Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

We were staying in Joshua tree and looking for something to do so we stopped at this art museum. It was started in the late 80s and the owner spent the rest of his life building this art. He passed away in the early 2000s and its pretty neat how long so much of these items have survived for the last 20 plus years in the desert. Very unique stuff and im not much of an art guy but still a pretty unique little place. It's not a bad spot to stop at and its unique.

An art museum in the middle of the sandy desert. Each piece tells a small story. Free to park and walk through donations accepted. We appreciated the timelessness

Pretty cool and quirky outdoor museum. Good way to kill an hour with the kids. Some interesting pieces

Great side trip if you’re already at Joshua Tree or planning to visit.

This was an interesting site, and worth the short side trip. There are a lot of installations, so plenty to see.

Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum is an unconventional, eccentric, and strikingly imaginative installation.. Every installation is crafted from waste and the number of artworks made from old toilets alone is surprising! Created by the late artist Noah Purifoy, the art is captivating but how it's withstood the harsh desert climate. Getting there isn’t the easiest—expect a bumpy drive along a dirt road but the journey is scenic. You'll find plenty of signs along the way guiding you to the museum which is at the edge of the desert in a quiet residential area. Marked parking and entrance access, making it easy. At the entrance, you’ll find a donation box and brochures too! Do visit this place and get your imagination rolling!

Put on your headphones and blast DARK SIDE OF THE MOON by Pink Floyd to accompany your journey along this amazing, innovative, creative, and bizarre universe of art. Now that you have a perfect soundtrack, you can take a close look at all of the works of art made from trash that was literally in the area and dragged and pushed to become these monuments to man’s wastefulness. Immediately on inspiring and shocking and make you think all at once. Your journey will take you to the end of the desert, but it is worth the trip and I mean it’s a trip . here’s a game for you count how many broken toilets were used in making this artwork.

if you need a moment to yourself to self reflect or just to get inspired, this is a great spot to get stuck in thought. also note that there is a dedicated parking area that is labeled "for noah's art site" (seemingly kindly provided by the neighbors) across from the site. dont park anywhere else as it is private property and you need to respect the area

It was a nice experience! My four year old had fun exploring. It's free and enough parking for a Wednesday afternoon.

This was a very unique place. I was in the area, looking for things to do and this place popped up on Yelp. It was ... interesting. In the middle of the desert, you can find this art installation. I have never seen anything like this before. Some installations were disturbing; others were thought provoking. If you're bored and in the area, you might want to check it out. There are other art installations in the area that you can check out as well, if you find yourself in JT.

Let me just saw - wow! My mother and I came here both being artists ourselves and I found a lot of the pieces so inspiring, interesting and thought provoking. I definitely recommend reading up on Noah Purifoys life before entering as having some backstory adds context to some of the pieces, but overall I was very impressed with the use of shapes and lines with the desert landscape. I'm very impressed and this will definitely be a spot I bring friends when we are in town!

parking was limited. there were a ton of art pieces to see. the art pieces were very interesting to say the least. definitely worth the stop!

What a fun place to visit... it's a visual experience seeing this quirky place in the desert and its free (suggested donation)

Review #900 I had a friend tell me to check this place out when I was visiting Joshua Tree. It's a bit of a drive from Yucca Valley, but very interesting to see. The road leading into this place is a little bumpy and goes through a residential area. Noah Purifoy was an African American assemblage sculptor and visual artist. He spent the last fifteen years of his life assembling this place. This 10-acre outdoor museum contains over one hundred works of art made of tries, bathroom fixtures, broken TVs, ragged clothes and toys. It resembles a salvage yard. The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art is free to visit but accepts donations. There are brochures onsite for a self-guided tour. Guided tours must be booked in advance for groups. I took a couple hours to walk through this place. Each of these pieces of art tell a story. I'm a big art and museum nerd and found this place both unique and quirky. I came in the summer and it was a little warm. So bring water if you come during that time of the year as it gets pretty hot during the day. Also wear closed toe shoes. This outdoor museum maintained and preserved by the Noah Purifoy Foundation.

