Modern Women: The Influencers Who Shaped Palm Springs

< All Exhibitions

All exhibitions

Where	Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion
When	May 24, 2025 – December 29, 2025

Where

Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion

When

May 24, 2025 – December 29, 2025

Where	Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion
When	May 24, 2025 – December 29, 2025

Where

Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion

When

May 24, 2025 – December 29, 2025

This exhibition honors the women who have played key roles in the development, promotion, and conservation of Modern Architecture in the Palm Springs area.

Combining archival documents with contemporary images and oral testimonies, this exhibition highlights the multidimensional contributions of women practitioners and influencers in the field. Through a series of eight portraits that each highlight a single project, Modern Women examines the impact of women in essential roles that bring architecture to life: as politicians, clients, developers, patrons, architects, interior designers, scholars, and conservationists.

The exhibition also presents a newly constructed timeline of women contributors to the area from 1908 until now, offering a nuanced perspective on architectural history and its interconnected disciplines. Celebrating the holdings of the Architecture and Design Center, Modern Women focuses on individuals for whom we hold archival documents.

Exhibition Poster available at the Museum Store

Curated by Christine Vendredi, Chief Curator.

Exhibition timeline developed by Frank Lopez, On-Call Archivist. Research assistance by Finley Yuheng Sun, Curatorial Intern.

The exhibition is made possible by the generous supporters of the Renewed Vision for Architecture & Design program, including Lead Benefactors Cristina & Christian Cigrang; Benefactors William Land, MD & Margaret Seif, Janelle Reiring, Ronnie Sassoon & James Crump, and Jim & Kathy Simpson; Founders Judith Fisher, Sarah J. McElroy, Douglas Moreland, and Elizabeth & Mark Ostoich; and Patrons Barbara Petite Cain & Bernie Cain, Ellen Donaldson, Christy Eugenis & Stan Amy, Mimi & Steve Fisher, Barb & Keith Kizziah, JR Roberts, and James Spindler.

Additional support was provided by Sandra Comrie, Brian Mahoney, and Bonnie Serkin & Will Emery.

Banner Image: Mensendieck / Grace Lewis Miller House, Grace seated in the veranda, 1937. Photo: Shulman. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles