Palm Springs is well-known for its mid-century homes, and sun-glinty swimming pools, and lavishly xeriscaped resorts, and the swanky shops and eateries found along Palm Canyon Drive.
And, 'round abou 2012 and 2013, the destination grew incredibly famous as the temporary home to a 26-foot Marilyn Monroe sculpture, a Seward Johnson artwork that paid homage to the star's skirt-blowy moment from "The Seven-Year Itch."
"Forever Marilyn" stood above much of the city, grandly and glamorously, at the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way for nearly two years. And when the 34,000-pound artwork departed the city in 2014, many locals and visitors alike were beyond blue to see it go.
So blue, in fact, that word went around that the sculpture could return to the desert, one day soon, possibly maybe.
That "one day soon" could be on the near horizon, as close to the city as Mount San Jacinto, metaphorically. The Palm Springs City Council is due to "hear a proposal from P.S. Resorts" on Wednesday, Aug. 3 about possibly raising funds, privately, to help facilitate the sculpture's return to California.
P.S. Resorts, an organization comprised of hotels in the area, has found a possible partner in the RumChata Foundation for the title sponsorship agreement. Agreements and such need to be discussed, but the city is feeling pretty chuffed that the star could once again be in its midst.
No doubt about it, the eye-catching, see-it-from-afar piece was a dazzler of a draw to the city during its stay, but its possible return isn't solely about catching tourists' eyes. Marilyn Monroe once owned a home in the area, and locals feel a kinship with her life and legacy.
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Where has "Forever Marilyn" visited since departing Palm Springs? A trip in 2016 was an epic, across-the-seas one: The sculpture went on display in Bendigo, Australia.
