Art Walk: 5 New Desert Installations

This 12-by-20-foot steel arachnid-like sculpture stands sentinel across from the Palm Springs Art Museum — the latest in Cathedral City–based artist Ryan Campbell’s Crawler series. While the name might seem a nod to its tarantula-like form, Campbell explains it actually references the statue’s poised appearance, as if caught mid-motion, ready to “get up and crawl away.” Coated in iridescent black paint, Crawler shifts in color as you move around it, flashing shades of deep green, purple, and blue, creating a mesmerizing, almost otherworldly, wholly immersive effect.

Spanning Museum Way in downtown Palm Springs, this temporary installation comes courtesy of sister city San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Created by artist Daniel “Mestiz” Valero, Deriva Floral — meaning “Floral Drift” — features 36 massive fuchsia blooms draped over and dotting the roadway, forming a cheerful vignette of color and joy. On view through the end of the month, the “immersive, Instagram-worthy”work celebrates cross-cultural connection by “building bridges across languages, customs, and generations.” 

This rainbow-clad display is the work of prolific Palm Springs artist Jim Isermann. Bearing the look of a kaleidocycle, the spirited piece brings together three mainstays of LGBTQ+ symbolism — triangles, rainbows, and lambdas — cutting a dynamic figure at the edge of Frances Stevens Park. Appearing to fold in on itself, the installation is a dazzling play of movement, color, and light, beautifully honoring the city’s rich LGBTQ+ history and community.

Turtles are my favorite animal, so this charming new sculpture on display at North Jackson Park in Indio holds a special place in my heart. Created by artist Peter Hazel, the 20-foot-long tortoise is fashioned from recycled glass and handmade ceramic tiles in rich purple and teal hues. With its friendly expression and piercing cerulean eyes, the mosaic reptile seemingly watches over its grassy surroundings, inviting parkgoers to pause, explore, and bask in its sweet presence.

This new mural gracing Indio’s Fred Waring Bridge was created by visual artist Hervey Garcia. Spanning 604 feet on each side, the installation draws inspiration from Eadweard Muybridge’s 1878 Horse in Motion experiments. Utilizing kinetic mechanical movement, the mural comes to life when recorded via smart phone, the lens magically transforming the static imagery into galloping horses and birds in flight. Composed of 700 frames and 556 hand-stenciled figures, the mural’s effect is best experienced while driving at around 35 miles per hour. (Safety reminder: only passengers should be filming.)