor sculpture, and a spectacular 25,000-square-foot midcentury modern home designed by A. Quincy Jones. This year there are two separate tours available. The Landscape Tour is available for as many as six people on a guided, 45-minute shuttle ride throughout the 200-acre estate. Ticket price is per shuttle. The Historic Walk allows participants to take a leisurely guided walk onto the estate. Ticket price is per person.
Historic Desert Holly Tour
April 10, $25
Tour the Desert Holly condominium complex, designed in 1957 by master builder and developer William H. O’Brien, Jr.
William Holden Estate Tour
April 11, $45
Explore the William Holden Estate, designed in 1955 by master builder Joe Pawling, in the historic Deepwell Estates neighborhood.
Frank Sinatra’s “Twin Palms” Estate Tour
April 15, $45
Always one of the most popular events of Modernism Week, guests will tour Frank Sinatra's storied "Twin Palms" estate, designed in 1947 by modernist architect E. Stewart Williams.
Tour of Temple Isaiah: Comparing Past and Present
April 9, 12, and 16, $35
This experience is a guided tour of a stunning architectural masterpiece. It contrasts the modernist E. Stewart Williams-designed 1950’s Al Liberman Chapel with the 1980’s west-facing addition by David Christian Architect.
SPECIAL EVENTS
21st Annual Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale + Modern Design Expo
April 8-11, $25 in advance, $30 in advance; one ticket, two shows.
Show & Sale
The 21st Edition of the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale features 60 premier exhibitors from across the U.S. and Europe presenting and offering for sale rare and beautiful vintage furniture, lighting, sculpture, paintings, silver, jewelry, ceramics, glass, rugs, prints, photography, vintage clothing and accessories reflecting all design movements of the 20th century and especially highlighting mid-century modern design.
Modern Design Expo
A dynamic new event showcasing modern design and technology, the 3rd Annual Palm Springs Modern Design Expo will feature 40 exhibitors from across the country presenting modern custom hand-crafted furniture, interior design, contemporary art and photography, and home technology.
“A night out on the town:” A fashion show retrospective over the decades
April 11, $60
In this fun fashion show event, participants will stroll down memory lane as they view iconic fashions from the past in this exciting retrospective that spans decades.
A Curated Collection
April 17 and 18, $10 (early preview) and $15 (general admission)
Retailers and private dealers from all over will showcase their finest vintage apparel, textiles, jewelry and accessories in one upscale venue.
Midcentury Mixology Cocktail Clinic at Mr. Lyons
April 9-11, $62
Join the legendary mixologists at Mr. Lyons Steakhouse to learn how to make iconic, classic cocktails of the midcentury era at home. This fun, hands-on mixology class will explore the process of making high quality handcrafted cocktails while participants follow along with the experts and make their own for sampling. (Includes 3 drinks).
TALKS
Viva Las Vegas!
April 15, $35
This rollicking presentation showcases entertaining vintage movie clips and a thrilling slide show celebrating Las Vegas from the early 1900’s thru the 1970’s. This is an outdoor event at Palm Springs Cultural Center and guests are advised to bring their own chairs.
Mod with a Twist
April 9, 10, 15, 16, $55
Mod with a Twist is a light-hearted but deep dive into some of the more obscure topics of the midcentury. Chuckle along with these witty presentations while you sip your wine and learn something new.
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