Barbara Gothard, artist and educator, was born and raised in the landlocked agricultural community of Springfield, Illinois.   &nbsp;   Growing up in the middle of lush, green farmland, Barbara says she first experienced the desert while turning the pages of National Geographic. Barbara’s first visit to a desert came through a cultural exchange program. Barbara recalls flying from the UK to Israel and the image of the blue green waters of the Mediterranean Sea giving way to the oranges and yellows of the sand. Through corporate travels, Barbara often visited the west coast of Africa – Namibia - where she experienced some of the largest sand dunes in the world, as well as the turbulence of flying over the Sahara.   &nbsp;   Barbara’s experiences with a stateside desert were on work trips to Palm Springs. Being work trips, there wasn’t much opportunity to be ‘in’ the desert and really experience it.   &nbsp;   Barbara was in second grade when her artistic abilities surfaced. The teacher invited Barbara’s mother in for a conversation about Barbara's artwork and a few weeks later, Barbara was enrolled in a Saturday art class. Barbara continued developing her art through high school and college, majoring in art, as well as earning a master’s in art and a PhD in Educational Administration.   &nbsp;   As Barbara became a wife and mother, she decided to set aside the exhibiting side of her art to focus on her family, while continuing to draw or paint in her spare time – or on plane rides. A chance introduction at a conference in Florida found Barbara interviewing for a corporate job, for which she was hired. Barbara left the world of education behind and had an amazing corporate career which has taken her around the world.   &nbsp;   After the global whirlwind came to an end, Barbara landed in Southern California and found herself visiting her two best friends in Palm Springs - often. They convinced her to move closer – she’s been in Palm Springs since 2012. As Barbara was finding her way in her new community, she met Peggy Vermeer , the first employee of the . Peggy immediately invited Barbara to join the museum and the Artists Council.   &nbsp;   Barbara’s involvement in these organizations found her wondering about other African American artists – or other African American female artists - living and working in the desert. Three years of research will culminate with a residency at  in October. Barbara will use her time and research to create interpretive works of the African American homesteader experience in ‘African American Homesteaders of Lanfair Valley'.   &nbsp;   Upcoming events (2021-2022) featuring Barbara’s work and discussions are as follows:   &nbsp;   October 8, at the    October 16, at Copper Mountain College   October 23, 24 at BOXOHouse   January 10 to April 10, 2022 at    &nbsp;   More about Barbara and her work:   On the web:    Instagram: @barbaragothardart and    Blog:

DLD| Barbara Gothard |Ep 161

Jenny was 10-years old when she first experienced the desert. Jenny's best friends mother was a Girl Scout leader who brought the girls out to Joshua Tree National Park to camp. Jennifer says, “I remember the wind – it was like a person, taking up space.”   &nbsp;   As an adult, Jennifer would visit the park to climb. In 2017 she wrote a  about the history of the Joshua Tree National Park climbing community as part of The Mojave Project, a documentary and curatorial project led by artist Kim Stringfellow.   &nbsp;   After spending two and half years with the Peace Corps in Southern Thailand, Jennifer returned to Joshua Tree and began leading hikes and kids camping groups. She became part of  and worked on developing what is now known as the 'Artists Tea' program.   &nbsp;   A student of art, Jenny initially worked in acrylics, sculpture and recycled materials. Before leaving for the Peace Corps, Jennifer received a watercolor set from a friend. With only six months left out of country, Jennifer brought the set out and began to experiment. Watercolor is now her medium of choice and she finds it a bit ironic to be painting desert landscapes with water. Her paintings are held in private collections around the world.   &nbsp;   While continuing to work as a guide and outdoor educator, Jennifer also serves as the Executive Director of Arts Connection, The Arts Council of San Bernardino County. In this role, Jennifer's multidisciplinary practice approaches community engagement as a dynamic form of art: creating space and opportunities for people to gather in unexpected environments through diverse methods and mediums to promote broader understanding and connection to self, others, and place.   &nbsp;   Full Episode   Find Jenny's art on Instagram: @jennykane_art   Donate, join or find out more about Arts Connection here:    &nbsp;

