Festival Highlights
Here’s what’s happening this week at the Laguna Beach art festivals.
Festival of Arts
Junior Art Day
FOA will feature Junior Art Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, where youngsters will have a chance to make arts-and-crafts, put on a circus for their parents and embark on a treasure hunt.
“I’m very excited about all the great activities planned for this special day to expose children to the arts. There will be lots to see and do,” said Susan Davis, special events director.
Art projects will include painting pots, making monoprints and designing hats.
Kids will dress in an array of costumes and learn to hula-hoop, juggle, spin plates and tumble on mats at the “Joyous Circus.”
“Art Quest” treasure hunters will have to find and identify certain items from artists’ booths. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Other fun-filled activities include face painting, stiltwalkers and balloon artists.
Coffee and Conversations
Peer inside the mind of printmakers Vinita Voogd and Dirk Hagner, when they lead a discussion about “The Process and Issues for the Contemporary Printmaker” from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at the Festival of Arts.
The discussion will touch on the various processes of Fine Art Printmaking and the issues facing printmakers in our highly digital world.
Participation is free with Festival admission.
Art of Cooking
Award-winning chef Lewis Butler will host the 6th annual weekly event series, Art of Cooking, from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Patrons will have a chance to learn tips and techniques from the Center Club’s executive chef, who demands only the freshest ingredients and whose team has been recognized on an international basis as the keystone for gastronomic excellence.
Wiith five diplomas in the Cooking and Catering Industry from Summerset College of Applied Arts and Technology, the English-born chef went on to share his talents with Four Seasons around the globe, including a hotel in Los Angeles, where he cooked for Hollywood’s elite and planned and executed menus for Oscar parties, movie premiers and celebrity weddings.
Butler later joined the world class Rancho Bernardo Inn, owned by JC Resorts, as executive chef, where he appeared on numerous local news channels, demonstrating seasonal recipes. He also had the opportunity to prepare a Dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in New York accompanied by his Chef de Cuisine, Gavin Kaysen.
Butler was the winner of the Festival of Arts’ “Food Fight” competition in 2007.
Art of Cooking is free with Festival admission.
Beatlemania
Rock out to a hard day’s night Sunday when Jason Feddy and Friends cover Beatles classics from 6 to 8 p.m. as part of FOA’s weekly Beatlemania event.
Accompanied by John Troy, Geoff Pearlman and Evan Stone, Feddy will perform Beatles favorites in his own “rootsy” style, guaranteed to get the whole family moving.
“When Special Events Director Susan Davis asked us to perform for the 3rd summer in a row, we said of course! We’re so happy to be back by popular demand, and we’ve added new songs to our set. For any musician to get a chance to revisit Beatles’ songs is incredibly educational and fun,” Feddy said.
Video 101
FOA artists Rick Graves and Patti Ohslund will offer a new free workshop that will give patrons the opportunity to learn how to use a camera and film on the world famous Festival grounds.
The second Video 101 workshop will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday and will run weekly throughout the summer.
Participants will learn how to use a camera, including lighting, audio and some basic editing techniques. Finished video projects may be shown on the festivals “You Tube” channel and on the festival grounds. No experience necessary. Participants must bring their own equipment and have a willingness to learn. Enrollment is limited so sign up early.
The Festival of Arts is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Adult admission is $7; $4 for seniors and students. For a complete list of events, visit https://www.foapom.org.
Sawdust Festival
Musical entertainment
The Sawdust Festival will feature an array of musical talent, including a performance by Ken Garcia from noon to 4:30 p.m. today on the Main Deck; singer-songwriter Jodi Siegel will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Grill; The Mighty Cash Cats will howl from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the Tavern; the Tavern will also offer a Juke Box Scandal from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday; Tuesday is blues day when Satin Blue performs from noon to 4:30 p.m. on the Main Deck; the Isle Serenaders will serenade the crowd from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Tavern; and the Rhythm Burners will get you swinging from 5:30 to 9:45 p.m. Thursday at the Main Deck.
Classes and workshops
Many Sawdust artists will offer classes and workshops for patrons who want to try their hand at something creative.
•Tie-dye T-shirts for $10 with Michelle Hutchinson from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sawdust Studio;
•learn the art of Chinese Brush Painting from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday with K.C. Horng at the Studio;
•Children 9 and older can build Geometric Origami with Jan Sattler from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Children’s Art Spot, while their parents can Paint with Plaster with Marni Spencer-Devlin at the Studio or Throw a Pot at the Ceramic Center;
•Photographer David Linnig will offer a Seeing Light workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Healy House.
Many of these classes and workshops will run throughout the week.
Sawdust Festival is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 950 Laguna Canyon Road. Adult admission is $7.75; $6.25 seniors; $3.25 children 6 to 12; children 5 and younger free. For a complete list of performances, visit https://www.sawdustartfestival.org.
Art-A-Fair
Music performances
Art-A-Fair will host an eclectic mix of performers throughout the week, including a Pop/Rock show with Bob Johnson from 5 to 8 p.m. today; and R&B dance session with Drexx Cannon from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday; 60’s surf tunes with the OC’s beach party band, Kerry and the Surftones from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday; and electric violinist Paul McIntire from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Workshops
New to Art-A-Fair this year are daily workshops, including Chinese Brush Painting with K.C. Horng today; Classic Beading with Janeen Shagman on Sunday; Watercolor with Barbara Kimmel-Palmer on Monday; Oil and Palette Knife with Elaine Hughes on Tuesday; Acrylic painting with Carol Heiman-Greene on Wednesday; and Drawing with Sharon Cannon on Thursday.
Art-A-Fair is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 777 Laguna Canyon Road. Adult admission, $7; $4 for seniors, military and students. For more information, visit https://www.art-a-fair.com.