PS ModCom Educational Programs (2025-2026)
PS ModCom is a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of Desert Modern architecture and design. We accomplish this through education, advocacy for threatened buildings, promotion of heritage tourism, and the celebration of successes in preservation and adaptive reuse as well as new architectural design.
One of our key educational initiatives is the BEAM program (Building Educational Architectural Models) offered to middle- and high-school students throughout the Palm Springs Unified School District and at St Theresa School. This program aims to build awareness and appreciation for architecture and design while introducing students to potential career options within these fields. At the beginning of our program, most students have very little knowledge of, or appreciation for the internationally recognized architectural heritage that we have in the Coachella Valley.
We provide three days of in-class talks about architecture and design, lead the students on a bus tour of the architectural highlights of the area, mentor the students on building architectural models of residences and other buildings, and showcase the models at events such as Modernism Week and the City of Palm Springs’ Preservation Matters conference.
Additionally, we offer a popular and well-attended series of educational talks about architecture and design at the Palm Springs Public Library, Rancho Mirage Public Library and the University of California, Riverside, in Palm Desert.
Contact: Hugh Wakeham
Email: hugh.wakeham@gmail.com