Laguna College Of Art And Design To Exhibit Canyon Walkers

Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) announced Canyon Walkers, an exhibition of maquettes and drawings that show the process of creating three figurative bronze sculptures that capture the spirit of Laguna Canyon. The three heroic-scale figurative sculptures titled, The Art Student, Hiker and Companion, and Traveler were conceived and designed by Brittany Ryan, LCAD lead sculpture faculty and alumna. She leads a team of student sculptors: Atiyeh Hess (Game Art), Charlie Goering (Fine Art), Elizabeth Alvarez (Illustration) and Maxwell Gerber (Game Art).

The exhibition of the bronze Canyon Walkers maquettes will open July 7th and run through August 26, 2016 at LCAD Gallery, 374 Ocean Avenue, Laguna Beach, California. The public is welcome to meet the artists at two receptions during the Laguna Beach First Thursdays Art Walk on July 7th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and August 7th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

“The Canyon Walkers will complement and capture the free-thinking, artistic spirit of Laguna Canyon,” said LCAD President Jonathan Burke. “Each figure tells a story of Laguna Canyon archetypes whose stories and contribution to this special place will live on for future generations.

Canyon Walkers began in January 2016 when Ryan and Burke discussed the replacement of the three current female figure sculptures that have marked the college’s west campus for nearly ten years. They were cast in plaster and intended to last for five years. After numerous repairs, the elements and proximity to the beach have degraded them calling for their replacement.

Burke expects the final completed Canyon Walkers project to be installed along Laguna Canyon Road at LCAD Main Campus in December 2016.

This will be the first public art installation for Ryan, a galleried artist who has exhibited at the annual Laguna Beach Festival of Art for four years and has participated in Laguna Art Museum’s Palette to Palate event and annual auction. In 2015, she received the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant. Last year, Ryan was commission to create a sculpture of LCAD Founder Nellie Gail Moulton. The work was presented to the recipient of the LCAD Creative Partnership Award at its 26th Annual Collector’s Choice Gala.

LCAD Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is always free. For more information, please visit: www.lcad.edu.

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About Laguna College of Art and Design
Founded in 1961, Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) is one of the top art and design schools in the nation. LCAD offers undergraduate degrees (BFA) in Animation, Design + Digital Media, Fine Arts (Drawing and Painting), Game Art and Illustration, as well as Master of Fine Arts degrees (MFA) in Drawing and Painting and Game Development. LCAD Fine Arts alumni are accepted to the most prestigious graduate programs and go on to become internationally recognized artists and educators who shape dialogue with renowned collectors, museums and gallerists. Dennis and Leslie Power Library at LCAD houses invaluable historic archives that include The Rex and Joan Irving Brandt Papers.

For more information about LCAD admissions, news, events and Annual Fund, visit www.lcad.edu. Facebook at @LCADBFA, Twitter @LCAD and Instagram @lcadbfa.