Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert Featuring 'Major' Exhibition of American Sculptor

From Palm Springs Art Museum: Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, The Galen and the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden, is proud to feature the first major exhibition of American sculptor Pat Lasch, running Saturday, March 25 through Sunday, October 15.

Pat Lash: Journeys of the Heart surveys more than four decades of the artist’s work, highlighting delicate cake and pastry sculptures for which she is best known, alongside stitched canvases, porcelain figures and a stunning display of life-size dresses marking significant moments in a woman’s life. Lasch’s intensely biographical work is rooted in spirituality and decorative arts, offering a feminist perspective weighted with the pains and joys of heartbreak, age and adventure. From immaculate cakes studded with pins or coated in black icing, to figurative bronzes and lavish dresses, Lasch’s sculptures compose a wondrous world filled with beauty, light, and darkness.

Born in New York City in 1944, Lash emerged in the ’70s as one of the original members of A.I.R., an important and influential women’s gallery collective. While still based in New York, the pioneering artist has been a seasonal resident of the Coachella Valley for over a decade.

“Lasch’s gift has been to capture the magic of everyday phenomena we all experience —body, love, sex, birth, death — and transform these resonant moments into permanent, sculptural icons,” says Palm Springs Art Museum Curator Mara Gladstone. “Her work is unabashedly about emotion and beauty; there’s power in that.”

Educational components of Journeys of the Heart include a fully illustrated color catalogue; a museum-produced video exploring Lash’s process; touch-and-feel materials cards; and an ArtTalk with the artist on Wednesday, April 5, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, The Galen. To commemorate the exhibition, limited edition mini cake sculptures, postcards, notecards and signed catalogues are available for purchase at the new pop-up store at The Galen.

Pat Lash: Journeys of the Heart, is organized by Palm Springs Art Museum and supported by the Clinton Hill & Allen Tran Foundation, and Donna MacMillan.

The 2016/2017 Season at the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert is presented by Provident Bank. Additional sponsors include Eisenhower Medical Center, Rapport International Furniture and Renova Solar.

Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert is located at 72-567 Highway 111 at El Paseo. Admission is free, generously underwritten by Helene V. Galen. For hours and additional information, visit psmuseum.org or call (760) 346-5600.

About Palm Springs Art Museum

Palm Springs Art Museum is the largest cultural institution in the Coachella Valley and includes three locations in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. The flagship building is located in downtown Palm Springs and features compelling art exhibitions, a vast permanent collection, and the 43-seat Annenberg Theater, all in a 150,000 square foot, architecturally-significant building. Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, features exhibitions and programming that explore the rich topics of architecture and design. Admission to the A+D Center is free. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert is an 8,400 square foot, Silver LEED-certified building named The Galen that presents rotating exhibitions and special collections. It is surrounded by the four-acre Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden featuring important sculpture works. Admission to the Palm Desert location is free, generously underwritten by Helene V. Galen. For more information, call 760-322-4800, visit psmuseum.org, and follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Photos courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum