Local Art and Culture

29 Palms Art Gallery

The Twentynine Palms Art Gallery is hosted by the Twentynine Palms Artists' Guild, the oldest arts organization in the Morongo Basin, founded in 1951. Officially incorporated as an all volunteer, non-profit organization to "create a spirit of cooperation and fellowship between the artist and the public," the Guild established a community art gallery in a historic adobe building near the Oasis of Mara in 1963, located at 74055 Cottonwood Drive, off National Park Drive in Twentynine Palms, (760)367-7819. Open 12-3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays (September through May) and on Friday, Saturday, Sunday (June through August).

For more information please visit the Twentynine Palms Art Gallery

29 Palms Creative Center & Gallery

Every month, a new artist is featured at the 29 Palms Creative Center & Gallery. Classes are available for various art mediums including painting, collage, and printmaking. Individual and group workshops available.  

The gallery space is an interesting blend of indoor and outdoor elements. To learn more about classes or see the featured artist click here. Call the gallery at 760-361-1805.

29 Palms Historical Society - Old Schoolhouse Museum

The 29 Palms Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets information, artifacts, and memorabilia pertaining to the culture and historical heritage of the Twentynine Palms area. The museum hosts fascinating displays that change throughout the year, along with historical lectures and the annual Weed Show in November. The Historical Society also provides a wealth of material for researchers and others seeking community or family history.

To learn more, visit the museum or their web site.

Old Schoolhouse Museum, 6760 National Park Drive, P.O. Box 1926, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Hours:

September through May, Wednesday - Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

June through August, Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

Admission is Free! (Donations are happily accepted.) The museum offers a self-guided tour, and knowledgeable docents are available to offer additional information. The museum also has a wonderful gift shop featuring local and regional desert history books, cards, souvenirs, as well as Native American, hand-crafted and other gift items.

Theatre 29

Community stage theatre at its best! Several shows each year feature the area's exquisitely talented actors, directors, and performers. Quality family entertainment includes musicals, drama, comedy shows, an annual Haunted House production, and more!

Theatre 29 is located in the John Calveri Memorial Theatre at 73673 Sullivan Road, Twentynine Palms. Box office and tickets: (760)361-4151.  For more information and a list of current and upcoming productions, visit the Theatre 29 website.

Oasis of Murals

Visit our outdoor art gallery! The Oasis of Murals is probably the best thing to happen to this desert community in many a decade. Kick-starting a "renaissance" in our small city in 1994, the mural project sponsored by the Action Council for 29 Palms, Inc., spawned more than just two dozen beautiful, historical art works painted on commercial buildings downtown and throughout Twentynine Palms--it also encouraged a new art scene, visitor-friendly businesses, and created a rebirth of community spirit. Pick up a map of the murals at our Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center and enjoy a tour of the murals.

Art in Public Places

In 2004, the City of Twentynine Palms established "Art in Public Places" and a Public Arts Program administered by a city-appointed Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC). The PAAC oversees public art installations, exhibitions, cultural events, and the bi-monthly "Art in Public Places at City Hall"  exhibitions, which showcase locat artists and are designed to support art and culure in Twentynine Palms.

In 2009, two major sculptures were installed in the city, the 20-foot-tall Michael Swigart Memorial Sculpture on National Park Drive, created and donated by artist Simi Dabah; and the 7-1/2-foot-tall "29!" sculpture on Twentynine Palms Highway at the base of Donnell Hill downtown, designed by Chuck Caplinger and fabricated by Maurice Pegorellli. These works add to numerous steel sculptures and commercial building adornments in Twentynine Palms, created over the years by artists Simi Dabah, Steve Rieman, and Terry Waite.  The Art in Public Places effort is designed to enhance cultural tourism and complement the "Oasis of Murals," featuring more than 20 outdoor murals in the downtown area administered by the Action Council for 29 Palms, Inc., since 1995.

Sky's The Limit Observatory and Nature Center

The Sky's the Limit Observatory and Nature Center is a project of the Sky's The Limit committee of the non-profit Basin Wide Foundation, dedicated to educational public outreach activities. Sky's the Limit is developing its site at the top of Utah Trail, near the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, as a center for natural history education and exploration. The committee is currently constructing nature trails and star-gazing pads, and plans to construct and operate an astronomical observatory and conduct classes and seminars on astronomy and earth sciences.

For more information, visit www.skysthelimit29.org or call 760-367-7222.

Hi-Desert Cultural Center & Blak Box Theatre

For more than 40 years, the Hi Desert Playhouse in Joshua Tree has been "the desert's best in professional live entertainment." In addition to musicals, original dramas, various stage plays, music events and festivals, this playhouse offers performing arts courses.

In January 2007, the playhouse was damaged by burst pipes during a winter freeze and is trying to rebuild and restore. Donations are gratefully accepted for this effort of restoring the original main stage building, now named the Kaye Ballard Theatre. In the meantime, year-round productions have been staged in the former guild hall behind the main playhouse, which has been converted to the state-of-the-art Blak Box Theatre.

For acting courses, special events, performance schedules and other information, click here or call the box office at 760-366-3777.

Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council

The Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council is a community-based organization that provides events and opportunities to artists as well as art lovers.

The Gathering of Artists and the Open Studio Art Tours are just two events that bring the local community and local artists together in celebration. To become a member, find out where the latest exhibitions are, or to learn more, visit their website or call 760-368-8306.

EarthWorksNow

EarthWorksNow has positioned itself as an important forum for the current environmental art renaissance in America by showing artworks that contain ideas relating back to early cultures which created lasting art about the environment and seasonal/human cycles of time. The show also references the land art movement in America and Europe from the 1960's to the 1980's, and expands the possibilities of works evolving from this seminal period. Utilizing the unique spirit, and resources of California's Mojave Desert, the college, and the museum, this exhibition has now completed it’s third installment.

What's Happening Right Now?

Courtesy of The Sun Runner Arts & Entertainment Magazine, Morongo Basin Calendar of Events for 29 Palms, MCAGCC, Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, Morongo Valley and surrounding California hi-desert communities.