Palm Springs Public Arts Commission selects its choices for new city park sculptures

The Palm Springs Public Arts Commission has selected proposals for new public art installations in four city parks, following an extensive review process of 40 qualified submissions. Next up is an opportunity for the public to weigh in.

During a special meeting Tuesday, the commission chose sculptures for Desert Highland Park, Victoria Park, Gateway Park, and Baristo Park, with a focus on family-friendly and visually striking pieces. The total investment across the four parks could reach $200,000.

Commission Chair Gary Armstrong explained the selection process, saying, “This project started easily seven, eight months ago. And this came on the heels of the Pillars of Palm Springs, which was a major initiative for the commission and the city.”

For Desert Highland Park, the commission selected “Guardians” by artist Amir Fallah as their top choice. The choice for Victoria Park was “Rover,” a large-scale dog sculpture by Jeff Zischke. “Dancer Six” by Lyle London was chosen for Gateway Park. For Baristo Park, the commission selected “Spegody” by Jack Howard-Potter.

The selection process involved multiple rounds of voting and discussion, with commissioners considering factors such as scale, visual impact, and appropriateness for each park’s unique characteristics.

“My intent is that we, for each park, choose a winner and then a runner-up, and then we will go to that community and say, here’s the one that we selected, here’s the runner-up,” Armstrong said. “Which best represents what your community likes?”

The commission also discussed the potential for some of the unselected pieces to be considered for other locations in the city, such as the airport or convention center.

The next steps will involve seeking community input and securing final approvals for funding. For Gateway Park and Baristo Park, the commission will need to formally approve the allocated budget before presenting the selections to the City Council for final approval.

Armstrong concluded the meeting by encouraging commissioners to review all 40 submissions again and consider reaching out to artists whose work was not selected but showed potential for future projects in Palm Springs.

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