PALM SPRINGS, CA.- Palm Springs Art Museum is presenting an exciting new exhibition, First Hand: Architects, Artists, and Designers from the L.J. Cella Collection, on view at Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion. The exhibition will be on view through September 4, 2016.

First Hand highlights the diverse ways in which architects, designers, and artists use their hands as a source of inspiration, contemplation, and production. Assembling an impeccable selection of artwork from the L.J. Cella Collection, the exhibition draws attention to how architects convey spatial ideas in two dimensions and how artists use fiber, wood, and clay to create three-dimensional objects.

Architects use drawing to illustrate architectural concepts upon a two-dimensional surface. Today many architects use the computer to produce renderings of their designs. In some architecture schools free-hand drawing is neither taught nor encouraged. Yet hand-drawn lines retain their power to communicate ideas, whether rendered in pencil, charcoal, ink, or pen. It is revealing that some architects relish the freedom of spontaneous drawing as an essential component in their creative practice.

While developing ideas for a building or landscape, the architect’s hand can fluidly depict a variety of schemes. Sometimes the drawings closely relate to the finished project, but more often they demonstrate the thought process that evolves into the design of a final built work. Daniel Libeskind’s World Trade Center Scroll (2003-4), is one example. He conceptualized a heartfelt plan, full of symbolism, but only a small portion of his plan was constructed. In contrast, Carlos Diniz’s Art Center Campus; Perspective View (1988), is a faithful rendering of Craig Ellwood’s extraordinary design of the as-built structure bridging the arroyo. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin completed an exquisite group of drawings illustrating the rugged landscape of the northern California coast at Sea Ranch in preparation for the development of that site.

This exhibition also includes works by artists who use their hands to create forms in fiber, wood, and clay. The tactility of a chosen medium expands one’s thinking about the creative possibilities in the hands of skilled artists, and draws sensorial attention to the inherent pleasure of the smoothness of polished wood, or the rough-hewn texture of hemp. Alma Allen formed his large wood sculpture from a burl of Claro walnut, while Sheila Hicks wrapped colorful cotton fiber over muslin to create a bold wall sculpture. Ceramicist Tony Marsh shaped clay into organic forms and perforated the surface with thousands of pin pricks, producing a wondrous cluster of vessels that are both solid and weightless. The works on view emphasize the dynamic three-dimensional textural effects that can be achieved with a range of natural materials.

Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center is located at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive, in downtown Palm Springs, and can be reached at (760) 423-5260. Admission is free to the A+D Center.