Pillars of Palm Springs Unveiled Monday

New public art installation “Pillars of Palm Springs” Unveiled on World Art Day

PALM SPRINGS — In celebration of World Art Day, April 15, the city of Palm Springs Public Arts Commission hosted a special proclamation and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official unveiling of a new public art installation along the Tahquitz Canyon Way median running from Palm Springs International Airport to Sunrise Way called “Pillars of Palm Springs.”

The installation includes six individually crafted “pillars” designed to represent the themes of Creativity, Serenity, Diversity, Civility, Community, and Equality. Each pillar has been created by a different artist, four of whom are from the Coachella Valley. The installation replaces “The Art Of Taming Horses” by Christopher Myers.

The project is the largest and most comprehensive project initiated by the City’s Public Arts Commission. Applications became available in June 2023 and the Commission received 87 submissions from 57 potential bidders, a new record. 39% of bidders were local, and of the final winners, four out of six are from the Greater Palm Springs area.

The winning artists are Roger Reutimann (Creativity), Anne Faith Nicholls (Serenity), Bernard Stanley Hoyes (Diversity), Jessup + Cooning (Civility), and MIDABI (Community), and Scott Froschauer (Equality).

Roger Reutimann (Creativity)
Reutimann has lived a varied and creative life since childhood. As a multi-disciplinary artist, he is mostly self-taught with an insatiable desire for knowledge and skills in the field of the arts and popular culture. He earned his MA in sculpture from the University of the Arts, Zurich and holds a degree from Music School Zurich Conservatory. In 2008 he became a full-time artist, using his unique background and skills to create original works of art. Inspired by the 1959 Cadillac, Reutimann’s pillar, representing Creativity, melds respect for midcentury modern design, car culture, and desertscape. The tips of the cactus represent the taillights of the car.

Anne Faith Nicholls (Serenity)
Anne Faith Nicholls is an American contemporary artist recognized for her Neo-surrealistic paintings and sculptures. Her work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, collections, and art fairs around the world, and she’s contributed to a variety of high-profile publications and commercial projects with renowned collaborators. Often exploring the subconscious, her works are layered and mysterious, creating symbolic narratives on the human condition. Inspired by surrealism and folk art, she combines her classical training with ingenuity and craftsmanship to create artworks in a variety of mediums, with her unique perspective ever-present. Currently based in Palm Springs, Nicholls continues to exhibit and collaborate with creative partners around the world. Her pillar, representing Serenity, furthers her design directive representing water which was what brought settlers here and gave them serenity from wandering in the desert.

Bernard Stanley Hoyes (Diversity)

Bernard Hoyes is a Palm Desert-based visual artist who has developed into a master of colorful and rhythmical compositions. He paints “from an intuitive point of view,” and during the process the “spirits take possession” and the ritual theme becomes dominant. Hoyes has participated in numerous solo exhibitions in the US and abroad. He has created numerous murals in the inner city of Los Angeles and has curated exhibitions and held a position on the board at the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions and collected internationally. Hoyes’ pillar, representing Diversity, is a thoughtful, kinetic piece featuring two hummingbirds which move with the wind to create a genetic strand, reminding the viewer that we all share the same DNA. The word DIVERSITY anchors the installation.

Jessup + Cooning (Civility)
Jessup+Cooning is the artist team of Kate Jessup and Celeste Cooning. Separately, each of these artists have built their careers creating public and private commissions as well as gallery work and temporary installations. Their artwork has been exhibited together, but this project will be their first co-designed collaboration. They were inspired by the iconic architecture of Palm Springs and the importance of celebrating courtesy and respect as public practice. Their pillar, representing Civility, celebrates architecture, which is the foundation of any civilization.

MIDABI (Community)

MIDABI (Michael Daniel Birnberg) was born at home in SoHo NYC, surrounded by a progressive family rooted in individualistic expression and collective introspection. In his teens he began seeking out radical experiences as a means of jarring himself into greater awareness; an outflow of art and philosophy began. MIDABI has a bachelor’s degree in media & cultural studies from the University of California, and a master’s in international counseling psychology from Alliant International University, obtained with living in Mexico City. His current work focuses on sculptural text public art as a means of philosophical public intervention. MIDABI currently divides his time between New York City and Palm Springs. His pillar, representing Community, is a clever work that draws a clear and concise conclusion that in Palm Springs, the community is in every direction, every street and every neighborhood.

Scott Froschauer (Equality)

Scott Froschauer lives and works in Los Angeles. He has a degree in textual studies/linguistic theory from Syracuse University. His background includes studies in engineering and cultural deconstruction with extensive experience in fabrication, design, and mycelium. His work is an exploration in communication. It incorporates playfulness with concepts of connection and empathy. His “The Word on The Street” series of re-contextualized street signs has been installed in public, private, and municipal spaces throughout the U.S. and Canada. It has been on display at various galleries and museums including the Renwick Gallery of The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. His pillar, representing Equality, is based upon the original Rainbow Flag design. The Flag’s designer, Gilbert Baker, wanted the flag to embrace the broader notion of inclusivity. This pillar will have the word EQUALITY around the crown.

For more information about the project, www.palmspringsca.gov/pillarsofps