Festival of Music in Laguna Beach

This Saturday local radio station, KX 93.5, will be taking over the Festival of Arts grounds for the first Festival of Music fundraiser in Laguna Beach. This is the first music festival at this intimate setting approved by Laguna Beach city council and the Irvine Bowl Policy Committee in almost ten years. “We are honored the committee has trusted us to put on a music festival at this historic Laguna Beach location,” said KX 93.5 Program Director Tyler Russell.“We aim for the first ‘KX 93.5 Festival of Music’ to be a very important fundraiser for our public radio station and these other great, local causes.”

5 Ways to See Art in Laguna Beach; Five for 5

Our Five for 5 blog series focuses on what to visit, see and do while in Laguna Beach. The second story in the series will explore "Five Ways to See Art in Laguna Beach."

Summer 2012 Art Festivals

Art-A-Fair

777 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

June 29 - September 2

10am-9pm, Sunday – Thursday

10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday

As always Art-A-Fair brings together international, national and local artists for a compelling display of art. Ranging from paintings and photography to ceramics, textiles and jewelry this festival has something for everyone. In the shaded and garden-like grounds of Art-A-Fair it’s easy to get lost in the aisles of artwork that surround you as you explore looking for your next treasure. This year the work of Bonnie Leigh caught my eye. She carves and paints intricate sculptures from gourds. Some of the pieces can take over a year to make, depending on how long it takes for the gourd to dry.

Another artist who caught my eye was Melissa Culley. She creates delicate and gorgeous teapots that look like angel fish. Each one is unique and utterly breathtaking.

Sawdust Art Festival 

935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

June 29 – September 2

10am – 10pm, Daily

The Sawdust Art Festival showcases arts and crafts from 200 artists that live and work right here in Laguna Beach. This year they welcomed  quite a few new artists to the mix.  As I wandered the grounds, I came across two artists I haven’t seen before, Art Zdanowski a photographer, and Michele Holt a mixed media artist.

Art’s eye for capturing the stunning imagery of nature is unparalleled. In fact his photo of the iconic Laguna Beach lifeguard tower won him a blue ribbon at the Orange County Fair in 2011. It took him nearly 8 months to find just the right moment when the clouds formed and the sun began to set behind the tower to capture the perfect image. See this and many other images from around the world at his booth.

Michelle’s work is an eclectic mix of textiles, signs and paintings. All her work has an eastern organic flare to it that is both colorful and vibrant. Michele specifically focuses on the ancient art of batik and dye-making peace flags and hemp pillows.

Festival of Arts

650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

July 1 –August 31

10am – 11:30pm, Daily

This year Festival of Arts celebrates its 80^th year! Again they bring us some of the finest artwork from 140 of the area’s artists. New to this year’s show is the ability to listen to pre-recorded interviews with select artists on your mobile phone. I loved getting a window into the artists mind and finding out what inspires their work and motivates their creativity.  Also new this year is TGIF@FOA which is a celebration of the weekend with craft beer, pretzels and folk music. It’s a fun way to ring in each and every weekend throughout the summer.

Passport to the Arts 

Don’t miss a moment of the festivals! Return again and again for the special events and food with the Passport to the Arts. The Passport gets you unlimited admission throughout the summer to all three festivals plus a one-time parking pass at ACT V for $21.50

By Anne-Marie S.

The Genius, 2012 Pageant of the Masters

Up close with a "living picture"

There is an excitement in the air this time of year in Laguna Beach. The town is flooded with visitors and locals enjoying the summer sun with the hot topic on everyone’s lips being ‘art.’ It’s no wonder because with the warming of the weather it means it’s festival season and time for the world-renowned production of  Pageant of the Masters. Celebrating their 80^th anniversary, the Pageant of the Masters has been combining the world of theater and art by creating tableaux vivants – “living pictures” of some of the world’s most well-known works of art.

Each year the Pageant comes up with a new theme, new tableaux vivants, an original score and other unique surprises. This year, Director Diane Challis Davy chose a theme of power and strength that explores the relationship between art and advances in science and technology, The Genius. “I’m curious about the materials and techniques used by the old masters,” Challis Davy said. “One hundred and fifty years ago, artists had to make their own paints! In a way, you had to be a chemist. I’m fascinated by the huge roles played by developments in optics and photography when painting realistic works. But, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to enjoy The Genius.” In fact, you only need a sense of wonder (and maybe a cozy blanket) to enjoy the show.

The lights go down, music from the live orchestra plays and we hear the narrator announcing the start of the show. The curtains part and we see the first tableaux, Samuel F.B. Morse’s “Gallery of the Louvre.” The audience sits spellbound seeing this life-sized picture. We all know that there are volunteer actors in the roles of the people featured in the painting, however it is difficult to distinguish them...as there is no movement. The narrator tells us that Morse featured himself front and center in the painting and as he says this, the actor playing Morse breaks his pose and turns to face the audience. All at once we sigh with the shock of seeing him move. The show continues like this, repeatedly putting the audience in a place of awe and wonder when seeing famous works of art (by Michelangelo, Manet, Rockwell, Rodin, van Gogh and many others) come to life right before our eyes.

There is a famous quote by Vincent van Gogh that is featured in The Genius that I think sums up the show just perfectly. “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars make me dream.” While you sit in the outdoor amphitheater, under the starry sky, watching this extraordinary production, you too will be moved to dream.

See Genius nightly at 8:30pm

July 7- August 31, 2012

Tickets start at $15

By Anne-Marie S.

