Art Queen at Joshua Tree

When I moved from the big city to the high desert last year, this area was an unfamiliar territory though I had made many treks to Joshua Tree National Park over the years.  Being a transplant, one feels like an exile in an unfamiliar town.  When I told a friend I was moving to Yucca Valley, she asked, "Where is that?  Do people live there?"


I like to think the expansive desert landscape with its mysterious beauty leaves an imprint on personality.  Most of my interactions with the locals have been friendly & courteous.  After months of reclusiveness, I ventured out one evening to see a film screening of a CalArts graduate Christiane Cevaske's film at the Art Queen's Fever Dream Exhibit.   There was live music on stage and a gracious presentation of food and drinks on the table free of charge, a group art show, and an outdoors screening of the stop motion animation film Seed In The Sand with Q&A afterwards.

The Art Queen at Joshua Tree was a welcome beacon.  What a relief to discover a place willed with hi-desert maverick-flavored artistic joie de vie.   I have taken my out of town friends since my first visit and unanimously it has been good, their spirits heartened by such unabashedly good-natured whimsy art par excellence.

I had to get the Jesus and His Kitties patch for my good hearted friend who takes care of a dozen rescue cats.

There are a cluster of businesses on the Art Queen complex.  There is an off the wall The Crochet Museum with a collection of all things crocheted.  Crochet takes me back to middle school years in East LA, El Sereno Junior High's Home Economics class.  Back then the classrooms had actual kitchen set ups where the students were taught the basics of cooking. I also recall being taught how to sew and each student had a sewing machine. And one of the crowning achievement for a 13 year old me was learning to crochet with bright neon color yarns, materializing the poufy poodles using a full size toilet roll as its body frame and feeling proud at my creations: a pair of garishly bright crocheted poodles.  Feeling confident, I embarked on a new project on my own crocheting a large black and white panda with big black button eyes.  I had forgotten about all that until I saw the crocheted poodles at the Crochet Museum.  Where are thou now, black and white panda bear?

Shari Elf's Crochet Museum.  If you can imagine, you can crochet it.

Surely, sometimes one feels compelled to crochet cactuses, no?  I recall seeing an Ocotillo plant crocheted with a little red color spot on top to represent its flame color bloom.  Follow your bliss, right?

Cactus Corner at theCrochet Museum

The last time we visited in April, we saw a new set up that looked like a groovy spaceship.  It was called Angel Queen and one used the ladder to walk up the observation lounge. It was sparkly space age decor in the inside and quite comfortable with observation windows all around.  We visited in the daytime on a warm day so it got a little hot but at night with the wind howling and hot beverage in hand, what a spaceship to hang out!  I would like one in my backyard!

Angel Queen by Randy Palumbo.  

There is a bookstore called Space Cowboy.  I didn't get a chance to browse leisurely but I will surely revisit to purchase some books at a local bookstore!

The Local Bookstore at Joshua Tree

And check out this ancient Greece inspired adorned trailer shelter perhaps for visiting artists? Now doesn't this bring a big smile to your face?

There's so much more but I had to rush off to Joshua Tree National Park as some of our friends  had never ever beheld the place.  But I will revisit another time. Long live the Art Queen!

All pictures by the author / High Desert World.