Something for all tastes

Every summer, Laguna Beach becomes the center of the arts in Orange County ? and beyond. The reasons why don’t change from year to year: the Pageant of the Masters, the Festival of Arts and the Sawdust Festival.

But if you think you’ve seen any of the three, think again. Each year there are new artists or new art work to discover.

And it starts with the pageant.

A PAGEANT UNLIKE ANY OTHER

The renown Pageant of the Masters is a unique form of art called tableaux vivants, which means “living pictures.” The show recreates familiar and not-so-familiar statues, paintings, jewelry, posters and other media (and always ends on Da Vinci’s “Last Supper”), setting each to orchestral music and a guided narrative.

A different theme brings new works to the stage each summer. This year’s theme is “A Passion for Art,” which asks: What mysterious force compels an artist to create a work of lasting beauty and power. Is it romance, love, obsession?

Under the guidance of director Diane Challis Davy and a seasoned staff, some with more than 20 years experience, the works of art are magically transformed into life-sized recreations. Through lighting, intricate sets and live actors who become part of the piece, each work takes on the likeness of its two-dimensional original or three-dimensional model.

“A Passion for Art” will be performed nightly at 8:30 p.m. July 7 through Sept. 1. Remaining tickets are $20 to $35. For the special celebrity fundraiser gala on Aug. 26, remaining tickets range from $50 to $150.

The pageant is on the Festival of Arts grounds in the Irvine Bowl at 650 Laguna Canyon Road. For more information call (949) 494-1145 or (800) 487-3378 or visit the website at www.foapom.com.

CELEBRATING THE ARTS EACH DAY

Since 1932, the Festival of Arts has been the premiere juried art exhibition in Orange County, and it’s the longest-running outdoor fine art exhibition in California. The festival, which runs from July 2 through Sept. 1, will include more than 140 artists working in a vast array of media: blown glass, jewelry, oils, watercolors, acrylics, printmaking, sculpture, furniture, ceramics and photography. All artwork is original. Artists are often present.

And, yes, their work is for sale.

Art workshops and seminars will be available regularly throughout the summer for children and adults. Patrons can explore with guided tours, see demonstrations and enjoy entertainment, including visual and performance arts.

Special events are scheduled throughout the summer. Every Thursday beginning July 13 will feature a “Jazz and Wine Tasting Series,” $7 with admission, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Sundays there will be a “Sunday Afternoon Blues Festival” from 2 to 4 p.m.

Laguna Culinary Arts will offer cooking demonstrations from 1 to 2 p.m. beginning July 9 through Aug. 20.

Special theme days are on Saturday afternoons from noon to 4 p.m. The first, “Wildlife Art Day” on July 15, will feature three baboons and opportunities to paint. “Hawaiian Cultural Day” on July 29 will bring dance, art and activities the aloha way to the festival grounds. “Surf’s Up,” offers a day of surf scene art and entertainment Aug. 5. “Art in a Box” will be held on Aug. 12; each artist is given a box that they will adorn throughout the day. Celebrate the culture and art of Asia on Aug. 29 at “Asian Arts Day.”

Another highlight of the Festival of Arts is a junior art exhibition, with artwork from Orange County kindergarten through 12th-grade school children that were juried into this special exhibit. Additionally, throughout the summer, Youth Art Education Days will be held every Wednesday. The classes will give children ages 5 to 13 the opportunity to experience a wide variety of arts, including theater, music, painting and more. There is a $10 materials fee per student, per class.

The Festival of Arts has a season pass of $7 for general admission and $4 for seniors and students. Laguna Beach residents receive free admission, as do children under 12 and Pageant of the Masters ticket holders.

For more information call (949) 494-1145 or (800) 487-3378 or visit the website at www.foapom.com. The Festival of Arts is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

A PLACE FOR LOCALS TO PLAY

The Sawdust Art Festival continues to be the face of Laguna Beach’s art community. To be a Sawdust exhibitor, the artist must live in Laguna Beach. More than 200 artists exhibit their original artwork in this summer’s show, June 30 through Sept. 3.

Every art medium is on exhibit and for sale in anyone’s price range: photography; printmaking; jewelry; ceramics; glass; textile and clothing; paintings and prints; wood and metal art; sculpture; mixed media; and more.

The festival is set in a beautiful eucalyptus grove and each of the artists’ booths is hand-built every summer.

The art festival started in the summer of 1966 and it still has a laid-back atmosphere, complete with sawdust covering the ground and waterfalls that add to the peaceful hillsides. It will celebrate “40 Creative Years” this summer.

Some of the highlights include artist demonstrations, with glass blowing a favorite draw; complimentary art classes; children’s art activities; and three stages of live entertainment, offering a mixture of music genres.

The first Friday of every month is free for Laguna residents.

A highlight again this year is “Project Skimboard 2,” in which 40 Sawdust exhibitors were given a blank skimboard to turn into a one-of-a-kind work of art. These works will be in the exhibitors’ booths June 30 through Aug. 5. The boards will be auctioned along with other works, with the proceeds going to local arts-related charities, on Aug. 6 at the Sawdust’s Benevolence Fund Art Auction.

The festival will celebrate its 40th Anniversary Day on July 11.

Admission fees are $7 adults; $6 for seniors 65 and older; and $3 for children 6 to 12 years old. Children 5 and younger are free. Season passes are $13 for the summer show, or $19 for both the summer and winter shows. Sawdust Art Festival is at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4. For information call (949) 494-3030 or visit www.sawdustartfestival.org.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL

The trio of main arts programs aren’t the only reason to brave the traffic in Laguna.

The Art-A-Fair Festival is internationally juried and features over 100 fine artists and master craftspeople. Many artists demonstrate and create in their booths. A large selection of art media are on display and for sale. Free workshops and supervised children’s art activities are also offered.

The show, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, runs from June 30 to Sept. 3. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Adult admission is $6 for a season pass. There are special discounts for seniors and children younger than 12 get in free with an adult.

The Art-A-Fair Festival is at 777 Laguna Canyon Road. For information, call (949) 494-4514 or go to www.art-a-fair.com.

Laguna’s permanent place for art, the Laguna Art Museum, has a variety of exhibits this summer.

“Laguna’s Hidden Treasures: Art from Private Collections” runs through July 10; “Paul Paiement Hybrids 1.0 ? 3.5,” runs through July 3; and “Surf Culture Redux” runs through Oct. 5.

Laguna Art Museum is exhibiting “Artists at Continent’s End: The Monterey Peninsula Art Colony, 1875-1907” through Oct. 1; “Pervasion: The Art of Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup” through Sept. 24; and “California Art from the Permanent Collection: Part II, 1930s to 1950s” through Sept. 24.

“Artists at Continent’s End: The Monterey Peninsula Art Colony, 1875-1907” draws from museums and private collections throughout California and beyond. The exhibition features the work of the Monterey Peninsula’s premier early artists of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Featuring some sixty to seventy pieces dating before 1907, the exhibition elucidates the importance of the Monterey Peninsula in the history of California art.The museum is at 307 Cliff Drive. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are free. Information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org. cpt.09-pageant-2-dl-BPhotoInfoA01RTOSG20060614j0inzhnc PHOTO BY DON LEACH(LA)Photographers try to capture on film what their eyes can’t believe is real at a showing of the Pageant of the Masters.