California’s Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) managers opened the park’s newest visitor center facility and bookstore last Saturday, May 7, 2022.
In partnership with the City of Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park’s traditionally associated Native American communities, Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA), and the Bureau of Land Management, the Joshua Tree Cultural Center invited the public last Saturday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, remarks from local dignitaries and refreshments form the JTNPA.
The new facility is located in the center of the Twentynine Palms business district, at 6533 Freedom Way. Hours of operation each day will be 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
The opening exhibition, “Home Maintenance: Keys Ranch,” tells the story of the park’s role in preserving cultural resources. It was developed by Joshua Tree Art Innovation Lab (JTLab) and weaved the stories of people on the landscape in the present and from the recent past.
The upcoming exhibits are scheduled for Fall 2022 and are being created in partnership with the traditionally-associated Native American communities. It will be a more permanent exhibition, sharing the rich heritage of many different people and cultures that stewarded the land for millennia.
JTNP acknowledges these original stewards. This exhibit will pay respect to the people, past, present, and emerging, who have been in this area for generations.
The Oasis Visitor Center (OVC) in Twentynine Palms closed its doors at 5:00 PM last Monday, May 2, after 60 years of operation. The new facility, Joshua Tree Cultural Center, replaces OVC in welcoming visitors and providing park information.
Other park visitor facilities are Joshua Tree Visitor Center, Cottonwood Visitor Center, and Blackrock Nature Center and Art Gallery. These are open to welcome the public daily.