An art expo by Sarah Scheideman

interview by Jorge Perezchica

Sarah Scheideman, Founder and Executive Director at The Coachella Valley Art Scene has a new installment of her permanent art installation located inside of The Saguaro’s lobby. In Coloramas, Sarah explores the hotel through her creative use of color and handcrafted detail.

“I really want to handcraft every detail, tell good stories, and still have fun.” — Sarah Scheideman

You presented the first installation at Saguaro 4 years ago — how did that get started and what was the inspiration?
The first installation was called “Day in the Life at Saguaro” and that series was more-so based around introducing the hotel to the community. The hotel was somewhat new at that time. I was doing a pop-up craft table in the lobby every Friday night, so I was there on a weekly basis. They (The Saguaro) had this merchandise area that wasn’t working out, so the hotel’s art director and I collaborated to come up with a way to make it “work”, which ended up being this art installation.

I suggested to do what I like to do best, which is make it crafty and fun and playful while at the same time interpreting how the guests interacted with the hotel. Saguaro has been amazing in letting me run with my vision, which I value and appreciate greatly that they trust me with their brand and image. The art installation is one of the first things people see after they check in at the hotel – I hope that it sets a welcoming and friendly tone.

Is there anything else you wanted to expand on or say from the first series?
It’s nice to come back and do it again 4 years later. I have had lots of work experience in the arts since the first install. This time I had a clear vision and wanted it to be more curated. The new piece explores the colors of The Saguaro. They’re repainting the entire hotel, refreshing it with these really fun colors. So, I pitched to them, “If you’re going to refresh the paint job, let’s really dive into each color and explore it.”

I really wanted to make it more curated, more focused. The first time, I thought it was fun to be funny and just be goofy with toys. This time, I was like, “I really want to handcraft every detail, tell good stories, and still have fun.”

WHAT: COLORAMAS: An art expo by Sarah Scheideman
WHERE: THE SAGUARO, Palm Springs
1800 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264