Enjoy exciting events and activities at Modernism Week’s central hub this February 13-23, 2025.
Modernism Week’s CAMP (“Community And Meeting Place”) will provide a central hub for Modernism Week guests from February 13 – 23, 2025. CAMP returns to the dramatic and beautifully designed Hyatt Palm Springs on Palm Canyon Drive at 285 N. Palm Canyon Drive with free underground parking. Entrance into CAMP is free and open to the public every day during Modernism Week, February 13-23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CAMP is also the ‘depot’ for arrivals and departures of all of Modernism Week’s Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours. Daily talks and presentations will be featured in the Modernism Week Theater at CAMP.
Located inside the Hyatt in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, CAMP will include talks and films, an information desk, the Modernism Week store by Destination PSP, all day food and beverage offerings from Hyatt, a 20-year visual timeline of Modernism Week’s history, book signings, and more. Two free Friday Afternoon Funevents will take place each week featuring a themed costume contest and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. In addition, there will be many sponsor displays including Ferguson, Brizo, Dunn-Edwards Paints, Monogram, and Flor.
CAMP is the central meeting place for all things Modernism. Our attendees may discover activities to attend, shop at our Destination PSP outpost, explore design elements for their homes, and relax and visit with fellow modernists. If Palm Springs is the epicenter of Modernism, CAMP is the epicenter of Modernism Week.
David Dixon, Modernism Week Creative Director and CAMP Manager
Here are a few of the activities available this year at CAMP:
Special Events
Opening Day Celebration and Proclamation by the City of Palm Springs
On Thursday, February 13 at 10 a.m., Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte will present a proclamation commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Modernism Week and CAMP’s Opening Day in the Hyatt atrium near the south entrance. The proclamation will honor the festival’s 20 years of excellence as a world-class festival that draws an international audience to Palm Springs. The celebration is free and open to the public.
Friday Afternoon Fun Themed Costume Contests
Modernism Week guests are encouraged to participate in two free Friday Afternoon Funevents at CAMP, featuring themed costume contests hosted by the fabulous Bella da Ball. Whether guests dress to the nines to win the contest, or just want to enjoy the lively atmosphere, these Friday Afternoon Funevents are the perfect way to launch both Modernism Week weekends in retro fashion. On both February 14 and February 21, a fashion showdown will begin at 2:30 pm. The February 14 theme is Jet Set Chic, where guests will be encouraged to channel the glamour of 1960s luxury travel (with mod dresses, pillbox hats, aviator sunglasses, and chic luggage accessories as the inspiration). The February 21 theme is Poolside Set, where guests willshow off their vintage Palm Springs resort style with flowing kaftans, cabana sets, and midcentury swim accessories like classic swim caps. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative and stylish looks. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served, and a full bar will be available for cocktails, wine, and more (available for purchase).
Video Lounge
Adjoining CAMP will be a video lounge where guests may drop-in and view free Modernism Week-curated video programs, relating to Palm Springs history, micentury modern home tours and historic interviews. A special short film celebrating Modernism Week’s 20th anniversary will be shown between programs.
Mahjong Meet-up
Guests at CAMP will be able to participate in two special afternoons of Mahjong (both Chinese and American versions of the popular midcentury tile game). From 1 to 4 pm on Sunday, February 16 and Monday, February 17, CAMP’s video lounge will be the location for Mahjong enthusiasts to gather, play, and connect. Tables, chairs, and a few Mahjong sets will be available for use, but guests are encouraged to bring their own sets. Guests may arrive with a group or meet new friends as they play this timeless game. This is a free event open to all skill levels, whether they are seasoned players or just curious about Mahjong. In addition, a display of a display of vintage Mahjong tiles will be on display outside the CAMP theater.
Sponsor Experiences at CAMP
Ferguson will have a major presence again this year at CAMP. Mod-inspired curated products will be on display from Monogram (the Statement Collection), café (the Customizable Professional Collection), and Profile (the Combo Laundry). Brizo will showcase several bath and kitchen faucet collections (including the new Kintsu Kitchen Collection), an assortment of gorgeous cabinet hardware from Baldwin, exquisite examples of Myrrin, Emmeline, Lucian vanities from James Martin Vanities, and a stunning Phix Chandelier from Kichler. Ferguson will provide the free “Trends and Influences Vol. 10” booklet to customers to take home and will offer a luxurious seating and lounge area and a Step and Repeat backdrop for photo opportunities. Each day at CAMP, guests will be able to enter for a chance to win a Monogram forge-heated ice press by scanning a QR code and filling out a 2-minute survey.
