interview by Saige Wexler
The Indian Wells Arts Festival has been gaining momentum since 2002, and has become a huge crowd pleaser amongst art enthusiasts and professionals alike. Each year, this event displays a vast array of art, ranging in form, style, and medium.
Due to the wide scope of artistic diversity represented at the festival, it has attracted both guests and artists from around the world. Participants from over 30 different countries have showcased their work throughout the years. Some of these artists are well-established in the art community and have exhibited collections in world-renowned museums, while others are fresh newcomers brimming with exciting talent and great potential.
Stroll through the beautiful Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, discover an international collection of fine art, have a chat with the artists themselves, and browse for purchase or viewing pleasure. Light your own creative spark with hands-on activities while grooving along to live tunes. Gain an inside look into the behind-the-scenes action with art demonstrations, and then fuel your taste buds at the Gourmet MarketPlace or Easter weekend brunch.
Interested in attending this year? Read on. Marisa Holladay from the Indian Wells Arts Festival shares all the deets you’ll need to know about this year’s fest in the Coachella Magazine interview below.
When and how did the Indian Wells Arts Festival first start?
Dianne Funk began producing art festivals in the Coachella Valley in 1986, with Faire a La Quinta, followed by Southwest Arts Festival in Indio in 1989. Building upon that success, Funk created the Indian Wells Arts Festival in 2002 and has achieved an international scope.
Can you describe the festival for those who have yet to attend?
As a Top 50 Fine Art festival in the nation, the 3-day event transforms the grounds of the luxurious Indian Wells Tennis Garden concourse into an artisan village. With each step taken along the tree-lined paths, a colorful discovery awaits art enthusiasts from 200 juried artists in 28 mediums of sculpture, paintings, jewelry, ceramics, photography, textiles, fashion, wearable art, and more. Festival-goers enjoy a casual atmosphere filled with live music, gourmet confections, artist demonstrations and fun art activities for art-lovers of all ages. The leisurely ambiance of it all makes the event an easy way to spend the day with family and friends meeting artists, perusing art forms and acquiring new works for collections of all budget sizes with the opportunity to purchase works directly from the artists. The festival has a renowned reputation for quality in the art community and so attracts emerging artists as well as award-winning established artists.
Tell us about some of the artists this year. Are there any that stand out to you?
This year, artists at the 16th annual event represent 28 countries around the world, 20 states across the nation, and 60 of the artists have exhibited in the collections of major museums and art institutions ranging from the Smithsonian, the Carrousel Gallery of the Musée du Louvre, the U.S. Department of the Interior Art Museum and Japan’s Kyoto Museum. One of the exciting aspects of the Festival is the chance to meet artists we might not otherwise have access to… they live states away or even on the other side of the world.
For example, ceramicist Tatsuo Sagane travels 5,515 miles from his remote cherry-blossom mountaintop village in the Kyoto Prefecture of Japan, where he fires his traditional pottery made with the same ground soil in which he sustainably grows wheat to make his favorite Soba tea. Or, Chilean painter Veronica Leiton whose oil on canvas dreamscapes are found in French galleries to the José Luis Cuevas Museum in Mexico City. Akzhana Abdalieva and Maxim Maximov just this year landed in California from Kazakhstan and Russia, respectively. Their paintings are bold with color, rich with emotion and empowering of the female form.
It sounds like there’s quite an international mix of artists. Can you discuss the selection process?
Each year artists apply to be showcased at the festival by submitting samples of their most recent work and work that best represents their body of art. With applications coming in from all over the country and beyond, a jury of art professionals review the artist submissions, including their resume and sample work, and judges each based on criteria for fine art across the 28 mediums. Great consideration is given to ensure a well-balanced mix among the genres to be presented at the festival so that anyone who attends the show will find work they gravitate to and potentially discover a new art form to capture their interest. Also weighing in the considerations is the relevancy of the artists so that the proportion of local artists, international artists, and new and returning artists are in line with creating an exciting show each year.
Can you talk about this year’s featured artist and what is means to be a featured artist?
In an annual tradition to commemorate the festival and celebrate the beautiful Coachella Valley desert in which it takes place, an artist is commissioned to create an original work of art to serve as the official commemorative poster image.
This year, Laguna Niguel artist Carolyn Johnson was selected to be the 2018 Feature Artist. Developing an entirely new signature technique she calls “pastel fusion,” Johnson has produced the stunning “Midnight Bloom,” 39”w x 54”h, mixed media painting. Depicting the magic of the desert night sky with an upward gaze from a midnight blooming cacti extending into a dancing galaxy above, Johnson enhances the painting’s textural elements by fusing a distinctive effervescent layer, creating a deeply rich dimension of drama.
Describe the artist demonstrations and activities taking place.
As art enthusiasts, we tend to have a great appreciation for the level of skill involved in crafting a poignant painting, fabulous sculpture or intricately detailed piece of jewelry, but we often never really get the chance to see how it’s made and comes to life. Artist demonstrations at the festival provide just that opportunity to watch a master craftsman at work.
Los Angeles-based glassblower Bruce Freund brings his portable furnace that reaches temperatures of more than 2100 degrees and will transform sand into colorful, delicate hand-blown glass art. Textile-weaver Antonio Mendoza uses his great-grandfather’s pedal-loom and a 2000 year-old Zapotec Indian technique passed down in his family for generations to weave story-filled tapestries, all while coming up with the design as he weaves in each piece of his family’s hand-spun yarn. And, chiseling away at a large-scale block of limestone are father and son artists David and Christopher Falossi, together they will turn stone into sculpture over the three days of the event. Falossi is an accomplished sculptor whose work is a part of the Brea Art in Public Places and has been catalogued by the Smithsonian. We call the duo, the Rock Stars.
Additionally, there will be pottery-making on-site with Old Town Artisan Studios; a free “Midnight Bloom” Commemorative Print Photo-Op hosted by the photographers of Cathedral City High School’s DATA Digital Imaging program, and fully powered with solar energy harnessed by Hot Purple Energy; and a Commemorative Print Coloring booth hosted by Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Is there anything about the Indian Wells Arts Festival that most people don’t know?
A very special treat at the festival is the Saturday and Easter Sunday “Champagne + Eggs in the Garden” brunch menu under the shaded pavilion. My personal favorite are the mimosas to be had at the Champagne Circle Bar.
What is your favorite aspect of the festival?
The best thing about the Indian Wells Arts Festival is its ability to present fine art, for all budgets, in a setting that is as gorgeous as the art itself. The vibe is relaxed and engaging, making it easy to spend the day exploring. There is something for everyone’s tastes to be discovered… whether you’re a serious buyer looking to enhance your collection or an art lover just looking for something that moves you.
WHAT: Indian Wells Arts Festival
WHEN: March 30 — April 1, 2018
WHERE: Indian Wells Tennis Gardens
TICKETS: www.IndianWellsArtsFestival.com