UPCOMING EVENT
Contradictions: Bringing the Past Forward
Wednesday, June 17
5:30 p.m. Viewing & Reception | 6:00 p.m. Program
This Juneteenth, Mizell Center deepens its celebration of freedom by welcoming Palm Springs artist Barbara Gothard. As a creative whose work explores African American homesteaders who migrated to the Mojave Desert in the early 1900s, Gothard brings a powerful and often overlooked chapter of Black western history to light. Her multimedia project, Contradictions – Bringing the Past Forward, uncovers stories of resilience, land ownership and self-determination. These values are deeply aligned with the spirit of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth marks the moment enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom, but it also symbolizes the long journey toward true equality and opportunity. Gothard’s research into African American settlers who moved west in search of land and autonomy reflects what freedom looked like in action decades after emancipation. Her work connects the celebration of liberation to the lived reality of building communities, claiming space, and pursuing economic independence in places like Palm Springs and the surrounding desert region.
Gothard helps audiences see freedom not just as a historical event but as an ongoing movement expressed through migration, creativity, and community building. Her visual storytelling offers a bridge between past and present—inviting reflection, pride, and dialogue. Through art and history combined, she can illuminate how the journey from emancipation to western settlement continues to shape the cultural landscape of the Coachella Valley.
Reservations required. Suggested donation $10
Thank you to Jerome Joseph Gentes, Doris Reed and Lorenzo Taylor for helping us celebrate national poetry month with The Revolution Will Not be Televised: Poetry of Protest and Resistance, our most recent 3rd Wednesday Speaker Series held April 15.
Prior 3rd Wednesday Speaker Series:
- Colorectal Cancer: Understanding, Preventing, Diagnosing & Treating, March 2026
- Colorectal & Anal Cancers with Q&A Presented by Desert Oasis Healthcare, December 2025
- POZ Magazine: Education, Advocacy & Activism. 30 Years Doing the Work, November 2024
- Protecting, Preserving and Promoting the Erotic Arts: Durk Dehner in Conversation with Jamison Rockmore, October 2024
- Proactive Prostate Health: Empowering Men for a Brighter Future, September 2024
- Food for the Soul Proactive Prostate Health: Empowering Men for a Brighter Future. Chefs Betty Berrysmith, Michael Taylor and moderator Darlyne Johnson examine the sociological and historical context of soul food, June 2024
- Documentary Screening: AIDS DIVA: The Connie Norman Story, March 2024
- Celebrating Black History: Christian Cooper in Conversation with Lorenzo Taylor, February 2024
- Alzheimer’s at the Opera: A Conversation & Recital, January 2024
- Out & Faithful: People, Religion & Spirituality, December 2023
- Reflections on Juneteenth: Conversation & Gospel Recital, June 2022