DLD| Jenny Kane |Ep 162

Anne Lear’s first experience with desert was a a young girl. Growing up in Los Angeles, Anne and her family made many trips to 29 Palms to visit her uncle, Bob Lear, a homesteader in the 1930’s. If Lear Avenue rings a bell, that road was named after Uncle Bob. This photo shows Anne, left, with Uncle Bob.   &nbsp;   In this episode we’ll first learn how it was that Anne’s uncle came to be living in 29 Palms, which resulted in Anne coming to retire in the desert. Anne says as a child, there was nothing really interesting to do on these trips other than looking for rocks with one of the neighbor boys.   &nbsp;   Anne credits two ladies for inspiring her to be an artist. Her mother – a teacher and artist herself – who would bribe Anne to finish homework or house chores with the reward of some kind of art-making equipment. Another inspiration was the Catholic school teacher who held up the students artwork for the entire class to see.   &nbsp;   Anne shares the background of her teaching education, her learning the art of collage and serving as a chaperone for one her students on a trip to NYC.   &nbsp;   In 1993, after 43 years of teaching – it was time to decide where she would retire. Having access to property with a prepared art studio, Anne decided she would retire in 29 Palms, on her uncle’s property.   &nbsp;   Anne participated in two of the very first Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours and has also participated in the last three most recent tours. It wasn’t until she went on the tours herself that she realized how many artists are in the Morongo Basin. She notes desert artists are very quiet about their work and the lack of criticism leads to enhanced freedom and experimentation in their work.   &nbsp;   Anne feels there is no reason to be isolated in the desert. If folks are feeling lonely, Anne recommends volunteering, stating, “Everyone needs a volunteer”. Not long after moving to the desert, Anne began volunteering at the 29 Palms Art Gallery and has been a member for over 26 years.   &nbsp;   You can see Anne’s work at her website:

DLD | Anne Lear | Ep 163

Raised on the east coast, Kathy didn’t see a desert until she’d moved to San Francisco in her college years. Taking bus trips down to beaches in Mexico, the desert felt like something to ‘get through’ in order to get to the beach.   &nbsp;   Back-packing in the Sierras brought Kathy closer to the Mojave. One day, driving through Darwin in search of a friend's place, she felt ‘eyes were on her’ from behind curtains as she drove through the town. Kathy passed broken down shacks and cars and wondered how anyone could live in such a place. The town was so unnerving, she decided not to even get out of her car to walk around. Over time she came back to Darwin to visit those friends and began a serious quest for a vacation home there. With such a small population, property for sale was not easy to come by. &nbsp;   Through a series of events – some tragic and some disappointing – Kathy finally got a lead a few Darwin properties and purchased one. When the work/live space she was hoping for in San Francisco did not materialize, Kathy decided to make Darwin home.   &nbsp;   In this episode Kathy describes what it’s like to live in a desert town with no stores or government, with the nearest gas or grocery 50 miles away. The only real social scene is the daily 11:30 a.m. trip to the Post Office for mail – the Postmaster has the only job in town.   &nbsp;   We also talk about life in the desert as one ages; Kathy calls Darwin ‘a great place to die’.   &nbsp;   These days, Kathy splits time between Darwin and Taos, New Mexico. She describes the property in Taos as even more primitive and off grid than Darwin. It’s at an elevation of 7200 feet where she hauls water and handles other manual living activities daily.   &nbsp;   Find Kathy’s writing, music and art at: www.kathygoss.com

DLD | Kathy Goss | Ep 164

In this final episode of the Desert Lady Diaries podcast, Susan Henry (Ep 146) steps in as host and queries Dawn about her first experience with desert, the inspiration for Desert Lady Diaries and her shoppe, Soul Connection.   &nbsp;   Born &amp; raised in New Jersey, Dawn Davis was drawn to the desert after lengthy careers in banking, project management and media. After 14 years in the corporate scene, she spent more than 20 years as an actor, voiceover and producer.   &nbsp;   Dawn moved to the Mojave in the summer of 2016.   &nbsp;   Dawn is an award-winning actor and for the last four years has hosted and produced the 'Desert Lady Diaries' podcast. This month she will celebrate two years as the owner of Soul Connection, a gift shop in Joshua Tree.

DLD | Dawn Davis | Ep 165

A weekly 30-minute podcast profiling women who live in the desert. Why they came, what they do and why they stay.