Only Make Believe

Starting as a tradition 78 years ago, the Pageant of the Masters continues to wow audiences year after year. This year’s theme “Only Make Believe,” continues in the tradition of capturing imagination and bringing to life some of the most iconic masterpieces in the art world.

What is Pageant of the Masters?


Its ninety minutes of tableaux vivants or "living pictures" - incredibly faithful art re-creations of classical and contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. An outdoor amphitheater, professional orchestra, original score, live narration, intricate sets, sophisticated lighting, expert staff, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers have won recognition for the Pageant as the best presentation of its kind.

This year’s Pageant of the Masters is venturing into magical artistic realms. Only Make Believe will be your passport to explore worlds populated by ancient and modern superheroes and strange, mythical creatures. It will also showcase the creative expressions of artists who devoted themselves to conjuring everything from Victorian historical fantasies, illustrations for fairytales beginning "once upon a time," to futuristic visions of things to come, all in a breathtaking performance of "art that lives and breathes."

Some Highlights:

Children fairytale classics such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are brought to life with vibrancy.

Other tales explored were the illustrations of Virgina Sterrett’s “Arabian Nights.” To see this great story brought to life in this unique way was breathtaking. Dragons and knights also made an appearance capturing that childhood awe we all had when we first learned of these mythical creatures.

The Pageant didn’t just present the land of fairytales, but it leapt into a world of Greek gods, myths and monsters. Some pieces explained what the future might be imagined to be. According to artist, Sandow Birk, his piece “In Smog and Thunder: The Great War of the California’s,” showed a fictitious depiction of war between San Francisco and Los Angeles. We were also treated to the future, as it was imagined in the late 1920s by Frank R. Paul, in his ‘Jet Man, Invisible Man and Astronauts’ magazine covers for Amazing Stories.

As always the Pageant of the Masters was closed with a depiction of the last supper. Instead of the traditional showing of Leonardo Divinci’s, “The Last Supper,” the Pageant team thought another version may better fit the theme of ‘Only Make Believe.’ This year Salvador Dali’s “Sacrament of the Last Supper” was chosen. Dali is arguably one of the most iconic surrealists of all time and I’m sure would have been delighted to be included in the world-renowned Pageant of the Masters.

Pageant of the Masters

Now thru August 31

For tickets click HERE

 “From the mythological legends of ancient Greece to evocations of classic stories of buried treasure, spooky encounters and the simple pleasures of playing dress-up, the 2011 Pageant promises no shortage of fantasy fun for the entire family.”


–Pageant of the Masters

Laguna Beach Get Away

With the long sunny days of summer just around the corner, consider making Laguna Beach your getaway destination. With seven miles of pristine coastline and top-rated water quality, Laguna Beach is the ideal summer playground. Beyond our beaches, experience the colony of art that Laguna Beach was founded on. Opening soon: The Festival of Arts Pageant of Masters (July 3-August 31), Sawdust Art Festival (June 24-August 28) and Art-a-Fair (June 24-August 28) showcase compelling works of art by local and international artists. Don’t miss the Pageant of the Masters (July 7-August 31). This year’s theme: ‘Only Make Believe,’ will surely knock your socks off!

Make your visit an overnight stay at Inn at Laguna Beach located just above Main Beach on PCH. You’ll be only steps away from one of the most famous beaches in Southern California.

View of Main Beach from Inn at Laguna Beach

Inn at Laguna Beach sits perched upon a bluff above the Pacific

Inn at Laguna Beach is within walking distance to downtown shopping, galleries and restaurants. They offer free WiFi connection, complimentary continental breakfast, and a Friday night Manager Reception with food and beverage. You’ll love the laid-back island feel of this hotel and the comfortable spacious rooms and suites they offer.

Comfortable and spacious rooms

Can’t wait for summer? Book your stay before May 31^st and get ONE NIGHT FREE!

Grab your beach bag and head on down to Laguna Beach for some summer fun. We’ll see you at the beach!

By Anne-Marie S.

Youth Arts Education

During July and August the Festival of Arts offers art education workshops for children. It is a creative and fun way to get kids interested in variety of different art mediums. This year some of the workshops have included ceramics, fish kites & mobiles, corn husk art, and jewelry design.

I was able to take my five-year-old twins to the jewelry design class. We were all excited to see what was waiting for us just beyond the arched entrance at the Festival. The class was set up in the center of the Festival grounds, which meant we were surrounded by the artist exhibit booths. Long tables were lined with what seemed like endless bowls of beads and charms. The kids were eager to begin their project and find what treasures the bowls of beads held.

All of the students were meticulously stringing beads to create spectacular necklaces and bracelets. My twins focused on their favorite colors, some boys took painstaking time using alphabet beads to form their names repeatedly on the strand and several girls made patterned colored necklaces.

We had three artists assisting at this workshop: Barbara Hendricks , and Roberto Brun, both jewelry designers and goldsmiths, and Marcus Thesing, hand blown art glass artist. They all patiently helped the students tie off their necklaces and fit bracelets. They dolled out lots of compliments to these budding artists that brought out some proud smiles. Roberto Burn even made each student a wire ring to wear home.

After finishing up their jewelry designs the twins and I took advantage of being on the Festival grounds and looked at many of the exhibit booths. (I grabbed a cup of joe at Gina’s Alfresco to enjoy while we walked.)

What a great way to start the day...creating, working with our hands, making jewelry…all while surrounded by beautiful art.

Youth Arts Education Days  take place every Tuesday and Wednesday in July and August. $10 material fee per session and reservations are required. For ages 5 to12. www.foapom.com for more information.


By Anne-Marie S.