Laguna Art Museum


The Laguna Art Museum is a museum located in Laguna Beach, California, on Pacific Coast Highway. LAM exclusively features California art and is the oldest cultural institution in the area. It has been known as the Laguna Beach Art Association, as well as the Laguna Beach Museum of Art.

Overview

LAM is situated upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a scenic spot originally chosen by Laguna Beach artists in 1929. The museum collects and exhibits artwork solely created by California artists, or artwork that represents the state itself. The museum's collection ranges across all periods and styles since the nineteenth-century, maintaining a dynamic balance between the historical and the contemporary. LAM seeks to develop and circulate a permanent collection of California art while presenting it to a wider audience, and to serve the local community as a cultural and social institution.

History

Founded in 1918 by a small group of artists who settled in Laguna Beach, the Laguna Beach Art Association eventually developed into an exhibition space where the best current works were showcased. Using funds raised by artists, Edgar Payne - who later became the museum's first president in 1920 - converted an old town pavilion into an art gallery to exhibit members’ artwork for sale. With fundraising largely attributed to the efforts of the artist Anna Hills, members opened a fireproof, custom-built gallery designed by the noted Los Angeles architect Myron Hunt in 1929. Meanwhile, the LBAA had begun offering art classes for both children and adults.
In 1948, a gift from the artist Frank Cuprien's estate served as the catalyst for a fundraising campaign aimed at enlarging the gallery space. Shortly after, the original building doubled in size and this new expansion opened in 1951 with an exhibition organized by Mrs. William Daniell. The selection of paintings included in this exhibition by early Laguna Beach artists later became the Museum's Permanent Memorial Collection.
By growing the size of the permanent collections and increasing the quality of exhibitions, LBAA gradually began to operate as an established museum. Following these developments, it became known as the Laguna Beach Museum of Art in 1972. In April 1985, the museum was temporarily closed for reconstruction, reopening in September 1986 after an extensive $1.6 million expansion. The museum doubled in size from 9,000 square feet to 19,000 square feet, and it also increased the size storage and office areas. Along with the introduction of an entirely new building, the museum also changed its name to Laguna Art Museum. This substantial rebranding was a continuation of the museum's effort to set itself apart from other museums in the area as the premier institution of California art.
In 2016, the Laguna Beach City Council approved a matching grant program to issue $1 million to Laguna Art Museum over next four years. After this unanimous vote, the city of Laguna Beach immediately became among the town's most generous arts supporter. Such an investment testifies to the museum's immense importance to the city as a source of cultural enrichment and economic impact.
To commemorate the establishment of the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1918, LAM celebrated their centennial in 2018 with a year-long slew of birthday events as well as an exclusive documentary film, “Laguna Art Museum at 100" by Dale Schierholt, specially screened on April 19, and an exhibition on the museum's founders, on view from June 24 to Jan. 13. The kick-off event on Jan. 27, the Centennial Bash, included site-specific, immersive an art installations from artists Megan Geckler, Elizabeth Turk, and FriendsWithYou, live music and craft beer. On Aug. 25, the official 100th birthday of the LBAA, the museum offered a family-friendly event with art activities, tours, prizes, cake, and free admission to the public. On the Festival of Arts grounds, the Centennial Ball, an exclusive black-tie affair, rounded out the centennial festivities and the summer activities with dinner, dancing and entertainment on Sept. 29.

Collections

The museum's permanent collection, which consist of more than 3,500 artworks in various forms from the early 19th century to the present day, focuses only on California art. Significant examples from all periods of California art are represented.
Collections from the 19th and early 20th centuries include artists such as William A. Coulter, Frank Cuprien, Edwin Deakin, Ferdinand Deppe, Thomas Hill, Anna Althea Hills, Thomas Lorraine Hunt, George Hurrell, Joseph Kleitsch, Edgar Payne, Julian Rix, and William Wendt.
Contemporary artists include: John Altoon, Robert Arneson, Judy Chicago, Francis De Erdely, Tony DeLap, Manny Farber, Oskar Fischinger, Llyn Foulkes, Sam Francis, George Herms, Craig Kauffman, Peter Krasnow, Roger Kuntz, Helen Lundeberg, John McCracken, Wayne Thiebaud, and DeWain Valentine.

Past exhibitions

Exhibitions at the Laguna Art Museum change every three to four months. Notable exhibitions from the past include:
The museum offers diverse programs to serve audiences of all ages, from the local school district to the most underserved communities without access to art education. The museum provides free- of-charge School Tours which attracts more than 2,000 kindergarten-grade 12 students and teachers annually from Orange County, including cities such as Santa Ana, where the museum provides educational outreach programs. In addition, other youth-oriented activities include the monthly Family Art Studio and Elements of Art Summer Camps. The number of children attending these diverse programs increase every year as schools recognize the unique educational value.
Laguna Art Museum also provides Docent-guided Tours. What's more, there are various art education programs for adults which serves 10,000 people from around the area annually. Events include First Thursday Art Walks, music concerts presented in partnership with Laguna Beach Live!, film screenings relating to the exhibitions on view and reflecting the museum's focus on California, lectures in conjunction with exhibitions, and other mission related programs.

Art & Nature

Art & Nature is another noteworthy annual event. Laguna Beach has a long and rich history of artists drawing their inspiration from nature, particularly the beach. This tradition is culminated in the annual Art & Nature program which was first introduced in 2013. Inspirited by the gorgeous landscape, the museum hosts an annual weekend conference and festival to explore the relationship between art and nature. The multidisciplinary exploration combines art and the natural world by providing an outdoor art installation and nature-themed exhibitions along with a keynote lecture, a panel discussion with artists and environmentalists, and a free Family Festival.
The event serves a number of purposes: to provide a festival of art and ideas for the community; to inspire artists; to find and develop connections between art and science; to raise awareness of environmental issues; and to celebrate Laguna Beach as a center for the appreciation of art and nature.
Annual events also included Art Auction: California Cool and Palette to Palate.
Laguna Art Museum's Art Auction is one of the longest running art auctions in California and one of Orange County's most exciting art and social experiences. The art auction launched in 1983, and gradually became an important source of fundraising for education programs and exhibitions.
Palette to Palate, which started in 2006, is an annual fundraising event that combines art and dining. Once a year, guests gather for a gourmet dinner in the company of several participating artists, whose artwork is displayed on the walls and tables. Later in the evening, their artwork is placed on sale and there is also a live-auction. Money raised from this event is used to support educational outreach programs and exhibitions. Events such as Palette to Palate demonstrate the museum's rich connection to Laguna Beach's artistic community, and its greater role as a social and cultural institution.