34 LAGUNA BEACH CITY GUIDE
April . “ We have Pageant of the Masters and many art festivals are here . Anyone who wants to buy art comes here . It is a very bohemian town and a very artsy town .”
Here are some of the newest galleries to peruse while enjoying the artwork on display around town .
Artwork from Pop Art Masters Gallery
ON DISPLAY
FRESH APPROACHES TO ART CAN BE FOUND WEAVED IN WITH WELL-KNOWN WORKS AT THESE RECENTLY OPENED GALLERIES .
BY STEFANEE FREEDMAN
FROM WALLS SHOWCASING MIXED MEDIA , modern and abstract pieces by emerging artists to everything in between , a variety of new galleries have opened in Laguna Beach over the past couple of years .
The owners of these galleries are a mix of creatives showcasing their own work to the coastal community and collectors ready to sell off some of their holdings while exhibiting pieces by artists from all over the world .
“ Laguna Beach is an art center , which means that one of the top … art schools in the country is here ,” says Mogie Dillow , director of Pop Art Masters Gallery , which opened in 2023 but moved to a new downtown space in
Andrew Myers Art A Laguna Beach resident since 1999 , when he began attending LCAD ( then called the Art Institute of Southern California ), Myers had his first art showing at the Forest Avenue space that is now his gallery , which opened in May of 2023 .
“ I was given an opportunity to do my first art show out of art school in this exact location ,” Myers says . “ This space was dear to me for a lot of different reasons . I always thought I wanted to open a gallery in Laguna , but never liked any spaces .” When this spot became available , he says , “ it just seemed natural that I take it over and start my own gallery .”
Myers is known for putting thousands of screws into a panel and creating an image that is both a sculpture and a painting on the sculpture . Another artist whose pieces are displayed in the gallery uses an unconventional medium , too . JP Goncalves assembles precisely trimmed pieces of wood in a way that allows the light and shadows to form a picture . Among the other featured artists are Chris Ahalt , who makes glass-blown sea