Alongside Palm Spring’s well known modernist legacy exists a lesser known history of design experiments. Alternative Palm Springs assembles unbuilt visions of prominent architects, off-grid designs of the counterculture, and private and public worlds created by the LGBTQ+ community in the twentieth century, offering an expanded view of the desert’s architectural landscape.

Drawn from the museum’s holdings and other local collections, the architectural models, drawings, photography, and objects on view show how Palm Springs’ design identity, far from being settled, has always been in a state of evolution and experimentation.

All Palm Springs Art Museum members are invited to an exclusive Member Preview Day on June 25, 2026.

This exhibition is curated by Robert J. Kett, PhD, with research assistance by Frank Lopez.

Exhibition partner: LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert

Image: E. Stewart Williams and Palm Springs Planning Collaborative, Model for Palm Springs Central Business District, 1967