North Wing, Burra Family Community Room

Wind from the West: California Iron Weathervanes

June 17, 2026 – November 1, 2026

Curated by Mary Platt

Long before mass-produced décor and catalog-ordered ornament became commonplace, homeowners and builders across California commissioned unique iron weathervanes to crown rooftops, towers, garages, stables and gardens. Especially in the growing resort communities of Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s, these handcrafted creations became a whimsical form of architectural self-expression — part utility, part sculpture and part personal signature.

The weathervanes in this exhibition come primarily from Palm Springs and neighboring desert communities, where wealthy residents, movie stars, architects and developers transformed the region into one of California’s most glamorous enclaves. In an era fascinated with romantic visions of the Spanish Southwest and Old California, homeowners often worked closely with architects to create residences rich in fantasy and personality. Weathervanes became one more opportunity to add charm, humor and individuality to a property.

Most of these pieces were fabricated from flat sheets of black iron, carefully cut by local ironworkers and smiths into striking silhouettes. Though the names of many of the makers have been lost to time, their craftsmanship and imagination remain vividly alive. The silhouettes are at once bold and elegant, designed to be instantly recognizable against the bright desert sky.

Certain motifs became especially popular. The proud silhouette of a Spanish galleon — sails billowing in an imaginary wind — appeared atop countless homes, evoking California’s romantic colonial past. Mounted cowboys, stagecoaches, bullfighters, mission scenes and horse-drawn wagons reflected enduring fascination with the mythology of the West and Spanish California. Other vanes celebrated leisure and modern life: golfers mid-swing, swimmers cutting through stylized waves, speeding automobiles and roaring locomotives. Desert imagery appears frequently as well, with roadrunners, cacti and scenes inspired by Mexico and the Coachella Valley landscape.