Cultivating Community Through Creativity
AS LAGUNA ART MUSEUM PREPARES TO MARK A MILESTONE WITH THE 10TH YEAR OF ITS ART & NATURE FESTIVAL , THE ORGANIZATION LOOKS TO EMBRACE CONNECTION AND ADD MEANING TO ITS OFFERINGS .
By ASHLEY RYAN
s
ince Julie Perlin Lee took over as executive director of Laguna Art Museum in spring 2021 , things have been flowing smoothly . The number of exhibitions has increased and programming has quadrupled , reasserting the cultural center as a pivotal part of the fabric of the local community .
And now , the museum is on the verge of hosting the 10th iteration of its annual Art & Nature festival , a campaign held Nov . 3-6 this year that is dedicated to celebrating outdoor artwork , creativity and the environment . “ It was really meant to bring a broad body of people together ,” Lee says .
With major changes coming , this year ’ s Art & Nature itinerary is unlike any you ’ ve seen before . But , before we reveal what the museum has in store for the arts community this fall , let ’ s venture back in time to learn how the event got to where it is today .
LOOKING BACK When the Laguna Beach Art Association started over a century ago , the founders had no idea what it would grow into . All they knew was that Laguna ’ s rolling hills and sparkling coves were particularly stunning subjects for plein air paintings . But 90 years later ,
Malcolm Warner — the longtime director who preceded Lee — dreamed up the festival .
“ Warner had been asked to come up with a new concept for Laguna Art Museum that brought the community together and still focused on celebrating the museum ’ s commitment to the early founders ’ vision , which was to capture nature out of doors ,” Lee reveals . “ So that ’ s how Art & Nature was conceived .”
The first year , 2013 , saw a robust schedule of programming to accompany an untitled piece by Jim Denevan on Main Beach . As a land artist , Denevan creates geometric shapes in the earth , but his Art & Nature piece also incorporated
36 LAGUNABEACHMAGAZINE . COM