David L. Shearer

Mr. Shearer has been influential in disseminating design and design education to the public for over two decades. Trained as an architect at the University of Minnesota, Shearer, upon graduation, formed Geometrie: A Gallery of 20th Century Design in Minneapolis. At Geometrie, he curated and produced exhibitions focusing on the decorative arts and design of such luminaries in American design as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, and Isamu Noguchi. In addition, Geometrie mounted shows that
focused on contemporary designers, architects, and photographers.

After moving to New York in 1990 to run Modern Age Galleries, Shearer focused on contemporary design, which ultimately led to the formation of Totem Design Group. Totem, an acronym for "The Objects That Evoke Meaning", has been critically acclaimed for the series of exhibitions, publications, seminars, and design education initiatives that Shearer presented.

Shearer has been widely published in the field of design and has produced several documentaries and publications about design. Currently, Shearer is the Director of Exhibitions International, a not for profit 501c3 organization that organizes exhibitions and educational programming about architecture, design, and the decorative arts primarily for museums.

Mr. Gorst is the director of Desert Utopia, Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs. He also served as Director of Photography and Editor for the project. He is the owner of Jonamac Productions.

Of his recent documentary film, Leisurama (2005, PBS), New York Times writer Alastair Gordon said, "Jake Gorst's documentary film...is a compelling look at American culture in the 1950s and 1960. While the filmmaker has chosen to focus on an amusing marketing concept in affordable housing, he goes out of his way to explain the broader cultural implications of the Cold War and US-style capitalism. Leisurama is a refreshing look at an important era without the usual clichés."

Other recent film contributions include Farmboy (2006, Jonamac Productions), the the direction of an animated sequence for the film Keeping It Alive by Murray Bruce Productions and associate production on Andrew Geller: A Spatial Encounter (2003, Gallery HD)and Beyond the Beach: The Life and Death of Norman Jaffe (2006, The Jaffe Foundation). Gorst also served as a script writer for Doug Llewelyn's Close-Up TV News.

Robert Imber operates Palm Springs Modern Tours (PSMODERNTOURS), a company specializing in architectural tours of Palm Springs, Ca mid-century modern buildings. He has served as a board member on several not-for-profit boards developing and organizing architectural, educational and travel programs, lecture series, etc including The Newschool of Architecture Arts Foundation (San Diego, CA); The San Clemente Historical Society (San Clemente, CA) and as an original member of the Palm Springs Modern Committee (psmodcom) was Founding Chairman of the Education Committee.

Imber is head of an organizing committee to establish an international museum of architecture in Palm Springs, much based on a short-lived one he founded in San Juan Capistrano, CA in the eary 1990's. Author of numerous articles on architecture locally and nationally, Imber contributed to the new Assouline Press book, Palm Springs Style and his recent essay on Palm Springs acclaimed "Alexander" tract homes can be found at www.eichlernetwork.com.