Annenberg Theater Gains New Podium

The Palm Springs Art Museum is pleased to announce a new piece of art for its permanent collection; only this time, the work of art is a functional masterpiece-a new podium for the intimate Annenberg Theater, designed by local design star Phillip K. Smith III.

"It was only natural to have Phillip K. Smith design this piece," says Associate Curator and ADC Liaison Sidney Williams. "He is passionate about design and is the founding chairman of the Architecture and Design Council (ADC) at the Art Museum, which was established in 2003. He remains our current ADC Chair and is an outstanding young architect and artist and we are delighted that his commission will be a part of the Annenberg Theater for years to come!"

Phillip talks passionately about his inspiration for the podium.

"Karim Rashid spoke in early 2006 at the Palm Springs Art Museum as part of the Palm Springs Modernism Week celebrations," he explains. "During his lecture, he talked about having to deal with bad design on a daily basis. As he talked about the beautiful design for the Annenberg Theater, he proclaimed that the current podium needed a face lift. The very next day, generous Art Museum donors Bill Scott and Arthur Keller came forward with funds so that a new podium could be built for the theater. Accordingly, the design of the podium takes its cues from the existing theater space designed by E. Stewart Williams. The space and thus, the podium are created through the tension and interplay of the 90 degree corner and a curved surface. From its rectangular base, the podium's form twists 90 degrees to become an elliptical presentation surface. The various functions of the podium are built into its top surface, while a hydraulic scissor lift with casters is hidden within the base for ease of use when moving to storage."

Phillip K. Smith, III was born on the 18th of December in 1972 in Los Angeles and grew up in the Coachella Valley from 1980-1991. He received a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996. He has worked for Machado + Silvetti Architects, Office dA, and Doug Dolezal Architects in Boston. He has also taught design studios at the Boston Architectural Center and at Northeastern University, and has been invited as a guest critic for reviews at Cal Poly Pomona, The City University of New York, Harvard University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and SCI-ARC.

While in Boston he was also the gallery coordinator for the Harvard Graduate School of Design. After moving back to the desert in 2000, he established The Art Office - a multi-disciplinary design studio located in Indio, CA. He is currently working on design projects of all scales throughout the Coachella Valley ranging from commercial work to residential to Art In Public Places to furniture projects. He is currently working on a sculpture commission for the R.A. Bloch Cancer Survivor's Park in Kansas City, MO. -- www.psmuseum.org

Teaser

The Palm Springs Art Museum is pleased to announce a new piece of art for its permanent collection; only this time, the work of art is a functional masterpiece-a new podium for the intimate Annenberg Theater, designed by local design star Phillip K. Smith III.

Body Text

"It was only natural to have Phillip K. Smith design this piece," says Associate Curator and ADC Liaison Sidney Williams. "He is passionate about design and is the founding chairman of the Architecture and Design Council (ADC) at the Art Museum, which was established in 2003. He remains our current ADC Chair and is an outstanding young architect and artist and we are delighted that his commission will be a part of the Annenberg Theater for years to come!"

Phillip talks passionately about his inspiration for the podium.

"Karim Rashid spoke in early 2006 at the Palm Springs Art Museum as part of the Palm Springs Modernism Week celebrations," he explains. "During his lecture, he talked about having to deal with bad design on a daily basis. As he talked about the beautiful design for the Annenberg Theater, he proclaimed that the current podium needed a face lift. The very next day, generous Art Museum donors Bill Scott and Arthur Keller came forward with funds so that a new podium could be built for the theater. Accordingly, the design of the podium takes its cues from the existing theater space designed by E. Stewart Williams. The space and thus, the podium are created through the tension and interplay of the 90 degree corner and a curved surface. From its rectangular base, the podium's form twists 90 degrees to become an elliptical presentation surface. The various functions of the podium are built into its top surface, while a hydraulic scissor lift with casters is hidden within the base for ease of use when moving to storage."

Phillip K. Smith, III was born on the 18th of December in 1972 in Los Angeles and grew up in the Coachella Valley from 1980-1991. He received a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996. He has worked for Machado + Silvetti Architects, Office dA, and Doug Dolezal Architects in Boston. He has also taught design studios at the Boston Architectural Center and at Northeastern University, and has been invited as a guest critic for reviews at Cal Poly Pomona, The City University of New York, Harvard University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and SCI-ARC.

While in Boston he was also the gallery coordinator for the Harvard Graduate School of Design. After moving back to the desert in 2000, he established The Art Office - a multi-disciplinary design studio located in Indio, CA. He is currently working on design projects of all scales throughout the Coachella Valley ranging from commercial work to residential to Art In Public Places to furniture projects. He is currently working on a sculpture commission for the R.A. Bloch Cancer Survivor's Park in Kansas City, MO. -- www.psmuseum.org