Furniture sponsor Tidelli Outdoor Living will offer The Tidelli Lounge, a space where guests can gather, socialize and share their Modernism Week experiences. Colorful area rugs in CAMP will be provided by FLOR and will feature the pattern called Leaps and Bounds. Dunn-Edwards Paints will offer a display celebrating their 100th anniversary along with an area for guests to take selfies. They will also showcase the Dunn-Edwards 2025 Color of the Century, Viridian Odyssey (DE1925).
Modernism Week Theater at CAMP Programming
A 150-seat theater adjacent to the main CAMP space will be the location for more than 30 insightful and compelling presentations throughout the festival. Featured presentations include:
· Dueling Visions: Six Moon Hill and Twin Palms “Early Midcentury Modern Communities on the East and West Coasts” (2/14, $15) Six Moon Hill near Boston is celebrated as an early midcentury enclave similar to Twin Palms in Palm Springs. Colin Flavin and Tim Techler, architects and experts in midcentury modern restoration, compare the two locations.
· Boys in the Sand: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction (2/15, $15)
Architect and historian Christopher Rawlins presents a new, expanded edition of his best-selling 2013 book, Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction.
· The Art of the Showroom: Theaters and Nightlife in the Catskills (2/15, $15) Explore the Catskills’ role as the birthplace of American comedy through vivid night scenes and rare theater images. Join Isaac Jeffreys for a visual talk and Q&A about this glamorous era.
· The Weird and Wonderful World of Industrial Musicals (2/15 and 2/16, $25) This entertaining talk is an astonishing look at the secret corporate musical theater we were never meant to see via bizarrely funny vintage film clips presented by Letterman Show and The Simpsons writer Steve Young.
· Discovering Our Modern Modernists (2/16, $15) Artist and gallery owner Terry Hastings will give an engaging overview of some featured local artists and their midcentury Modern influences in this “sneak peek” of the Arts Districts Tour in Palm Springs that takes place during Modernism Week.
· Marvelous Motels: Southern California’s Legacy Motels (2/16, $15) Barkev Msrlyan from Merch Motel showcases contemporary and vintage photographs of Southern California’s midcentury motels.
· “Everyone in the Car!” California Roadside Amusements Vintage Home Movie Cocktail Hour with Deserted Films (2/17 and 2/22, $25) Road Trip! Be entertained by Deserted Films and their curated selection of vintage amateur 16mm, 8mm and Super 8 films shot at major (and minor) California attractions.
· McUrbia: The 1950s and the Birth of Contemporary American Landscape (2/18, $15) In the mid-1950s, key events initiated significant changes in America, creating a landscape shaped by transformations that began more than 75 years ago.
· The Glamorous Gardens of Tommy Tomson (2/18, $15) Tommy Tomson, known as the “Landscape Architect to the Stars,” arrived in Hollywood in the 1920s and designed designing garden spaces from Hollywood to the Coachella Valley.
· Curated Landscape: Monuments, Sculpture and Other Built Delights on the Grounds of Sunnylands (2/18, $15) Join Anne Rowe, Director of Heritage at Sunnylands, as she shares the intriguing provenance of the sculpture and unique “follies” Walter and Leonore Annenberg chose for their estate’s landscape.
· Concrete Modernism: The Architecture of Canada’s Arthur Erickson (2/19, $15) Arthur Erickson is widely regarded as Canada’s greatest architect, renowned for his innovative designs and profound impact on contemporary architecture. Historian Donald Luxton provides an overview.
· Blurring the Lines: Studio AR&D Architects (2/19, $15) Studio AR&D Architects reveal their process of crafting modern desert homes that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating seamless living environments.
· Palm Springs Plays Itself: A Vintage Home Movie Cocktail Hour with Deserted Films (2/19, $25) Local home movie film archive, Deserted Films, will screen and provide entertaining context for a selection of amateur vintage 16mm, 8mm and Super 8 films shot in and around Palm Springs.
· The True Masters of Design: Stunning Design Principles Found Only in the Cinema (2/20, $15) What do set designers know that we don’t? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot, With a degree in architecture and an obsession with set design, Marina Coates takes a look at “cinematic design.”
· Googie In Plain Sight! Armet & Davis’ Sands Hotel in Palm Springs Revitalized (2/20, $15) The former Days Inn in Palm Springs has a new life ahead. Built as a modest hotel in the 1930s with additions in the 50s, it became a Googie-style Sands Hotel by Armet & Davis in the 60s.