Was in Joshua Tree recently and we had the family dog with us so upon researching dog friendly places online I discovered this outdoor art gallery. You for sure can take your dog but beware of the cactus' that like to cling to dogs and of course be mindful of heat when you go. If the sand is hot put some shoes on your dog! Now for the exhibits. I'm not quite sure what to make of all the art that I saw but it sure was interesting to look at and made you realize how much junk us humans accumulate and where is junk going if it's not being repurposed for art? While I enjoyed the creativity it sort of made me sad to go through and realize just how much junk us humans put out in the world. I guess maybe the visit was a success like all good museums as it got me thinking!

A free and enjoyable reclaimed material art display in the middle of the desert. To some it may look like junk, but there is definitely an element of real art to many of the pieces. It's worth seeing considering the fact of how unique it is and definitely something that represents the quirky Joshua Tree and surrounding crowd. It can get very warm so I would advise against bringing dogs however, they are allowed. They should have paw covers at very least but again it can get very warm out there so something to be aware of. There is plenty of parking right out front and the road there is paved a majority of the distance. I would recommend that everyone see it at least once.

Pros: * Free * Creative * Parking available * Thought provoking Cons: * N/A Extra: * Look at the website before going; you need backstory to truly understand the pieces * Self Guided * Open every day from dawn to dusk

must see when in Joshua tree. Noah's works are based on what mattered to him and it's all so relevant and profound, 10/10

It's something you just have to go see in Joshua tree and not go again. There was some interesting pieces and some that were kind of creepy. I don't think I have the artsy eye to fully appreciate the creativity beauty of all of them. But you just gotta go when in Joshua. Scratch the itch of curiosity!

Wear closed toed shoes as you'll be walking in the desert sand. If you bring kids, note that there's lots of sharp and rusty stuff. Oh, and that standing straight up Catamaran is full of buzzing bees. End of safety notes.. That said, wander about a man's life's work and see what comes out. Seeing rows of old dishwashers and abandoned yarn and yellowed cassette tapes made me conscious of how much we throw away and don't think twice about....

I've always enjoyed stopping here after a visit to Joshua Tree, it's only a 10 min drive out of the park,on the west side. It's free but they also take donations through Venmo. These art installations sadly are crumbling as they are not being maintained, so go see them while they last! The desert sun has weathered them all in such a way it's almost as interesting to see that process as it is the art installations. It's a small area & quick tour BUT don't miss the many details in every section. It's also a great place for a photo shoot but check if you need a permit. Travel safe

Totally worth the 2 hour drive from OC. It's a free outdoor art museum in Joshua Tree that's open to the public from morning til dusk. We went on a Sunday and there was not a lot of people. The drive there can be bumpy on the dirt road, park in the shade adjacent from the yard, take a pamphlet before heading in and enjoy the whimsical art pieces. Definitely gets cold this time of year so bring a jacket, and since it's the desert bring a hat for sun protection and sunglasses to avoid those wind gusts getting dust in your eyes.

Super eclectic spot. Kind of what you expect, but even weirder. Spent an hour here with the kids who explored and talked about how different forms of art can be. Interactive in that they can touch and be in. Some moving parts. Def recommend, even if just for a short walk through.

Noah outside piece crazy cool . Just donate few dollars for the project. Enjoy ! Just bring lots water for the summer .

To get to the museum, you'll have to drive a lot on the dirt road and it gets bumpy. Make sure to follow the signs, as when we did Google, it ended in the middle of nowhere. There will be a sign pointing you to where to go. The museum is definitely interesting and unique. I didn't get a tour, but I would think the story behind the art is interesting. Tip(s): - Look for the Museum signs - You'll be driving on dirt roads and it gets bumpy - It's free to visit

I'm into this stuff and this was on my way back to the main road, but I wouldn't go out of my way. Cool exhibits but I only stayed for a few minutes. There was no one else here when I showed up around 10:30 am which is kind of nice.

What an awesomely weird and amazing place to visit in the desert. Really fun and interesting to trek around the different sculptures. We enjoyed scanning the QR codes and seeing the changes to the pieces over time. Definitely worth the trip. Some slightly bumpy dirt road on the way.

