A popular young artists’ exhibition and special art classes for people living with Alzheimer’s disease will garner more attention this year, thanks to a recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) through their Community Impact Fund to The Artists Council.
“The IECF grant will greatly help us expand our community outreach programs,” said Annie Reutinger, Executive Manager of The Artists Council. “The Artists Council has been around for more than 50 years—at one point, it was part of the Palm Springs Art Museum—but seven years ago they spun us off and we regrouped and became a nonprofit.”
At the time, the Council had 187 members.
“Now, we have more than 700,” Reutinger said. “We’re located in Palm Desert and celebrating our fifth year of operating in a new building. The grant comes at a good time.”
The Artists Council will utilize the IECF resources in several ways. Reutinger is quick to note one beneficiary: The Young Artists Exhibition.
“We work with about 14 to 17 high schools throughout the Coachella Valley,” she said. “We typically have 120 students submit artwork for the show, which happens each spring.”
The work begins long before, however. The Artists Council sends perspectives to art teachers in fall, giving students ample time to work creatively in their classes.
“Eventually, they submit the artwork, and we have them framed,” Reutinger said. “We want to feature the artwork on the walls and have a reception for the kids and their families. But we also want to make the exhibit available for other kids so that they can come see their classmates’ work.”
Many of these kids haven’t been in a lot of museums, she added.
“You can tell when they walk in, because they’re just in awe of the building,” Reutinger mused. “We’re hoping to sponsor more events like that this year—bus trips and working with the teachers to bring in other students, either from art classes or from other classes, maybe 10 students from their high school.”
Another benefit of the grant involves scheduling special art classes for people living with Alzheimer’s. To that end, the Council is working together with the Palm Desert chapter of the Alzheimer’s organization, Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter.
“In the past, we were able to offer two of these classes a month,” Reutinger said. “Those with Alzheimer’s come with either a family member or a caretaker, and they, too, are also allowed to participate in the class. It’s a good bonding and communication exercise and just a nice way for the people with Alzheimer’s to express themselves.”
She added that the grant allowed the Council to add an additional third class on the third Tuesday of a month. The funding received will help pay for the art instructor and to have staff on hand to open the building and make sure everything’s functioning correctly.
“We supply all the art supplies, too—different paints and paper and whatever it is that the instructor guides people through in the lesson,” Reutinger noted, adding that about 22 people partake in each class.
These are but two examples of the organization’s enduring legacy in the region.
The Artists Council has long promoted the art and artists of the Coachella Valley and beyond. Its mission to “elevate” its artist members “through exhibitions, professional development, and impactful community engagement” has been well received.
Reutinger encourages people to explore the Council’s various programs, exhibitions, art and business-of-art classes, as well as its many lectures, workshops, salons, and social gatherings it offers.
Looking ahead, art lovers will appreciate the Council’s unique partnership with Modernism Week in February.
“It will be our biggest juried art show of the year,” Reutinger said, noting that it’s the organization’s first time pairing the Modernism Week organizers.
“We will host free demonstrations and lectures for the public during that time,” she said. “It will be related to modernism art, design, and architecture. We’re very excited about this new collaboration.”
And mark your calendars: the Young Artists Exhibition runs April 8-19.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, February, 2026.
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