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Lancaster, CA. September 6, 2024 – The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) is pleased to announce Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, a publication that compiles writings and artworksthat examine humankind’s relationship with the Joshua tree. The book will be released and available for purchase on September 7, 2024, during the opening reception for the Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees exhibition.
Edited by Sant Khalsa and Juniper Harrower, Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees is a comprehensive collection of historical and personal stories and imagery that illuminates humanity’s deeply entangled relationship with the Joshua tree. Leading scientists, artists, indigenous culture bearers, historians, conservationists, policymakers, and creative writers, share their multidisciplinary research to spotlight the Joshua tree in response to the growing threat of climate change and the explosion of development across Mojave Desert lands. Following the trails of beneficial plant kinships as well as the damage done by ongoing extractions, they illuminate desert cosmologies through this unique icon—all while bringing readers closer to the being that is the Joshua tree. The book is for everyone concerned about the unfolding impacts of human actions in the natural world and how humanity can find better ways of living together through acts of care and repair.
The publication features writings by Cameron Barrows, Darin Boville, Andi Campognone, Chris Clarke, James W. Cornett, Brendan Cummings, Shana NysDambrot, Tyler Green, Juniper Harrower, Daniel Oren Hastings, Kelly Herbinson, Geary Hund, Alexandra Jonassen, Sant Khalsa, Greg Levine, Lauren Lien, Sean Milanovich, Ruth Nolan, Christopher Irwin Smith, Lynn C. Sweet, Ruth Wallen, Cane West, and Jeremy B. Yoder.
Additionally, Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees features contemporary works by artists Linda Alterwitz, Marthe Aponte, Nancy Baker Cahill, Diane Best, Darin Boville, Matthew Brandt, Fred Brashear Jr, Bill Leigh Brewer, Claudia Bucher, Gerald Clarke, Maryrose Crook,TorreyaCummings, James M Dailey,scottb.davis, Department of Floristic Welfare, Dani Dodge, CoryEnch, Edgar FabiánFrías, Rob Grad, Jennifer Gunlock, Juniper Harrower, David Hartung, David Hockney, Jessie Homer French, ChristineHuhn, Monroe Isenberg, Jetsonorama (Chip Thomas), Jenny Kane, Yulia Kazakova, Sant Khalsa, Casey Kiernan, Stevie Love, Rebecca Lowry, Meg Madison, Allyson Makuch, Aline Mare, Chris McCaw, Paloma Menéndez, Eric Merrell, Chelsea Mosher, Daisuke Okamoto, Osceola Refetoff, Michelle Robinson, Cara Romero, Catherine Ruane, Ed Ruscha, Hiroyuki Seo, Sisters Of Survival, Kim Stringfellow, Ruth Wallen, Jennifer Valenzuela, and Danielle GiudiciWallis; and historical artworks by Sarah E. Blanchard, Ralph D. Cornell, Louis Fleckenstein, E.O.Hoppé, Olive Jackson, Charles Koppel, C.C. Pierce, Jane Pinheiro, and Carleton Watkins.
This thought-provoking book is published by the Inlandia Institute, with generous support from the Getty, Creative Research Fund, and Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation.
The exhibition Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, presented at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California as part of the Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative sheds light on the endangered Joshua tree and the fragile Mojave Desert ecosystem that sustains it. The project integrates natural history, indigenous knowledge, public policy, scientific research, and artistic expression to emphasize the challenges facing the Joshua tree and conservation efforts. With a focus on climate change, development, wildfires, and other threats, the exhibition explores the symbiotic relationships between Joshua trees, soil fungi, and moth pollinators, engaging a diverse audience interested in arts and environmental issues.
Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit www.pst.art.
The Lancaster Museum of Art and History is dedicated to strengthening awareness, enhancing accessibility, and igniting the appreciation of art, history, and culture in the Antelope Valley through dynamic exhibitions, innovative educational programs, creative community engagement, and a vibrant collection that celebrates the richness of the region. MOAH is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours on Thursday until 8 p.m. MOAH is located at 665 W. Lancaster BLVD on the corner of Lancaster BLVD and Elm Avenue. For more information, please call the museum at (661) 723-6250 or visit: www.lancastermoah.org.
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