Joshua Tree has long been a magnet for creatives—and that’s no accident. There’s something quietly mystical about the desert: the stillness, the vastness, the endless wash of beige. Out here, the noise drops away. Your mind settles. And in that space, introspection turns into imagination. From Palm Springs to Twentynine Palms, artists of all kinds have taken root, drawing from the region to evolve their practices. So it feels inevitable that an art fair would take root here, too.
This weekend, March 28–29, marks the third edition of the High Desert Art Fair (HDAF), bringing together art, music, and culture in California’s beloved Pioneertown. Originally built in 1946 as a live-in Old West movie set, the historic enclave will host 20 galleries installed throughout the rooms of the Pioneertown Motel. Exhibitors range from Los Angeles–based spaces like The Pit and Megan Mulrooney to local initiatives including BoxoPROJECTS and Yucca Valley Material Lab, presenting contemporary work across photography, painting, and sculpture. The fair also emphasizes publishing, with organizations like Atelier Editions and Library of Esoterica showcasing projects rooted in research, mysticism, and experimental art histories.
Launched in 2019 with just around 50 attendees, the fair now expects more than 2,000 visitors per day. The scale-up is striking. The first time I walked Pioneertown’s dusty streets, in 2020, it felt like a place suspended in time—more likely to host an imagined standoff between a sheriff and an outsider cowboy who just rode into town, than a crowd of art-world pilgrims.
The fair expands beyond Pioneertown, with talks, book signings, and programming across the surrounding high desert. It kicks off Friday night with a free opening party at Red Dog Saloon, featuring a surprising DJ set by the renowned Shepard Fairey. Music plays a central role in this year’s edition through a collaboration with Pappy & Harriet’s, the legendary desert venue. The weekend lineup is headlined by Mark Mothersbaugh, co-founder of Devo, who will debut The General—a custom instrument first introduced in his retrospective Myopia at The Contemporary Austin—in its first-ever public live performance.
Every time I make the trip from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree, I find myself wondering why I don’t come more often. There’s something profoundly grounding about standing among the gravity-defying forms of the Joshua trees themselves. And yet, as temperatures rise and wildfires become more frequent, there’s a real possibility that these iconic plants may not endure in the way we’ve come to expect.
My first visit to Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum felt almost religious. Open daily and free to the public, the assemblage works are a gift to any visitor -- at one moment making you laugh at their silliness, and the next bringing you close to tears, contemplating our excess of stuff and what we can do with the skeletons of our existence.
The area also just opened Reset Hotel, the first new-build hotel in over 15 years. At the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, the minimalist rooms sit on 180 acres of desert terrain, with mountain views and trails across the property. Each room features its own private patio, and telescopes can be requested for stargazing. I can’t really understand how to make things more magical, but news is out that the hotel is in the early stages of developing an outdoor art park, bringing more beloved art to the region.
If you’re reading this from outside Los Angeles, there’s always next year. And if you’re in LA, it’s not too late to pack the car and head east for a night.
Cowboys may still haunt the imagination here—but for one weekend, the art world rides in, and the town is big enough for all of us. —Shaquille Heath
