Art Galleries & Studios

29 PALMS ART GALLERY

The 29 Palms Art Gallery is owned and operated by the 29 Palms Artists’ Guild, the oldest arts organization in the Morongo Basin, founded by a group of prominent desert artists in 1951-52, including famed desert landscape painter John Hilton (who served as its first president), Merritt Boyer, Evelyn Hutchinson, Michael Malloy, Kirk Martin, Vera Martin, Edna Onderdonk, and Fritiof Perssons. The gallery is incorporated as an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to “create a spirit of cooperation and fellowship between the artist and the public.”

In 1963, the guild purchased a historic adobe at the Oasis of Mara (built in 1936 by the Stubbs Brothers as a home for western pulp fiction author Tom Hopkins). The adobe has served as the guild’s permanent art gallery and gift shop for 55+ years. Monthly art shows feature desert art from September through June with a Summer Show by Artists’ Guild members. The gallery also hosts seasonal events like the annual Pioneer Days Chili Dinner and a Holiday Art and Craft Fair, creative fundraisers, and art auctions. A gift shop on the premises helps fund the gallery.

29 PALMS CREATIVE CENTER 

Explore your creative side and see the artistic underground that exists here in the desert. The 29 Palms Creative Center welcomes visitors! Book an art party with your friends or schedule an art event for kids or adults. Artist/owner Gretchen Grunt and other studio artists offer art activities for the local or traveling art adventurer. The 29 Palms Creative Center welcomes visitors by appointment to paint pottery and create a canvas painting in the inspiring OPEN studio. Choose from a wide selection of ready-to-paint pottery: cups, plates, tiles, and tons of figurines, plus instant canvas painting.

The 29 Palms Creative Center is a working-studio environment for professional, amateur, or budding artists to make mosaics, paintings, drawings, monotype prints on a Griffin etching press, fabric art, jewelry, handmade books, painted ceramics, and more. Classes are offered year-round for adults, teens, and children for groups or personal instruction. An art camp for kids and teens is offered in the summer.

GLASS OUTHOUSE ART GALLERY

The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery is one of Twentynine Palms’ most unusual sites to see, located just east of downtown in Wonder Valley. Monthly art shows are celebrated with an art reception on the first Saturday of each month with food, beverages, live music, and camaraderie. The gallery features desert artists, photographers, and musicians. Yes, there is a real glass outhouse, plus a hand-built Wayside Chapel and found-object art installations throughout the property. Admission is free.

Annual Art Events

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK ART EXPOSITION

The Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition held each fall features a juried exhibition with artwork depicting or inspired by Joshua Tree National Park created by 50+ artists from across California, the United States, and Canada. The exhibition is on display at the 29 Palms Art Gallery through the month of November. The art exposition celebration weekend features an art market with artist booths, food and beverages, plus free art demonstrations and the exhibition at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. Admission is free.

Presented by the Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts.

HWY 62 OPEN STUDIO ART TOURS

The Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours are a one-of-a-kind experience for art lovers and art buyers/collectors to create a customized self-guided tour of art studios scattered across communities in the High Desert and to speak directly with the artists about their work and creative endeavors in the intimacy of their private workspaces. Purchase art directly from more than 150 desert artists, tour their habitats and art studios, visit local gallery exhibitions, and enjoy a variety of ancillary cultural events. Full-color catalogs and art maps are available at local galleries, the City of 29 Palms Visitor Center, and other businesses around town. You may also find a complete directory online.

Presented by the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council.