Christopher Myers

On six stations along Tahquitz Canyon Way stand sculptures with draping banners that tell the story of two ranchers — one Mexican and one African-American — whose personal adversities and love for raising horses led them to create a welcoming community in the place that eventually would become Palm Springs. While the story is fictional, it speaks to the truths that exist in the slippage between history and mythology. Altanviro stands in for the thousands of Mexican migrants who have come to call the Coachella Valley home, and Loper reminds us that long ago many who fled bondage in search of freedom traveled south, perhaps even through this desert, on their way to free townships along Mexico’s northern border. This story of acceptance, although never perfect, echoes among many communities that have found a welcoming home in this place.

Christopher Myers (New York, New York, 1974) is a multidisciplinary artist who works in visual art, theater, and literature. Through a practice rooted in collaboration, Myers mines the intimate dimensions of the global, creating works that unveil relationships between distinct peoples and places.

The Art Of Taming Horses
33.823167, -116.513278
Tahquitz Canyon Way between Sunrise Way and Civic Drive, Palm Springs

The artist and Desert X would like to thank the generous support of Ann Sheffer and Rbhu Engineering.