· A Landslide and a Masterpiece: The Disassembly of Lloyd Wright’s Wayfarer’s Chapel (2/20, $15) When an ancient landslide began to shift alarmingly 6-9 inches per week in 2024, a team of preservation architects and engineers mobilized to save the beloved Wayfarer’s Chapel by Lloyd Wright.
· Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert (2/21, $15) During the midcentury, Modernism and primitivism united spectacularly in Palm Springs. Authors Sven Kirsten and Peter Moruzzi trace the unique history of Polynesian pop in the California desert.
· Bowlarama: The Architecture of Midcentury Bowling (2/21, $15) Celebrate the architecture and style of an iconic American pastime: Bowling! Chris Nichols and Adriene Biondo take aim at the obsession that swept the post-war nation.
· Simple! Fast! Modern! Fun! Taking the Road to Success with Midcentury Self-Improvement Records (2/21, $25) Let midcentury records improve your life. Instructional LPs featuring fitness gurus and wine connoisseurs that trimmed waists and trained noses, form a fascinating, forgotten facet of Modernist design.
· Lost to Revolution: William F. Cody Projects in Havana, Cuba (2/22, $15) Noted for his work in California and Arizona, William F. Cody also designed projects internationally, including Havana. The revolution halted construction of his 1955 Villa Real Golf Club and Hotel.
· Garry Knox Bennett: Crafting the Counter Culture–Film Screening and Talk (2/22, $15) Garry Knox Bennett was an important Bay Area designer/craftsman whose singular vision, finely crafted furniture and sculpture influenced the counterculture of California in the 60s and 70s and beyond.
· Palace Costume: Hollywood’s Best Kept Fashion Secret (2/22, $15) A behind-the-scenes glimpse into Palace Costume & Prop Co., an exclusive LA film-industry haven of dresses, gowns, accessories, props, and jewelry featured in countless movies for more than 50 years.
· FILM: New England Modernism: Revolutional Architecture in the 20th Century (2/23, FREE) This is a free screening of Emmy® award winning documentary filmmaker Jake Gorst’s documentary on Modern Architecture in New England 1930-1975, and its influence on contemporary architectural design.
Special Focus on Black Mountain College
· The College that Built Itself: A. Lawrence Kocher and Architecture at Black Mountain College (2/17, $15) A journey into the architectural legacy of Black Mountain College, including the campus building program, the iconic Studies Building, and innovative buildings by A. Lawrence Kocher and alumni.
· Anni Albers’s Midcentury Textile Designs After Black Mountain College (2/17, $15) Anni Albers scholar Brenda Danilowitz describe the evolution of two of the textile designer’s previously unpublished midcentury private commissions for interiors and their architectural settings.
· Ruth Asawa, Jane Slater Marquis, and Black Mountain College’s Artistic Legacy (2/17, $15) Explore the inspiring lives and artistic contributions of Jane Slater Marquis and Ruth Asawa, two women alumnae of Black Mountain College in the 1940s, and their lasting impact on art and culture.
On-Site Store
The Modernism Week Shop, a special pop-up store by Destination PSP, will offer a wide range of newly created merchandise that captures the retro vibe of Modernism Week. New products to be showcased include the official 2025 Modernism Week poster designed by celebrated artist SHAG, commemorative 2025 Modernism Week t-shirts, and a line of vintage barware and entertainment accessories. New merchandise to be offered includes apparel and mugs featuring the 2025 Shag artwork, a new line of cotton mod shirts featuring atomic and tiki themes, an expanded Palm Springs Airlines travel collection, a new collection of modernist-themed dishtowels, custom designed Palm Springs mid-century modern LEGO®-style brick sets, and one of the most exciting collection of modernism books including The Palm Springs School of Architecture, a rare offering of Mies in Brno, and an advance release of the newly updated Fire Island Modernist. Destination PSP will also offer their iconic midcentury modern tissue box covers, recently featured on ABC World News Tonight. The store will also host several book signings, and some signed copies will be available at the pop-up store throughout the festival.
Student Art Exhibition
An art exhibition created by high school students from Cathedral City High School will be displayed at CAMP near the Hyatt atrium’s south entrance. All artworks will be offered for sale by the students.
Information Desk
The welcoming volunteers at the Information Desk will assist customers with event or ticket questions, directions, and purchase information. The free Official Modernism Week Program Guide and printed schedule brochures may be picked up at this desk.
In celebration of Modernism Week and CAMP, Hyatt Palm Springs has also created a lineup of stylish free events that will bring together music, food, and cocktails in a timeless Palm Springs setting. Join in the fun at Weekend Brunch, happy hour specials, brick oven Pizzas at HooDoo, and live music on the weekends. All of these experiences are open to the public.
