About Desert X:

Desert X was conceived to produce recurring international contemporary art exhibitions that activate desert locations through site-specific installations by acclaimed international artists.

The Desert X 2021 exhibition explores the desert as both a place and idea, acknowledging the realities of people who reside here and the political, social, and cultural contexts that shape our stories. Among the first art experiences in the region since widespread lockdowns to offer a safe, outdoor experience that is free and open to all, Desert X includes thirteen newly commissioned works that collectively pose urgent questions about our pasts while imagining the possibilities of a shared future.

Student/Family Resources:

A robust series of public and educational programs accompany the Desert X 2021 artists’ projects and help broaden the exhibition’s reach to students and families regionally, nationally, and internationally. All resources are available at the Desert X website. 

The Family Guide

The Family Guide is a user-friendly educational tool for visitors to Desert X, written in Spanish and English. The guide is designed for families and includes artwork themes and conversation prompts. Download the Desert X family guide. 

Think Together Arts Curriculum

This three-part curriculum examines the career of artist Judy Chicago, who has for decades challenged creative conventions and created new ways to experience art. The lessons include art history, STEAM interactions, and hands-on experiences. Created by Think Together and the Nevada Museum of Art in partnership with Desert X. Access the Desert X Curriculum. 

Mask Workshop With Serge Attukwei Clottey

This mask-making activity is connected to Serge Attukwei Clottey’s performance at The Wishing Well in which the artist embodied a water warrior. In this activity, learn about the jerrycans Serge uses to create his sculptures and create your own water warrior mask. The activity is available at desertx.org/learn/programs.

Frequencies by Oscar Murillo

Frequencies is a long-term collaborative project engaging students from all over the world. Students are given a blank canvas that they are invited to intervene in as they wish. For Desert X 2021, Oscar Murillo has invited 1,000 students throughout the Coachella Valley to participate in the project. A presentation of these students’ work will open in early May. More information about the date and location of the exhibition will be available on the Desert X website soon.

To learn more about all Desert X programming, visit desertx.org/learn/programs.

For the latest updates, sign up for their newsletter via the Desert X website. 

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 1

Innovative approaches for equitable and exciting opportunities in the visual and performing arts for students during school closures from Riverside County Arts leads.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 2

Meridy Volz's "Art with Heart" program at Indio Juvenile Hall was an instant success, and she was determined to continue teaching even as COVID-19 prevented her from entering the facility.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 3

The Our Town Cultural Arts Program brings the cultural arts into elementary school classrooms in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, engaging students in the traditions and cultures of the citizens who make up our community and the students who sit in our classrooms.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 4

Lady Lead (LL) was founded five years ago by Louisa Higgins, Visual and Performing Arts, and Sarah Scheideman, Artist from Palm Springs Unified School District as a way for middle school girls of promise to interact with female art mentors while doing an arts and crafts project.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 5

Riverside Unified School District's performing arts students join in a partnership project with the community.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 6

In the spring of 2020 the Val Verde Unified School District initiated a Student Quarantine Art Contest, inspired by the Getty Challenge. Students were asked to select a piece of artwork from Google Arts and Culture and re-create it.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 7

The Moreno Valley Unified School District’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program was reinvented in 2015 as an investment for all students and has proven to be an exceptional program with its recent Golden Bell Award designation.

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 8

In this month’s edition of Amplifying the Arts, we would like to celebrate the California School Board Association Golden Bell Award received by Murrieta Valley Unified School District’s VAPA program called Horizons Unlimited. 

Amplifying the Arts, Volume 9

Riverside County Office of Education, Visual and Performing Arts, is proud to partner with the McCallum Theatre Education to present its online series.