ADVICE:
WHAT IS DESERT X? & HOW DO I EXPERIENCE IT?
by Regina Mamou, Director of Art Muse LA, 1 March 2023.
Image Credit: Kathleen Ryan (b. 1984, Santa Monica, CA). Ghost Palm. Steel, acrylic, polycarbonate, approximately 25 x 12 x 12 ft. (7.62 x 3.66 x 3.66 m). 33.945130, -116.485106. Desert Hot Springs, California, USA. Desert X 2019, direct link.
Desert X is a biennial art exhibition that started in 2017. Located in Coachella Valley, about 120 miles almost directly east of Los Angeles, the artwork at Desert X is sprinkled around this location. The exhibition is spread out, and the drive time between works can be anywhere from 10 minutes apart to 45 minutes apart. With this in mind, navigating Desert X can be tricky, especially if you only have limited time in the area. Considering these factors, we have tips to prepare you for this special exhibition.
Map it out.
Before you even begin your journey, you’ll want to ensure that you look at the Desert X map here. Map out the drive time between all the artwork plus your drive time to and from wherever you will stay for the night (you’ll want to stay the night). If you start planning once you’re already in Coachella Valley, you may discover that some artwork is farther away than others.
Pay attention to any artwork instructions.
Several works had instructions during the fair's first iteration, e.g., texting a number to receive a code to see an installation. We recommend you check the Desert X website on March 4 (when the exact locations for each installation are announced). You will also want to find out if there are any closures for each work on particular days or hours. In the past Desert X editions, several of the artworks were subject to daily closures, e.g., one work was located in a nature preserve that closed after 5 p.m. This may or may not occur this year, but we recommend reading the fine print just in case.
Plan on staying for 1–2 nights.
Depending on where you are coming from – you will most likely need to stay the night (or 2 nights). If you’re coming directly from Los Angeles, it’ll probably take around 2 hours to get to Coachella Valley. While you could do the whole thing and drive back in a day, it will be a lot of driving and not at all relaxing. We recommend picking a spot in or around Coachella Valley as your home base, so you don’t have to worry about driving through city traffic at night.
Book now!
On that note about finding a place to stay, you should book your overnights now. There are many activities in Palm Springs and Indio during these spring months, and hotels and Airbnbs are in high demand. Your best bet is to visit Desert X during the week, as finding any places over the weekend is difficult.
Don’t want to bother with the driving and planning? Leave it to us.
Art Muse LA offers customized private tours of Desert X. We can either meet you in Coachella Valley or greater Los Angeles. Either way, once you arrive at the exhibition, we will have a car service waiting so we can share our passion and deep knowledge of the art and artists, and you can sit back and relax. Prefer to meet a group of like-minded people? We also have a small-group trip planned from April 26–28; a virtual preview of the trip is on Thursday, March 16, 6–6:30 p.m. PDT.