Palm Springs, Cathedral City high school art students find inspiration at Modernism Week

When a group of art students from Cathedral City and Palm Springs high schools ascended the round pebbled-concrete steps into the House of Tomorrow — famously known as the place where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned in 1967 — their reactions were immediate.

“I could live here. This could be my life,” a student whispered to her friends with a laugh. “What goals do I need to achieve to get here?”

For 11 years, Modernism Week has offered the Joan Hayward Double-Decker Architectural Bus Tour for local art students, said Regina Basterrechea, who is on the organization’s board. The tour’s namesake implemented the architectural bus tours, which have become an annual highlight.

Yet architecture — and moreover, Modernism Week — is not just about fancy houses. It’s about celebrating cities and communities that work — and how architecture plays a part in that concept, said Alan Hess, an architect and historian who introduced the students to the Albert Frey's exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center.

“That’s something that we need to remember. We can’t forget that. And so it’s especially good to have young people see something like this — an important architect with important ideas, especially relevant to the desert,” Hess said. “They’ll understand (and support) the importance of good architecture, good planning and good design in the future. It won’t just be something that is for other people, but it’s something that is relevant to the way they live and the communities they live in and the health and vitality of their cities.”

A full circle

Modernism Week spared no effort in ensuring that the high school students had a memorable experience, chauffeuring them around the mid-century modern architectural treasures of Palm Springs atop an open-air double-decker bus, led by Katrina Dippner for the second year in a row.

“I try to bring a younger flair and engage with our kids as much as I can,” Dippner said. “To see our kids have experiences like these, it’s monumental.”

She, too, once embarked on that same bus tour with her art class as a student at Palm Springs High School. It’s also how she learned about Modernism Week’s scholarship opportunity for Coachella Valley students interested in studying architecture or a design-related field. And it’s what kindled her interest in pursuing interior design as a career, said Becky Patterson, her former art teacher.

“If there’s a little spark of something in terms of art, careers, understanding the significance of Palm Springs and the architectural work out here, I think it’s just a great opportunity for the kids to just be exposed to it,” Patterson said.

Dippner is now an interior designer at Michelle Boudreau Design — the design studio in Palm Springs tasked with re-envisioning the House of Tomorrow’s second interior renovation project.

Influenced by her family’s work in construction, Adriana Duran, a senior at Cathedral City High, plans to pursue a career in architecture or, like Dippner, in interior design.

“It was really nice to see how you can get creative with the different design elements and structural nature,” Duran said. “I really loved the windows that led to the backyard, the use of colors — and the pool was really cool.”

Mia Guzman, a senior at Palm Springs High added: “That they still try to make the house look modern but keep what the house had originally, that’s what I liked about it.”

A renewed perspective

Mario Cruz, who teaches art at Cathedral City High School, said it took two months for his students to prepare a wall of art based on Albert Frey’s designs — currently displayed at the Hyatt Palm Springs’ south entrance, in partnership with local nonprofit Coachellart and Modernism Week.

“Just getting the Cathedral City High kids out to Palm Springs to witness and share some of the unique architectural qualities is really important to me,” Cruz said. “I just hope they walk away with some appreciation of where they’re from and that they can also see the beauty of their surrounding cities.”

The tour certainly did. Many of the art students said the tour offered them a renewed appreciation for Palm Springs.

“I never realized how big architecture was in the city,” Valeria Hernandez said, “because living here and growing up here, you think you know so much about where you live, but you don’t. I now understand the popularity of the city and the people who want to come here.”

Lilly Hanner feels like she grew up at the Palm Springs Art Museum, as her grandmother worked in the administration office. She has ambitions of becoming a museum curator. “I feel I have a better appreciation (for the mid-century architecture)," the Palm Springs High senior said. "Even if it’s not reflected through my art, if I do make something, I know exactly how to represent where I come from.”

Tomorrow's inspiration

The students really honed in on the 30-degree-angled dodecagons (twelve-sided polygons) at the House of Tomorrow. “Seeing how everything in the house is customized to work around that, it’s the little details that I loved the most,” Hernandez said.

With its striking circular motifs and other unconventional shapes, the 4,700 square foot home captivated the art students' imagination, prompting them to whip out their cell phones for some snapshots — likely to be used as reference photos for future projects.

“I’m a ceramics student, so one thing is that you really have to care about the structure and how well something sits and holds up,” said Sparrow Millard. “I think being able to see how these houses are structurally built and how they’ve held up over the past few decades is really awesome.”

Some of the Palm Springs High art students said that while their current focus in class are figure drawings, the geometric forms of the mid-century homes have shaped their artistic direction.

“When I look around at some of the buildings, I can see the human form and some of the shapes they use,” said Parker Merlin. “I notice those little details and I feel like I’m appreciating the architect who’s behind it, and not just the house. I feel like I’ll be adding more shapes in the future to my drawings.”

Merlin expressed her desire to pursue art in the future, but admitted to feeling intimidated by the rapid development of artificial intelligence over the past year. A few other art students agreed, but confessed to using AI as an aid for visual references. Dippner understands their fears and concerns, but she said she doesn’t worry.

“To be creative is never going to be something that you download, something that you put in the computer and get the output,” she said. “I say go for whatever you want — but work hard for what you want. Don’t do anything half desired.”

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs-area art students find inspiration at Modernism Week