What an eclectic, ethereal, surreal and totally random collection of the most unique "art"! Were it not for the #localadventurechallenge, I never would've known this place existed lol! It is quite a ways out into the desert...and you will drive on a small bit of bumpy, unpaved dirt road so be careful if you have a low car. There's several parking spots along a chain link fence in front of the entrance - it looks like you're parking in front of someone's house but there are signs telling you to park there for the art museum. It's free to enter. The website says to check in at the welcome center (?) but I didn't see anything that looked like a welcome center, not did I see any other people around until more visitors came as I was leaving. The museum is a vast wasteland of random art pieces, almost entirely made out of what looked like garbage and discarded machinery, computers, toilets, chairs, crosses, car parts, boat parts, bits of wood, and even old pairs of jeans and boots haha! There aren't any bathrooms so I suggest to stop in the town of Yucca Valley on your way in (or out) of the area...it had plenty of places to stop! All in all it was a very weird and interesting visit that left me scratching my head and thinking "ok wth did I just see?" as I got back in my car lol! Glad I did it!

If you've ever had the urge to construct things, love architecture, assemblage or taking photos, this is a magical place! The artist Noah Purifoy found beauty in reusing trash- metal scraps, toilets, wood, etc. to construct unique buildings, arches, sculptures etc. that compliment the desert landscape. It's a unique, oddly beautiful & amazing installation of Noah Purifoy's creative vision. I feel like I'm a child again when I visit here. That's a priceless experience.

This is a cool outdoor museum that you can stop by at your leisure. They have a box of maps so you can peruse at your own pace. There is plenty to wander around and view but it's not massive, I can't see anyone spending more than an hour or so here. Admission is free, but they do accept donations. I ended up reading about Noah Purifoy and some of the work after the fact which helped provide context to what I had seen earlier. I would definitely recommend reading a bit about his pieces and the meaning behind his work before coming so you can have a better understanding if you are like me and casually enjoy art. Personally, this style of using found materials is sometimes hard for me to fully embrace without some background. Overall it's a neat stop when in Joshua Tree and I'm glad we decided to check it out. It wasn't too crowded midday on a Friday during COVID 19. A couple of people, us included, were wearing face masks but we were able to distance from those who were not.

Very cool place to visit if you're in the area. At first I thought it was a burning man type of situation where random kids are making things out of their junk but it turns out, the artist was actually relaying a message, which made interpreting the art exhibits even cooler.

Outdoor installation created by noted visual artist and sculptor, co-founder of the Watts Towers Art Center. This is a collection of various found art that some will find inventive and quirky while others will see piles of junk. I'm more of the former camp, and you'll imagine where you would stand on this even before visiting. Being outside in the desert, you would expect that some of it is rather weather-worn, and it is. You need to drive on some dirt roads to get here, and there are no bathrooms and almost no shade. Admission is free, but you are encouraged to leave a donation in the box.

I'm not much of an art person and found art is something I can't get my head around completely so, take what I say for what it is: thoughts of someone who came here because it came up on a list of things to do near Joshua Tree. It's definitely a bit further off the beaten path where the roads are no longer paved, keep going and you honestly can't miss it. There's free parking and a donation box as well as some brochures for a self-guided tour. I could see some of the value and aesthetics of some of the pieces and during our visit some of the works were being refurbished and off limits, although it was hard to determine one from the other. There were definitely a few pieces that I thought were pretty hazardous and could use a little upkeep besides the ones that were being rehabbed and seemed fine. The brochure had a map with that showed the individual pieces but the way it was laid out made it hard to distinguish one from the other, so it made the tour a quick one and also left us unsure if it was worth the drive out.

I'm not really an art person, a lot of times I dont really know what I'm looking at unless there's an explanation. However, I still enjoyed my trip here since a lot of the sculpture are interesting to me. The entire space looked like a small village to me because of all the different type of buildings. A theater, bed room, computer room, cemetery etc I read the brochure and it explained that Noah constructed entirely from junked materials. I do see a lot of toilets that's for sure! Next time I will definitely sign up for a guided tour because I understand the artist is trying to express something through the scraps, because none of the art looked pretty, I think he made it look strange and dark on purpose. But for now they just look like a bunch of random material put together to me haha. However, I give it 5 stars because it is quite big and there are a lot to see here, it definitely had enough sculpture to be consider a museum of some sort and its free so cant complain There's no cover or shading area, so be prepared to be out in the hot sun for 1 hour+

This is definitely makes for a unique J-Tree experience. The desert is already a surreal place, and this outdoor art installation adds to the eerie feeling. I felt as though I was in Borderlands or Mad Max. The way you experience the art is through a self-guided tour. There is a box for brochures but they were all out when we came there. I think it would be really cool to have a audio guide to the art that we could purchase online, because otherwise it looks like a bunch of haphazard material to the untrained eye. I don't know much about art, but I did get the general sense that this dystopian junkyard has themes of social justice and institutionalized racism. The found materials take on a different shine with the help of Joshua Tree's extreme weather conditions. The gradual erosion of the junk puts everything into a much sharper relief. Some of the pieces are very dark, and some are thought provoking. Take some time to appreciate the 15 years of work Noah Purifoy put into this place, you won't regret it!

