This workshop is sold out.

In celebration of Day of the Dead traditions, guests will take part in an art-making experience with glass artist Tamara Coatsworth. Participants will learn about pâte de verre, French for glass paste, one of the oldest forms of glassmaking. A brief discussion about this technique will be followed by a hands-on workshop in which participants will create glass “sugar” skulls. Guests’ creations will be fired in a kiln off site after the workshop. Completed pieces will be available to pick up at Sunnylands the following week.

Instructor: Artist Tamara Coatsworth has been studying various glassmaking techniques since 1991. Her glass sculptures are inspired by memories.  She believes glass is the perfect medium for her sculptures as it gives weight and permanence to transient feelings. Tamara’s work is held in private collections domestically and internationally.

• No art experience necessary.
• Space is limited. Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
• Fee:$30.00 per person
• This workshop is sold out.
• For additional information, please call 760.202.2254

Tickets for the historic house tours dated September 14 – 30 go on sale August 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

Tickets are $48 per person and are available online only at www.sunnylands.org.

Rancho Mirage – The Brookings John L. Thornton China Center and The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands hosted the second U.S.-China Leaders Forum at Sunnylands this week. The Forum, held from May 7 to May 9, 2017, brought together high-level policymakers, business entrepreneurs, innovators, military strategists, scholars, and public intellectuals to foster greater understanding and trust between the United States and China, as well as develop and promote ideas for increased collaboration between the two countries on issues of the day and subjects of long-term strategic interest.

In all aspects of China’s development—institutions and governance, economics, geopolitical strategy, technology, demographics, the environment—major changes are underway. The same is true for the United States. Each issue induces its own ripple effect on global affairs. In light of these evolving trends, and as the United States searches for new approaches to geopolitical and economic leadership, the need for increased understanding and cooperation between the United States and China has become all the more critical.

The Forum follows on the heels of last month’s summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, where four new “pillars” for comprehensive dialogue between the two countries were announced. Forum participants engaged in detailed discussions in those areas, which included regional security and strategic cooperation; trade, investment, and infrastructure development; technological innovation and cyber security and law enforcement; and social and cultural development. The in-depth and timely exchanges also focused on the trajectory of U.S.-China relations through critical periods of transition in both countries—namely, the new U.S. administration and the expected large-scale leadership turnover at China’s 19th Party Congress this fall.

Participants in the second Brookings U.S.-China Leaders Forum at Sunnylands included:

• John Allen, Retired U.S. Marine Corps General; Former Commander, International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
• Bertrand-Marc Allen, President, Boeing International
• Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
• Anla Cheng, Founder and CEO, SupChina; Senior Partner, Sino-Century China Private Equity, LLC
• Ambassador Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
• Deng Feng, Founding Managing Director, Northern Light Venture Capital
• Ding Jian, Managing Director, GSR Ventures
• Niall Ferguson , Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard University
• Hu Shuli, Editor-in-Chief, Caixin Media
• Ambassador Fu Ying, Chairwoman, Foreign Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress
• Ambassador Martin Indyk, Executive Vice President, Brookings
• Ambassador David J. Lane, President, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands
• Cheng Li, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings
• Liao Min, Director-General, International Economic Department, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs
• John L. Thornton, Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, Brookings
• Jerry Yang, Founding Partner, AME Cloud Ventures; Co-Founder and Former CEO, Yahoo! Inc.
• Major General Yao Yunzhu, Director, Center on China-America Defense Relations
• Zhang Tao, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
• Zheng Zhijie, President, China Development Bank
• Ambassador Robert Zoellick, Former President, World Bank; Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

During this free 60-minute guided walk, guests explore the winding paths throughout the nine-acre Sunnylands Gardens, enjoying a commentary by a member of the education department. More than 70 species of native and arid-adapted plants from North and South America, Africa, and the Mediterranean are displayed.

This one-hour free walk is held every Thursday at 11 am from November through April. No reservation is required.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens presents its annual Music in the Gardens concert series beginning Sunday, March 4, and continuing every Sunday throughout the month. The public is invited to stroll in the Gardens or bring a lawn chair and have a picnic on the Great Lawn while enjoying a different musical act each weekend.

Every performance is free and takes place from 11 am to 1 pm at Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37977 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage.

While guests are invited to bring food and picnics to Sunnylands, large coolers, ice chests, grills, and alcohol are not permitted.

