Laguna Art Museum Celebrates Centennial

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Nestled in the artistic town of Laguna Beach, the Laguna Art Museum encases all California art. For the past 100 years, this museum has developed a permanent collection that is rich in California history while providing art education for all ages and a relevance to the culture of the eclectic town it calls home. That is something to celebrate.

In 1918, the Laguna Beach Art Association was formed by a group of local artists and art buffs, with Edgar Payne situated as president. In Laguna style, those artists showed their works in a small board-and-batten cottage. By 2018, the museum has grown into the building where it now stands, showcasing art and artworks from across California, opening its doors for concerts, family days and local artist talks and on January 27, all are invited to gather in a celebration of the past century.

"The Centennial Bash will bring hundreds of art lovers and enthusiasts together for the ultimate late night party," a Laguna Art Museum spokesperson said. "This event will feature site-specific installations by artists Megan Geckler, Elizabeth Turk, and FriendsWithYou."

• Megan Geckler will transform the museum’s lobby into a wondrous and colorful optical illusion for a spectacular entrance to the Centennial Bash. Since the mid-1990s, Geckler has consistently refined her process of making large-scale, site-specific artistic interventions within architectural spaces. The point at which her artwork ends and the site begins is rendered nebulous, and investigates our inherent human desire to define and control the space around us. Geckler is defining a new territory that explores how we perceive space and materials and re-contextualizing our optical order with precision reigning supreme.
• Elizabeth Turk, the subject of a 2014 exhibition at Laguna Art Museum and commissioned artist for Art & Nature 2018, will create a site-specific and immersive experience during the Centennial Bash. In Turk’s work, the shape of the line is created by extreme loss. That is, the reductive process of carving creates a positive, fragile form in which the absence of the original material is a focus. When viewed as components in a complex natural system, their singular beauty and inherent mystery is revealed and compels us to view works of art as expressions of the natural world and our evolving relation to it.
• FriendsWithYou, the LA-based collaborative of Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, will join the Centennial Bash with their sole purpose of spreading the positive message of Magic, Luck, and Friendship™. Since 2002, FriendsWithYou has gained international recognition as pioneers in the field of experiential art. Known for immersive installations and interactive artworks, they invite viewers to reconnect with and reinterpret their lives through communal experiences.
• Matt Costa will headline the Centennial Bash and bring his singular acoustic guitar-driven lyricism into the galleries. The Huntington Beach local’s body of work can be characterized by its constant evolution and frequent shifts in style and impetus. First discovered by No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont, Costa released his eponymously-titled first EP in 2003. Diverging from his pop-oriented beginnings, Costa’s more penetrative recent work looks to explore new directions and delve into the myths and secrets of his native California.
• DJ Nina Tarr will spin a unique blend to take the Centennial Bash to midnight. One of the most talented and in-demand DJs in Southern California, Nina Tarr boasts an all-vinyl repertoire with diverse records encompassing everything from electro to post-punk to soul. When she isn’t spinning records around Los Angeles, she can be found promoting exciting new work, curating live events, and opening for musicians like Ariel Pink and the Black Lips.

Guests will be entertained with live music by Matt Costa and DJ Nina Tarr. Other featured offerings will include a craft beer tasting by Laguna Beach Beer Company, specialty cocktails, and tidbits by Las Brisas.

Attendees must be 18-years-old or older for this kick off to the year long series of centennial celebrations, according to the museum. Tickets can be purchased here. lagunaartmuseum.org

Photo, courtesy Laguna Art Museum