Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC,

While May seems to be offering a quieter, slower pace in the valley, the DAC is open and bustling. We still have a beautiful collection of original, locally created artworks. Stop by and give your eyes and soul some lovely inspiration. We'll have the AC on for you!

This weekend features our annual High School Art Show in the Terry Masters Gallery, May 15–17. The show highlights student artwork from all six Palm Springs Unified School District schools. Our judges had a difficult time selecting outstanding works in several categories. Such talent!

It is worth a trip in to help celebrate the efforts of our art department teachers and their students. The Terry Masters Gallery is open during regular gallery hours, 10AM – 4PM.

While our galleries go on hiatus June through August for refreshing, DAC is not fully closed. We still host a handful of wonderful art classes by our seasoned art instructors. Summer is a great time for locals and visitors to relax inside a historic and light-filled room to learn something new or practice with a master.

As always, we appreciate your support and enthusiasm and hope to see you soon.

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High School Student Art Show

May 15, 16, and 17
10AM – 4PM in the Terry Masters Gallery

Please stop by and enjoy this annual exhibition of student 2D and 3D artworks from Palm Springs area high schools.

Place ribbons are awarded to the top three students in several categories. Grant prizes are awarded to art departments in support of their arts education programming, along with a President's Senior Scholarship award.

Many thanks to our donors and patrons. This wouldn't be possible without your support.

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Upcoming Events

May

• May 15 – 17: High School Student Art Show — Terry Masters Gallery
• May 31: Gallery closes at 4PM for the season

June – August

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: Adult art classes

September

• September 4: Gallery soft reopen for 77th season (weekends only)

October

• October 1: Season 77 officially opens
• October 2: Opening Reception + UpTown Art Crawl | First Fridays | 5PM – 7PM

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Summer Class Offerings

June – September
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only

• Ceramics – wheel and handbuilding
• Watercolor
• Oil Painting
• Acrylics
• Life Drawing
• Painting Open Studio

Head to our online calendar for details and registration information.

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In Loving Memory

Lindy Wayne Ballard
August 6, 1953 – April 22, 2026

In loving memory of long-time fellow artist and facilities manager.

Our hearts are with his family and friends. He was greatly appreciated and is sorely missed.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved member and handyman, Lindy Ballard. Lindy served the Desert Art Center for several years as our trusted “fix-everything” person. He often came in early to make sure everything was in working order, helping the DAC run smoothly day in and day out. His presence was a constant on campus, and his contributions touched every corner of our space. Beyond his generosity and dedication, Lindy was a deeply talented artist and musician. He was especially known for his acrylic paintings, creating vivid, chaotic, imaginary “real estate” scenes that were uniquely his own. Lindy’s spirit, creativity, and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew him. The Desert Art Center has established a memorial fund for Lindy’s family. All donations collected will be given directly to his family. Memorial Fund Donation Link: https://square.link/u/DiFoomua We are currently in contact with Lindy’s family and will share details for a Celebration of Life as soon as they are available. Below is a video of Lindy from 2021, just before his Featured Artist show at the DAC; a moment that captures his spirit and presence in our community: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUSb2e6JF9-/ With sympathy and remembrance,

Bruce Weber, President

25_26 Annual Report

Congratulations to  Jean Bradley, finalist for AOTY 2026! Enjoy these images from this inspiring day of celebrating the finalists in action. (photo credits: Brad Arnold, T Santora, Jen Shakti, and Diana Shay Diehl)

Thank you to all who attended and enjoyed this inspiring, beautiful desert evening with us!

Happy 93rd Birthday to Robert Rogers!! Robert is a long time ceramic artist and instructor for our DAC community. His students threw him a well deserved birthday party last week. Joyful celebration was had by all.

