United States California Joshua Tree

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

An open-air gallery showcasing the found-object installations of a prominent African American artist, reflecting on social themes and history.

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Noah Purifoy, was teaching art at the Watts Tower Art Center, which he co-founded, when the Watts Riots/Uprising began in 1965. He heard a commotion outside the center and caught a glimpse of someone tossing a molotov cocktail at the police. Arts class was canceled for the day. After the uprising, Noah and Judson Powel gathered up several tons of debris from the riots and created about 50 works of assemblage art. The exhibit, 66 Signs of Neon, traveled the country. Noah's reputation as one of the country's leading African-American artists was established. In 1989, Noah was given land to work on in north Joshua Tree by artist friends who noted that his assemblage work needed more room than LA provided. Over the years, Noah created dozens of assemblage art installations on his desert acreage. In 2004, journalist Steve Brown interviewed Noah a week prior to Purifoy's death. Noah had dreams of hosting informal artist gatherings and Brown had begun inviting desert artists to begin these, when he was notified of Noah's death. Today, a foundation continues to maintain Noah's work, though preserving outdoor assemblage art created with found objects is a difficult task. Noah was always more interested in the artistic process rather than the end result. You can explore the grounds, but please be respectful to the memory of this great creative spirit. Look for signs of social justice and racism that are addressed in some of his works. A great spot for photographers, especially at dawn and sunset.

sunrunnermedia 3 years ago

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum Guides