'Intersect Palm Springs' raises funds for conservation nonprofit
The nonprofit Friends of the Desert Mountains recently presented artist Paula Crown’s "Healing Nature: The Aspen Maps at Intersect Palm Springs." Crown’s vibrant abstractions informed by trail maps represent and correspond with the conservation’s mission to preserve and restore land in the Coachella Valley.
"Intersect Palm Springs" opened Friday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Crown’s Aspen Map series is developed through abstracting, layering, rotating and manipulating existing Aspen Snowmass trails to reveal new perspectives, forms and patterns. Her process emulates the landscape, just as the environment changes, a dusting of snow, a storm, evolution, the ever-changing topography. Sinuous mark-making evokes an imagined journey, encouraging us to reflect on our impact on this earth and speaks to the role that art can play in fostering a deeper consideration of our natural surroundings.
Proceeds from the sale of the Aspen Map works on view will be donated to support the Friends of the Desert Mountains.
"Trails are what is left behind by our gestures, our movements through the landscape," Crown said. "They are evidence of our existence and what we leave in our wake. They are our deep conversations with the terrain around us and mark not only landscapes but the movement of our bodies, our memories, and our own form. It’s an honor to present these works to assist the mission of the incredible Friends of the Desert Mountains."
“Paula Crown’s paintings offer a powerful way to consider our participation with the land," said Tammy Martin, Friends of the Desert Mountains' executive director. "As stewards of trails in the Coachella Valley, we are inspired by how spending time in our natural environment can spark the imagination and lead to a greater understanding of its impact in our lives."
About Friends of the Desert Mountains
The mission of the Friends of the Desert Mountains is to preserve land and to support education, conservation and research in the Coachella Valley and to act as the support organization for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
Friends of the Desert Mountains is dedicated to building a community of support to help preserve the unique wildlife and scenic beauty of the Coachella Valley and its desert mountains. For more information, visit desertmountains.org.
"Intersect Palm Springs" runs through Sunday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Alexandra Fanning is an independent curator, writer and cultural communications consultant who has been working to promote nonprofits, artists, private institutions and boutique publishers for more than fifteen years.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Intersect Palm Springs' raises funds for conservation nonprofit