March 4—Hot Club of Palm Springs opens the season with everything from the Great American Songbook to Parisian swing treatments of modern hits. Performing for the first time at Sunnylands, this band is led by veteran musician string player Bob Hamilton.  Bob wil play guitar and banjo with bassist/vocalist Bill Saitta, saxophonist Craig Yancy and multi-instrumentalist Don Reed.
March 11—Barry Baughn Blues Band. Well-known in the Southern California blues circuit, Barry Baughn is lead guitarist and vocalist. Barry has worked with long-time rock and blues bassist-vocalist, Bob Gross. Over the course of 53 years, Bob has played with Albert King, Delaney Bramlett, Bobbie Gentry, Jim Stafford, Charo, Hank Thompson, and many more. The BBBB’s will bring infectious grooves and have the crowd tapping their toes
March 18—Three Micks and a Chick is a is a traditional Irish band, that features elements of traditional Irish music with storytelling and danceable tunes. Mick Lynch, Andrea Bond, John King, Don Reed and Mark Berres use traditional Irish instruments, including the Bodhrán drum, fiddle, concertina, and the Bouzouki and produce a blend of traditional and more modern sounds.
March 25—Jazzgrass returns by popular demand. In 1999, Idyllwild resident Barnaby Finch put the band together to honor the newer and more progressive side of Bluegrass music. In 2011, Barnaby recruited some talented locals to play with him. Don Reed on mandolin, dobro, and guitar is a famous Idyllwild virtuoso who’s performed with numerous artists. Sam Zorn on fiddle is a promising young player who covers everything from jazz to Celtic music. On bass is Bill Saitta, one of the busiest musicians in the Desert, joined by Jeff Olson on drums, who plays with David Benoit. Pianist Barnaby Finch is the musical director, formerly music director and touring member of Lee Ritenour’s band. Barmaby has played with Ronnie Laws, Alphonse Mouzon, Boz Scaggs and Lionel Richie. His piano was featured on the Lionel Richie/Diana Ross hit Endless Love. From 1982 to 1989 Barnaby toured with George Benson, for whom he was conductor and musical director from 1987 to 1989.

At the conclusion of the retreat on Sea Change: Developing Strategies for Rising Sea Levels and Ocean Acidification, key participants issued public statements on how to advance and provide leadership for effective sea level rise adaptation strategies and address increasing levels of acidification that imperils the vitality of the oceans.

Participants included esteemed global leaders from government, science, media, and philanthropy. Geoffrey Cowan,then-president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, announced that participants found agreement on several points and pledged continued engagement on these issues.

“We at Sunnylands are committed to convening follow-up meetings designed to explore new efforts to create state-of-the-art tools, standardized training and certification for professionals, and communication strategies to improve public understanding of the need to act,” he said.

Also speaking were retreat co-conveners HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Dr. Margaret Leinen, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, and His Excellency Anote Tong, President of the Republic of Kiribati.

HSH Prince Albert called for action and a follow-up meeting to identify appropriate protocols for peoples who will be displaced by the rising oceans. This meeting has been scheduled to take place in Kirabati in approximately one year.

“The implications of climate change related to migration of large numbers of people, both within countries and across international borders, present the international community with new and daunting challenges,” he said.

Dr. Leinen, said retreat participants are committed to building the adaptive capacity of communities. She emphasized the need for new mechanisms for training professionals, accurate shared information, and tools for predicting threats and costs of the rising oceans.

President Tong said that the retreat was “exciting and inspiring and gave him a degree of hope” for the future of his country, which may before the end of the century cease to exist and whose population may need to be resettled as a result of the rising oceans. He concluded by saying, this “must be a collective effort” no country can do it alone.

The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego will host an important retreat in October 2014 to address two of the most pressing issues impacting our planet—rising sea levels and ocean acidification, which are both linked to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and their impact on the climate. The retreat will take place at The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California.

The retreat is convened by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco; Margaret Leinen, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences at UC San Diego; and Geoffrey Cowan, president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands (2010-2016), USC University Professor and director of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy.

The small, select group of retreat participants will include leading policymakers, scientists, engineers and other public figures. In the Sunnylands tradition, identities of retreat participants will not be released in advance.

“For thousands of years, humanity has considered the sea as an infinite source of wealth, which was easy to exploit with no concern about its renewal. We now know that these vast expanses are not infinite. And above all, we know that our activities will have repercussions on them. Preservation of the environment cannot be accomplished against humans, on the contrary: it can only work by establishing a sustainable model, capable of reconciling the legitimate goals of population development and the impassable requirements of nature,” said HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. “By preserving the environment, and in particular the oceans which cover more than 70% of the world’s surface, it is simply a question of making sure that future generations live on a planet which is not hostile towards them.”

For more information about adapting to a changing ocean, see the Scripps Oceanography website.

The retreat at Sunnylands will be followed—for the first time in the United States—by the seventh edition of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Awards recognizing excellence in the three main areas of the foundation’s mission: climate change and renewable energies, biodiversity, and integrated and sustainable water management together with the fight against desertification. It will be an evening featuring His Serene Highness, along with scientists, environmentalists, explorers, teachers, policy and government officials, major donors, politicians and leading lights from arts and entertainment, who all have one goal: to applaud and award three individuals or organizations whose efforts have vastly and sustainably improved the quality of our lives. For more information, please visit the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation website.

About the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
In June 2006, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco decided to set up his Foundation in order to address the alarming threats hanging over our planet’s environment. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s efforts focus on three main sectors: climate change and renewable energies, biodiversity, and integrated and sustainable water management together with the fight against desertification.

About Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system.