This is definitely a photo place to go. There are so many pieces of art work to see. Getting there is in a residential area and some roads are bumpy so, it is best if you have a 4-wheel drive car. There is a place to donate as well since it is an art museum.

This art exhibit is what happens when you spend to much time in California dessert. Quirky, bizarre, creepy random stuff turned into art. Located in the middle of no where in the city but almost everything here is located in the middle of no where. Dirty road to drive into it. Small little parking area. Free to visit. They take donations. Easy round loop to walk and see all the art. Pretty eerie setup, you get the hills have eyes feeling that someone or thing will jump out at you. Warning, the jumping cactus really jump. We found one on my shoe and I was never close to one!

The Outdoor Desert Museum of Assemblage Sculptures is an eclectic collection of art created by famed artist Noah Purifoy. Located in beautiful Joshua Tree,California the large art collection is interesting,fascinating,creative quirky and loads of fun and is well worth the visit! Bring water,free parking and there are no bathrooms here just fyi! Best of all you get to see Noah Purifoy's art collection for free! . . . . #noahpurifoy #outdoordesertmuseum #joshuatree #desert #assemblageart #waynesalvatti #seetheusa #photografxworldwide #art #wattsriots #iloveart #visitjoshuatree

Kind of cool if you are in the area. Not bad for free. But I would not go too out of my way come here. It was a little underwhelming. Basically, it looked like a junkyard with some things arranged somewhat artistically. There is actually a lot of junk just laying around that's not artistic at all. It literally looks like just garbage. But I've got to give props to the creator for trying, and spreading art through society, no matter how rough it may be. I must admit, a couple of the pieces were pretty cool, and humorous.

Intriguing but it didn't really speak to me. I was camping at Joshua Tree and heard about this fascinating museum that apparently is worth checking out. I'm glad I went but there isn't anything appealing to make me want to return. First of all, the path to get in is all dirt so watch out if you have a low vehicle. The artwork is quite unique but rather grotesque for my taste. It is incredible that the artist created it but it lacked a central theme. It was a mod podge of completely varying elements. I did enjoy the use of bowling balls though!

Pretty interesting art installation spot in the desert. Given the searing heat when we arrived it made for a relatively short visit. Some of the pieces were impactful while others felt like the ravages of time and weather have taking their toll. Been to other found object artists' installations around the country and this one was just ok for my taste. But it's art so go see it yourself and be your own judge. Donations suggested but otherwise free.

Right after actually going into the park, this should be the second thing on your Joshua Tree to-see list. It's located in a neighborhood not too far from the park entrance, but keep in mind that you will be on dirt roads. It's an open air gallery with no shade so be sure to wear a hat and sunscreen. It's free to enter but there is a donation box if you feel so inclined. Here's a little backstory: A lifelong artist in trade and education, Noah Purifoy spent the last 15 years of his life (until 2004) creating this ten acre large-scale junk material/found object sculpture garden. The sculpture garden is truly quirky and unique, filled with many interesting objects. You can quickly walk through, take your photos and be out shortly. Or if you really take your time looking at every nook and cranny as we did you'll be there for around an hour. You could look at it as a statement on consumerism, and the fact that the items these sculptures are made from are still going strong, dirty but not breaking down. Or you can just come and enjoy looking at some funky art. I do wish that the brochures at the entrance provided some explanation or insight about the pieces. Either way, it's a must-see!

Wow that's art !! Not worth seeing . What a let down plus I saw rats . The people there were really weird unfriendly. Plus that toilet and water drinking fountain was ridiculous. . Maybe one day a big storm will wash all that junk away

Really interesting find in the desert. Lots of found objects turned into some thought provoking if not interesting to look at sculptures in Joshua Tree. It's definitely off the beaten path. But lots of parking, wasn't crowded.

Really cool donation based outdoor art museum. What an amazing place that shows how to reuse refuse and trash into art. It's not necessarily super refined, but it's cool nonetheless. I liked the toilet sculptures and cafeteria tray exhibits the most. Good opportunity for cool desert pictures. Dirt road to get there. No staff, just open to the public.

