Noah's Art

Visit Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Musueum near Joshua Tree

Noah Purifoy Desert Museum of Assemblage Sculpture in Joshua Tree

“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure” does not ring any truer than at the Noah Purifoy Desert Museum of Assemblage Sculpture. This outdoor museum near Joshua Tree National Park is a mosaic of items thought of as trash that have been transformed into works of art. Go on a self-guided tour to view over 30 assemblage sculptures throughout two acres of lot. Grab a brochure as you begin the tour to find the names of the prominent pieces and get commentary on culture and Purifoy’s perspectives of the world.

Welcome sign at Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum in Joshua Tree

Brochure used to do self guide tour of the Noah Purifoy Desert Museum near Joshua Tree National Park

Person standing under giant arcing art sculpture at Noah Purifoy Desert Museum near Joshua Tree

Noah Purifoy (1917-2004) was an African American artist born and raised in Alabama. He came to California in his late thirties to earn an art degree from CalArts. His earliest sculpture was constructed out of charred debris from the 1965 Watts Rebellion, which was a result of nationwide racial tensions. From then on Purifoy devoted his life to enacting social good through art. In the 1980s Purifoy moved to the Mojave Desert to build large-scale sculptures entirely from discarded materials. 

Assemblage art is a medium that typically uses found objects and combines them to make something entirely new. And as you’ll see from Purifoy’s innovative and otherworldly work, nothing was off limits for use in a sculpture.

Toilet sculpture at Noah Purifoy Desert Museum in Joshua Tree

The museum is currently run by the Noah Purifoy Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1999. It’s a volunteer-run foundation dedicated to preserving the desert sculpture site that Purifoy established in the last years of his life.

From the I-10 east take Exit 62 for Hwy. 62. When you arrive in Yucca Valley watch for Yucca Mesa St. and turn left. After 4 miles turn right onto Aberdeen. After about 4.5 miles, turn left on Center St. Take the first right onto Blair Ln. (graded dirt road). You will see the sculpture site on your left. Parking will be on your right.

Story and photos by Ben Replogle, @big_mountain_moose

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

    View
  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

    View
  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

    View