Sept. 22 Daily Briefing: Sculpture backlash, air race success, a star for Leslie Jordan, and more

TGIF, everyone, and welcome to fall when it finally arrives tomorrow. Despite relative mildness in Palm Springs this summer, it was reported yesterday that the planet experienced its hottest August on record, following the hottest June and July. To make matters worse, the US has already seen 23 weather disasters this year, each with damages over $1 billion. That’s also an all-time high. “Sunbirds” (our made-up term for residents who flee the city in the summer for cooler climates) may find limited options before too long.

🎶 Setting the mood: “This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads

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LEADING OFF

Years in the making, memorial sculpture design suddenly faces backlash

Criticism of the planned AIDS Memorial Sculpture destined for Downtown Park erupted here and nationally this past week after a local TV news report went viral.

Driving the news: On Sept. 15, a story featuring two Palm Springs residents who had concerns about the artwork’s design — claiming the nine-foot-tall circular sculpture resembled something vulgar — was posted online. The news quickly went viral and the project began being mocked on extreme right-wing websites and social media accounts.

• In one instance, the Twitter account for an outlet billing itself as “a newsletter for the ‘conspiracy theorists’” posted a video about the sculpture that has been viewed more than 1 million times. Slurs and homophobic comments were posted in the comments section.

Looking back: The Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Task Force has been working to create the memorial for eight years. The preliminary designs have been available to the public since at least June 2021 when the Public Arts Commission first voted unanimously to recommend its approval. 

By the numbers: The task force needs to privately raise $500,000 for the memorial, which will be created by local artist Phillip K. Smith. 

• Last June, the Palm Springs City Council approved up to $65,000 for the project’s installation, the only city money to be used.

The latest: On Wednesday evening, Smith and commissioners addressed the national and local reaction during the monthly Public Arts Commission meeting, with the artist saying he has apologized to those offended by the proposed design.

• “Having worked on projects in the public realm over the last 20 years, I’ve learned that great design happened through listening, adapting, and realigning,” Smith said.

What we’re watching: The task force is currently working on new iterations of the design, Smith said, noting that they “will honor the original intentions while directly addressing people’s number one concern.”

• The AIDS memorial sculpture could be a discussion item at the next Public Arts Commission meeting — currently scheduled for Oct. 18 — allowing for additional public comment.

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BRIEFLY

💈Discussion group aims to break through stigmas

• Let’s Kick ASS Palm Springs (LKAPS) is joining forces with Brothers of the Desert to create a new discussion group called Barbershop: A Black Men’s Space for Honest Talk About Sexual Wellness. 
  
  
• The meetings are open to gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and straight allied Black men, and the topics will range from dating and intimacy to aging with HIV.
  
  
• “It really is meant to build connection and destigmatize some of the ways we feel about HIV in the Black and gay communities,” said Tim Vincent, president of Brothers of the Desert. “It’s nice  to have a safe space to be who we are right now.” 
  
• Details: The first discussion group will be on Oct. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free, but an RSVP is required to receive the address to the discussion group location. Please email Info_Barbershop@LKAPS.org to attend.

⭐ Star will honor late Leslie Jordan

• The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce is set to honor the late actor and comedian Leslie Jordan with the 462nd star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars.
  
  
• The star, sponsored by the Del Shores Foundation, will be unveiled at Downtown Palm Springs Park on Oct. 20.
  
  
• Why it matters: The star dedication is a tribute to Jordan’s prolific career in film, television, and stage. Known for his Emmy-winning role in “Will & Grace” and his iconic character in “Sordid Lives,” Jordan appeared in over 130 movies and TV shows, including “American Horror Story,” “The Cool Kids,” and “Boston Legal.”

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YOUR WEEKEND

ALL WEEKEND

Cinema Diverse Film Festival
Palm Springs Cultural Center
Several feature-length films and shorts are on offer every day in this world-class film festival that presents LGBTQ+ cinema from around the world. ($14.50)

Brigadoon
Palm Canyon Theatre
Lerner and Loewe’s magical tale kicks off the season for the valley’s longest-running theater company, located at 538 N. Palm Canyon Dr. ($17-$38)

Taste Buds: A Summer Chef Series
Ace Hotel & Swim Club
Chef Jonathan Whitener has curated a special menu for the weekend event in partnership with King’s Highway.

FRIDAY

Perez Art Walk
4 p.m. | Perez Road in Cathedral City
On the fourth Friday of the month, more than 30 artists on Perez Road open up their galleries to the public so they can look around and witness the creative process themselves.

Lotería Night
5 p.m. | Demuth Park Community Center
Families are invited to this free bingo event with free food as long as supplies last.

The Roundtable: HIV/AIDS survivors
5:30 p.m. | Ken Seeley Community Room
A weekly discussion group for long-term HIV/AIDS survivors in the Coachella Valley. 

SATURDAY

Mythopoetica
1 p.m. | Palm Springs Art Museum
Come to the museum for “Mythopoetica: Symbols and Stories,” with multiple events starting at 1 p.m. that include lectures, a film, and an artists’ meet and greet. (Free with admission or membership)

Print Release Party
6 p.m. | The Shag Store
Join the artist Shag (Josh Agle) for a cocktail reception and meet and greet to celebrate the release of his Dog Days fine art print.

SUNDAY

T-Dance
4 p.m. | Oscar’s
Join a rotating list of the area’s best DJs and hear the sounds of the happy disco dance era coming from the Courtyard at Oscar’s Downtown Palm Springs.

Karaoke Night
6 p.m. | Quadz
Download the KaraFun app and join in the fun at this twice-weekly event at the South Indian Canyon Drive hotspot.

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SAVE THE DATE

• PSUSD Diversity and Racial Equity Conference on Sept. 30 at Palm Springs Convention Center.
  
  
• Boo2Bullying Wellness Festival  on Sept. 30 at Sunrise Park.
  
  
• Palm Springs Vintage Market returns for the season starting Oct. 1
  
  
• Evening Under The Stars benefitting AAP – Food Samaritans on Oct. 14 ($200)
  
  
• Modernism Week October from Oct. 19-22. ($45-$150)
  
  
• Center Stage 2023, benefitting The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, on Oct. 20. ($350)

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AND FINALLY …

Congratulations are in order for the Palm Springs Air Museum team, which is celebrating some success this week after one of its historic aircraft pulled off something unique at an air race in Nevada.

Driving the news: The museum’s P-63 Kingcobra, named Pretty Polly and flown by Patrick Nightingale, came in third in the Unlimited Bronze race on the final day of the Reno Air Races, overtaking a P-51 Spam Can.

Why that matters: For those of us who don’t know air racing, that’s a big deal! The P-63 Kingcobra has a different engine than the P-51, and it’s assumed the P-51s will always beat out the P-63s.

Dive deeper: Having a P-63 Kingcobra in flying condition is extremely rare, and Princess Polly is one of only three that fly in the world and the only one currently on public display.

• Pretty Polly was the fourth such aircraft to come off the assembly line in 1944 and she never saw combat. Palm Springs Air Museum founder Bob Pond purchased the plane in 1988.

If you want to see Pretty Polly for yourself, she’s usually inside the European Army Hangar at the PSAM. She’s also a constant on the Southern California Air Show Circuit and always participates in the museum’s Veterans and Memorial Day fly-overs.

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🍺 Kendall needs to order a dirndl so she can go to Oktoberfest.

🙌🏼 Mark is celebrating a one-day streak of not using air conditioning.

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