Wrap-Up Letter from the AAO Executive Director
Spring 2014 brought about another terrifically successful AAO Members Weekend, as 38 friends and colleagues gathered in another great mecca of modernism: Palm Springs, California. We took in over 30 different sites, including stops at Frey House II, Sunnylands, and several private residences. The AAO Members Meeting focused on shared learning, coupled with guests lectures by Sidney Williams (on the Palm Springs Art Museum’s forthcoming Architecture + Design Center) and local architect Lance O’Donnell (o2 Architecture) to round out the visit.
An extra day trip to nearby Borrego Springs, arranged by Borrego Modern founder William Lawrence, added a rousing cap to the weekend. We looked in on some of the roots of modernism in this desert resort community and finished the day touring homes with a host of amiable and exceedingly gracious design enthusiasts.
Special mentions to Bastiaan Bouma, James Burnett, Joan and Gary Gand, Robert Imber, Barry Sears, and Penny Shaw whose involvement helped make our visit such a memorable one.
-Michael Wood, AAO Executive Director
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View the printer-friendly 2014 AAO Members Weekend - Trip Itinerary & List of Registrants.pdf for more information, including specific sites highlighted on the tours.
More on Palm Springs and Borrego Springs
Ever since the roots of Palm Springs Modernism Week were set down nearly a decade ago, architecture buffs and cultural tourists have been placing this destination on their proverbial bucket lists – a mecca for mid-century architecture and design and contemporary scholarship in these fields. Borrego Springs, just 90 minutes to the south, is not to be missed, as well, with a treasure trove of spectacular modernist homes and the sprawling Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Turn to these trusted resources for more:
Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center
Palm Springs Historical Society
Palm Springs Modern Committee (and PSModCom smartphone app)
Palm Springs Modern Tours
Sunnylands
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Borrego Art Institute
Borrego Modern
Borrego Springs Essay (by James Guthrie)