Highlights from our last opening reception for this season  (photo credits: Brad Arnold)

Happy Customers! We don't always have the right time to capture the joy we see when someone finds art work that speaks to their heart. Even more special is when the artistis present to see who their work gets to live with. When we do, it is a pleasure to share! Come in and find your  special treasure! L. Ian Cooke; Bottom L. work by Alannah Kern as captured by Alannah with her customers; Bottom R. Ellen Finan

Dear Friends and Fans of the DAC, This is no April Fools! Tomorrow, April 2, opens our last big show rotation of the 76th season. Doors open at 10AM. Come in for a quiet preview before the weekend madness. We are wrapping up this season with a bang! Please read on to discover all that is in store. We would appreciate you sharing the news with your friends and family who may be interested as well. Many thanks in advance. Of note: Artist of the Year FINALE is Friday, April 3. The competition begins at 3pm on the lawn (weather permitting). Finalist announced during the reception that evening. Main gallery will host all new juried works to include newly juried artists. Terry Masters Gallery will host the Super Bloom all members show from April 2-5 and April 9-12. Mini Masters fundraiser is this month! This year all pieces are $76 in honor of our 76th year. The theme is Desert Vibes. Friday, April 3 is the last opening reception for this season, 5pm-7pm. UpTown Art Crawl is also going on - First Fridays north end of Palm Canyon! And finally, we welcome 9 newly juried artists to the main gallery. Plus, 2 regular gallery artists have added 3D medium to what they show at DAC.  As always, for full itinerary and details to all our happenings, please visit our website. Button to access is at the end of this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you here!

See someone wearing this button or on display in a studio space or gallery? Ask them about the benefits of belonging to the iconic Desert ArtCenter.

Please review our updated ByLaws. Voted into action 01/19/2026

Restated Bylaws

Greetings Friends and Fans of the DAC! We hope you had an enjoyable and healthy summer. We've missed you! To our newest subscribers, welcome! We look forward to meeting you at any of our many events throughout this 76th season. Our doors are now open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in September. Our first open day was a GRAND success! Within the first 7 minutes, we made a huge sale which brought the day's total into a new record. Patrons from all over came in to visit us - from our local Coachella Valley folks to Seattle, from as far away as Germany to communities around Southern California. What a auspicious omen for our 76th season!  You will see links in the calendar below. For more details on what is posted, please follow that link to our website. A few of many things to look forward to this season: New website More workshop opportunities Artist of the Year competition Master Classes with well-known guest artists Field trips Members' only luncheons and happy hours New ways of communicating with our members and subscribers Stronger presence in many publications in and around the Coachella Valley ASK ME button program and many more tidbits of connection and fun.... This "may be" the last newsletter coming from the Mailchimp platform. We are almost completely exported and transitioned into the WildApricot system where everything we need to accomplish within the DAC community and beyond can seamlessly happen under one "roof". If you suddenly find you are not getting DAC newsletters (1-2x a month now), please reach out to us at info@desertartcenter.org so we can make sure your email is in the new system. You do not have to become a member in order to receive our news - however, we sure appreciate it when you do and are confident you will appreciate the many benefits our memberships afford. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work the bugs out!   Always appreciative of your support and enthusiasm. Come see us, weekends in September! Below left, within 7 minutes of opening, our very first visitor happily displays 2 David Farnsworth original and whimsical sculptures she found to take home. Below right, DAC juried artist and host for the morning, Melissa Stahlberg, assists with jewelry selection - getting a jump on holiday shopping! Desert Art Center   Our newly redesigned website is now LIVE. We are fully aware of the glitches and missing pertinent information and are diligently working behind the scenes to get things properly spiffed up. In the meantime, please click the link above and explore around. We will have the details in place by the end of our soft launch / reopening. A critical function for DAC is our soft opening of the gallery in September so we can fine tune the flow and changes made over the summer. And changes we have made - inside and out! Many hands make light the work. The DAC is incredibly grateful to all who have donated their expertise and time to make this historic art center the spot for enrichment in our high and low desert communities.  We can't wait to see you HERE. JOIN DAC! New Membership Levels! There is something for everyone.  2025 Calendar of Events  September: September 5 - 28: Soft reopening of the main gallery; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays only in September. 10AM - 4PM all three days. September 21 and 28:  Abstractions in Cold Wax and Mixed Media workshop with Diana Shay Diehl, held at DAC. Click here for more info and to register. October:  October 2:  76th season formally opens, 10AM - 4PM, 7 days a week. All new juried artists show + Shadows and Light all members' show! October 3:  Open reception for the 76th season, 5PM - 7PM October 3:  Artist of the Year Program begins! This is the first of 4 heats. Details will be forthcoming in our next newsletter. Email info@desertartcenter.org to see if there are any spots left in this fun competition. Week of October 6:  Weekly classes resume as well as more October workshops. Click here to learn what is available. 2025 - 2026 Art Workshops, Classes, and Events Teaser: We now will be offering classes in the evenings as well as weekdays and weekends! Click this link to see what is available to register for now. Check back often as we continue to update our events. Two different cold wax workshops: one creating landscapes, one focusing on abstractions and mixed media, 2 different artists Elements of Watercolor Hand Tinting Photographs Using Classic and Modern Materials Fine Art Gel Plate Printmaking Introduction to the Art of Beeswax Portraits in Pastels AI is Your Friend Creative Color Techniques in Acrylic Landscape Paint Along Cyanotype Clay and Texture Hand-building Experience Portraits of Men in Oil Plein-Air Landscape Open Studio time Artist of the Year competition Master Class workshops with guest artists  and more!

Our Middle School Art Program is growing, and we’re looking for volunteers to help us support the students and instructors. If you’d like to give your time, we would be so grateful for your help!

We need volunteers for the following Saturdays:

First Term

• September 20, 2025
  
• September 27, 2025
  
• October 4, 2025
  
• October 11, 2025
  

Second Term

• November 1, 2025
• November 8, 2025
• November 15, 2025
• November 22, 2025

Third Term

• January 24, 2026
• January 31, 2026
• February 7, 2026
• February 14, 2026

Time Commitment

8:45 AM–12:15 PM (program runs 9:00 AM–12:00 PM)

Location

Desert Art Center (parking lot at Alejo & Indian Canyon)

Volunteer roles may include:

• Greeting and checking in students
• Assisting instructors with classroom needs
• Helping distribute and clean up art supplies
• Setting up and cleaning up snack area
• Serving as a hallway monitor or runner

If you’d like to volunteer, please reply to this email with your availability. Feel free to reach out with any questions at info@desertartcenter.org or call Cheyenne Poe – 760.895.8289.

Thank you for helping us keep the arts alive for our local students!

We have been very busy planning several improvements for the new season at the Desert Art Center. One change is to member levels and we want you to have a preview before renewal time in December.

Our intention was to create more ways for our community to connect with us. Whether you like to belong to or support a community built around art, or you’re actively promoting the art you create, we have a membership level that will support those goals. There is a small fee increase added to each level to reflect increases in our operating costs.

The new memberships are shown below and you’ll need to choose one when you renew your membership at the end of the year. It’s business as usual until then so you have plenty of time. This new information will also be published on our new website to be launched soon.

Supporting Member — $60/year

Supporting Members are the foundation of the Desert Art Center and receive invitations to all Desert Art Center programs, such as:

• Receptions for all art shows
• Fall and Spring luncheons
• Art Salon gatherings
• Bus field trips to museums and other art events
• Occasional special member pricing for programs

Artist Member — $75/year

The Artist membership is for those looking to publicly display and sell their artwork. Artist Members receive all Supporting Member benefits, plus:

• Invitations to display and sell your artwork in themed shows held in the Terry Masters Memorial Gallery approximately five (5) times per year – 2 more than last year!
• Participation in the Desert Art Center’s enhanced Artist Directory, an online portfolio to promote your artwork to the public.
• Invitation to submit your portfolio to the jury, held twice per year, to select Gallery members. See more details here.

Gallery Member — $125/year

Gallery members are those selected via the jury process to display artwork in our Main Gallery. Gallery Members receive all the benefits of Artist members, plus:

• Invitations to display and sell your work in the shows held in the Main Gallery four (4) times per year.
• Invitation to apply for a Featured Artist Show each season in the Terry Master Gallery.

Patron — $500/year

Patron members are those dedicated to ensuring the future of the Desert Art Center. In addition to Supporting Member benefits, Patron members receive:

• An exclusive invitation to the President’s Reception
• Two (2) tickets to the luncheon of your choice
• One complimentary invitation to an Art Salon
• Access to Artist Member benefits, if desired.
• Access to Gallery Member benefits, if selected by the jury.

We want you to be aware that these new memberships become effective on October 1, 2025, and we are changing to an anniversary renewal date twelve months from the join date.

If you have questions, we hope to see you at the first reception on October 3 or you can call the office 10am – 2pm at 760-323-7973.