CODA GALLERY,
JOHN KENNEDY STUDIO, AND
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
CELEBRATE THE FESTIVAL’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
WITH A SPECIAL EXHIBITION OPENING DECEMBER 14

Like the handholding figures in a John Kennedy sculpture, two art forms — film and sculpture — come together in a special exhibition honoring Palm Springs International Film Festival’s 30th anniversary and the artist who designed its award statuette.

Hosted by CODA Gallery and John Kennedy Studio, the opening reception for the exhibition will be held at CODA on Friday, Dec. 14, from 5 to 7 pm, with pianist Andy Cahan playing music from films; refreshments will be served. The PSIFF 30th anniversary special exhibition of movie-themed art and memorabilia continues at the gallery through January 4.

In 1995, inspired by a magazine article about court jesters, John Kennedy (1931-2004) created a sculpture of a ball-juggling jester. Titled The Entertainer and standing 7 feet 3 inches, the bronze work was dedicated at Palm Canyon Theater on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. In 1997, Palm Springs International Film Festival began presenting festival winners with scaled-down versions (at 13 pounds, heftier as well as more lyrical than the film industry’s Oscar award). John Kennedy Studios and CODA Gallery provide the statuettes for the film festival’s gala. Gregory Peck presented one of the first Entertainer awards to Lauren Bacall when the festival honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

CODA Gallery has exhibited and sold John Kennedy’s graceful and poetic bronzes since the 1990s. Trained in the classical tradition of sculpture in Milan, Italy, the artist created his own signature style of sinuous figures that art historian and Otis College of Art and Design professor Dr. Jeanne S.M. Willette described in a 1999 book on John Kennedy’s work as “universal life forms” that, though lacking in facial features, are “intensified in expressiveness.”

On Dec. 14, gallery guests will have an opportunity to view John Kennedy sculptures ranging from less than a foot in height to life size, as well as the film festival statuette. Memorabilia including film festival posters and photographs of celebrities holding The Entertainer award also will be displayed.

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