After conferring with the staff and athletes, it is with sadness that Copper Mountain College…
Art students at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree are excited to be included as part of this year’s Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours. The college’s Art Department will be hosting a student art exhibition and sale through all three weekends of the art tours, featuring works from Printmaking, Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, Digital Design, and more. All proceeds from art sales go directly to the college’s talented student artists. Several dozen student artists will be participating in the Art Tours at CMC this year.
Day of the Dead by Dustina Kinda.
“Not only will our art students be able to exhibit and sell their work during the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours, but they’ll also gain the experience of presenting their work to the public and discussing it with art fans who stop during the tours,” said Chloe Allred, Full Time Arts Instructor at CMC. “That’s invaluable experience for our students.”
Copper Mountain students regularly hold art shows at the college, but the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours take things to a new level with art fans and collectors participating from across the region.
Still life by Rosa Crook.
“We’re hoping to provide a unique opportunity for our students to gain real world experience, while building better connections with the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, MBCAC members, and the communities we serve,” noted Ramon Abrego III, Dean of Instruction at the college. “We’re hoping that we can build mutually beneficial connections with the arts community so CMC can continue to work toward being a leading cultural and educational hub for our area.”
Copper Mountain College offers art classes for art students, non-art majors, and lifelong artists. Students can transfer from CMC to CSU and UC universities to pursue their degree, or they can just take courses to explore the arts and build their skills. Hone your creativity and learn new techniques, from figure drawing and painting to ceramics and graphic design. You can take a class and become part of the artistic community at CMC.
With the arts solidly at the core of the cultural life and history of the hi-desert, Copper Mountain College is working to perpetuate the role of the arts in our communities for generations to come by making arts education affordable and accessible for desert artists, and through building connections with the area’s arts community. CMC invites our communities and all art tourists to stop by the Joshua Tree campus during one of the three weekends of the 2023 Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours to meet our student artists, view their artwork, and learn more about the artistic opportunities the college provides for our communities.
Day of the Dead Buddha by Kei Bjork.
Activities at the Copper Mountain College campus during the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours
For a full schedule of activities at CMC during the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours, please visit our online calendar at www.cmccd.edu.
Daily Throughout the Art Tours
Student Art Show & Sale
Bagley Room of the Greenleaf Library, 300 Quad
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
Artwork from 40 student artists on exhibit and for sale.
Foundation pop-up
300 Quad
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
Spike coloring contest
Spike mascot appearances
Spike cut-out photo ops
Spike merch
Chalk art fun
Info on holiday cards, art scholarships, Festival of the Wreaths, HOWL literary journal
20,000 Roads
Outside the Greenleaf Library, 300 Quad
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
An interactive memorial to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Gram Parsons in Joshua Tree. The memorial will include mementos of Gram, other desert musicians, artists, and personalities. The public is invited to bring mementos of their own loved ones who have passed, to include in the memorial, and will be open to the public throughout the hours of the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours. At the end of the Art Tours, mementos left for the memorial will be donated to art students to be used in creative projects.
Jorge’s café
300 Quad
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
Tasty food and drink for the hungry and thirst art tourist! One of the hi-desert’s best casual dining options, right here on the CMC campus!
EV charging and restrooms are available for art tourists throughout the Art Tours.
Saturdays
Guided Campus Art Tours
Leaving from the 300 Quad amphitheater
10 a.m. and noon all three Saturdays
Kefi Greek Music, Saturdays, October 7 & 14
300 Quad amphitheater
2 – 2:45 p.m.
HOWL literary journal open mic, Saturday, October 7
300 Quad amphitheater
3 – 5 p.m.
Thirsty Souls by Maleeka Holden Williams.
Saturday, October 21
Live Music at the CMC outdoor amphitheater
11 a.m.: Mariana & friends
Noon: Pierce Marengo
Pierce Marengo is a musician and vocalist from Southern California who recently released his debut album, California Cartapes. The album tells the story of his experience at age 12 dealing with severe OCD and hospitalization, as well as his rejoining of society just to learn more lessons from high school. California Cartapes is primarily rap music, and Pierce will be performing the story live at the Copper Mountain College Amphitheater on October 21, 2023 at 12:00 PM.
4 p.m.: Crystal Gift Shop, with CMC Culinary Arts Chef, Dereck LaGuardia.
Closing Reception and Day of the Dead Event
Greenleaf Library, 300 Quad
1 – 4 p.m., Saturday, October 21
Join the Copper Mountain College Art Department for a celebration of student art, an interactive Day of the Dead installation, and an afternoon of presentations connected to Day of the Dead from disciplines across the college.
Steven Wybenga, an incredible local artist and current intermediate painting student at CMC, will give an artist talk on surviving the AIDs crisis, working as a hospice nurse, and using his artistic practice as a way to navigate the world with hope. Copper Mountain College art professor Chloe Allred will share work from her studio and give a talk on how art can be a means of processing grief.
Professors from CMC’s Death and Dying course will host a Day of the Dead-themed open mic where students and members of the community can share their stories. The CMC Culinary program with culinary professor Dereck LaGuardia will be showing off their skills and creating light bites.
Come celebrate the last weekend of the Art Tours with the CMC community.
Come back often to the CMC calendar at www.cmccd.edu/events as additional activities are added during the Art Tours weekends!
Attendees to events at Copper Mountain College should be aware that they may appear in photos or videos created by, or for, the college and its associated organizations, and those photos or videos may be used for marketing, advertising, and/or editorial purposes. Event attendance grants permission to be photographed and/or filmed.