It's an incredible place. It's my thing though. I love assemblage art, found object creations. It's 10 acres of amazing sculpture that springs from and integrates into its environment. I find it really inspiring and soulful. It's not for everyone (see some reviews) but certainly worth a visit. If you're not familiar, It might be helpful to understand a bit about the artist and how the foundation works to carry on his legacy.

A fun, free adventurous spot to check out for 30 minutes while you're out here in the desert. This place was really close to our Airbnb so we stopped by and we're very impressed with how large it is. The installations themselves are fun and can be thought provoking. I would say this is a must see if you're in the area!

I'm going to describe this as a "unique" location. I've gone once and I feel like that was good enough for me. If you're a SZA fan, my friends and I did a CTRL theme photo shoot near the TV display and that was personally our biggest takeaway.

We went at dawn, which I highly recommend. I suspect sunset would also be lovely. Public art made from junk/garbage. It's a nice bit of almost nowhere to wander and take photographs. Be sure to put a little something in the donation box.

This is another interesting place to visit in the Yucca Valley area. The sculptures are made up by used old items. I'm not really sure what some message some of them is displaying but they are fun to look at.

Really cool and interesting place! Especially if you just want to wind down and take a breathe before heading back to where ever you are staying! Donations are welcomed, brochures available and creative of story telling us all up to you.

Great place to go if you have free time to check it out. It's free but they do accept donations. Very creative pieces with some that you can walk through.

it's a couple piles of trash. This won't seem like art to you if you grew up in the High Desert

This art exhibit is one of the best things in Joshua Tree!! It's different and gets you thinking outside the box. I easily spent an hour walking around and looking at all the different art. It's a fun thing to check out. It's free, but please donate something to keep it going. Highly recommend checking this cool exhibition out.

I understand art is subjective and all that, but the fact is this is a bunch of trash--literal trash. It looks like trash; it smells like trash; it is trash. If you're looking for beauty, it might not be for you (or it might, that's up to the beholder). If you're looking for depressing social commentary on humanity's complete and utter failure as a steward of this once-beautiful planet, this is the place to be. All that being said, it's bizarre as hell, and for that I would recommend it.

Great open air art installation just outside the town of Joshua tree. The price of admission is a donation. We spent our time walking around for over an hour. Definitely a unique experience and something worth checking out if you are in the Joshua Tree area.

I'd give this a 5, but my wife would give it a 3, so this is a blended review. This is a huge outdoor art installation site, with at least 50 constructions. It's free, though we made an online donation. Overall, the art is ok. I've seen better "outsider" art, and I've seen better outside art installations. This work is almost unadorned. In other words, while industrial and household debris has been refashioned into abstract or representational pieces, it's rarely been molded much or painted, or had other enhancements. This makes it look unfinished sometimes, especially at a first glance. With so many pieces, you can't take in each in detail; it's overwhelming, and so you tend to look superficially at much of the work. If you take the time to look for details, you can find them -- but you're in hot, dusty, sunny location, and I doubt that studying details will be your priority after 10 or 15 minutes. On the plus side, it's interesting stuff. Many structures are large enough that you can walk in them (igloo, carousel, Marian's theater, etc.). Others are beautifully crafted, such as the railroad. A few have a blunt political message (racism, voting), and a few are simply fun, such as a banjo and a bowling ball sculpture. I also appreciate that there's an informational pamphlet that gives the names of about 30 of the pieces, as that adds depth. On the downside, this is rough stuff. It's dusty and beat up and rusted, and most of it isn't attractive. Old clothes covered with dust, a dozen toilet seats piled up, rusted bed frames (sometimes well-used as bridge railings, but other times just on the ground), battered pieces of metal, old school lunch trays in the dirt. Only a few things are initially attractive, if that's what you're seeking. Also, many pieces aren't identified on the map with a name. Why didn't the artist put a name plate on each? And did I mention the dust? Don't go there in the height of the day; it would be brutal. We went an hour before sunset, and it was a lovely time. Big bonus: There seems to be a family of roadrunners that lives there, as we saw at least two during our hour on the site, and it was fun to watch them scamper between mesquite bushes.

Definitely a cool stop-off to check out on Joshua Tree! If eclectic art is your thing you'll be in heaven, if not, it's still interesting!