“The Annenbergs created Sunnylands to foster international agreement on critical challenges facing our nation and world,” said Geoffrey Cowan. “While other important meetings have addressed mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases, there is also an urgent need to encourage the development of adaptation strategies. The October retreat will enable a gathering of top minds to provide leadership for adaptation strategies, with a special focus on the Pacific.”

“Sea-level rise is a key climate change impact that is already demanding adaptation at the local, regional, and global scale. Sea-level rise is flooding streets in low-lying communities, resulting in enhanced erosion of shoreline cliffs threatening infrastructure, and inundating critical shoreline habitats, and causing severe damage during storms. Geographic regions and governments are struggling to build capacity to address this global high-level challenge,” said Margaret. Leinen. “This retreat will bring together key individuals who can accelerate global efforts to respond to this crisis.”

Sunnylands’ leadership and service to the community was recognized at the annual Rammy Awards & Distinguished Citizens Dinner presented by the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce. More than 200 government, business, and education leaders gathered to pay tribute to individuals and organizations who have made Rancho Mirage an outstanding place to live and work.

Leonore and Walter Annenberg were posthumously honored as “Citizens of the Year” for their legacy of service and philanthropy in Rancho Mirage and beyond. A video, produced with help from Sunnylands staff members Daniel Modlin, Eric Ornelas, and Ashley Santana, documents the extraordinary contributions made by the Annenbergs during their lifetimes.

Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs Mary Perry, pictured above, was also honored as Businesswoman of the Year for her tireless work advocating for Sunnylands and the Rancho Mirage community.

Sunnylands Trustees Diane Deshong and Howard Deshong (pictured below) accepted the award on behalf of Sunnylands.

Earlier in the evening, Rancho Mirage Mayor Richard Kite presented Sunnylands with the Recycling Award, praising the innovative work done by the entire Sunnylands team to institute sustainable practices. Director of Education & Environmental Programs Michaeleen Gallagher accepted the honor on behalf of Sunnylands.

Greeting guests as they come up the winding driveway from Frank Sinatra Drive is Birds of Welcome, a modern sculpture that represents not only art and nature, but the Annenbergs’ famous hospitality. The sculpture features seven sleek, cast bronze and aluminum birds with feathers lifted delicately into the air, framed by the “hide and reveal” landscape of the estate.

Walter and Leonore Annenberg’s love of art was complemented by their love of nature, both of which are reflected in the art and decor at Sunnylands. Birds of Welcome is just one example of nature as a theme in their extensive art collection. Many of the art works the Annenbergs brought to Sunnylands, such as van Gogh’s White Roses and Olive Trees, and a pair of Ch’ing Dynasty cloisonné cranes flanking the fireplace, depict nature in various forms.

In some cases, the couple brought nature into their home more literally: Walter had a bird feeder fitted with a microphone that sent sound into his dressing room, so he could listen to the birds as he got ready for the day. Walter called the feeder, a gift from a niece, his “Feathered Hilton.”

The Annenbergs collected art based on personal taste. While they often collected original works of art from master painters and sculptors, such as van Gogh and Rodin, if they saw a piece they enjoyed, but couldn’t acquire, the Annenbergs often connected directly with artists to commission a similar work for their collection. Birds of Welcome, several of the pieces in the Steuben crystal collection, and the Mexican Column, which stands outside the front doors of Sunnylands, are reproductions commissioned from the original artists.

The Annenbergs saw the original Birds of Welcome at the Gander Airport in Newfoundland, Canada. That piece, Welcoming Birds, was created by Art Price of Ottawa. Leonore and Walter were so taken with the sculpture they commissioned Price to recreate it for Sunnylands.

Birds of Welcome was installed at Sunnylands in 1971. After years in the desert sun, it was restored to its original patina in 2011.

Today, Birds of Welcome continues to greet guests on the drive up to the historic house, carrying on the Annenberg legacy of gracious hospitality.

A morning of conversations with a select group of global leaders in public policy, education, and the arts will be presented by The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands as part of an invitation-only opening weekend planned by the organization’s trustees. The event, which will begin at 9 a.m. (PST), Saturday, February 11, 2012, will be streamed live at www.sunnylands.org. It will be archived on the web site through March.

The celebratory event focuses on how personal relationships impact history and the role Sunnylands intends to play in the future, which includes facilitating world peace and international agreement.

Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff will moderate the panels. Guest speakers include former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Secretary of Defense William Perry; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, musician John Legend, an advocate for music programs in the schools; Thomas Campbell, director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Jeffrey Deitch, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; among others.

According to Geoffrey Cowan, president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands (2010-2016), the program celebrates “the wonderful people who visited Sunnylands when it was the winter home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg and those who will visit in the future as participants at retreats.”

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands was founded in 2001 to address important issues facing the nation and the world. The Trust established The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, which will be dedicated on February 12, 2012, to serve as a sanctuary for generations of high-level national and world leaders seeking the privacy, the peace, and “the pause” needed to address the most pressing issues of the day.

See the recorded program here.