Public Art Installations in 29 Palms
Art has always played a role in 29 Palms history, from the early Native Americans to the desert homesteaders of the 1920s to the artists who settled here and began an art scene in the 1940s and 1950s. The 29 Palms Artists’ Guild was founded in 1951-52 by famous desert landscape artist John Hilton and a group of desert artists. A renaissance in the 1990s saw the birth of Action 29 Palms and the Oasis of Murals, followed by a variety of sculpture installations and public art projects. In 2004, the City of Twentynine Palms established an Art in Public Places program and appointed a Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC), which has helped to oversee continuing public art in the community.
Some notable public art installations, in addition to the Oasis of Murals, are listed below. Many steel sculptures were donated by sculptor Simi Dabah of LA, who also has a sculpture property on Sunfair Road in Joshua Tree featuring several hundred of his pieces. Famous metal artist Ricardo Breceda of Borrego Springs was commissioned in 2013 and 2014 to add some of his magnificent big horn sheep and other steel sculptures to National Park Drive.
*Iconic “29!” steel sculpture downtown 29 Palms by Chuck Caplinger and Moe Pegorelli, 2009. (above, top)
*Dan Luckenbill memorial sculpture at 29 Palms Library by Simi Dabah, 2013. (above, bottom)
*Top bar: Steel sculptures on National Park Drive by Ricardo Breceda (left), and Simi Dabah (right).
Other sculptors include artist Steve Rieman of Yucca Valley; the late Terry Waite of 29 Palms; and mural artist Chuck Caplinger of 29 Palms who designed the iconic “29!” metal sculpture downtown.
Other 29 Palms artists who left their mark in public places include artists David Greene and Anne Lear, ceramic artists Janet Braley and Perry Hoffman, and former local residents Jesse Woodard, John Whytock, and Greg Howlind. Other artists include bronze sculptors Kay Henkel & John Branstetter of Palm Desert, Dusty Chambers of Morongo Valley, Randy Addy and Marshall Hale of Pioneertown, and Scott Doten of Joshua Tree.
See our (PDF) 29 Palms Public Art Map and listing of public art locations in 29 Palms. Look up, look down, it’s everywhere! Want to know more about a specific piece or art? Compare the map number to the list of public art projects for artist name and year.
*Gold Prospector and Pack Mules on National Park Drive by Ricardo Breceda, 2014. (above)
*Chain of Life sculpture in the Historic Plaza by Steve Rieman, 2009. (right, bottom)
