Art-A-Fair kicks off with premiere night
As the minutes ticked down to Art-A-Fair’s premiere night Wednesday, a pair of closed black gates kept visitors out on the lawn. But the wide gaps between the bars left little mystery about what was inside — and Diane Briones, peering through, was already mulling over a possible purchase.
Seated on one of the benches on the slender lawn between a drainage ditch and the grounds at 777 Laguna Canyon Road, the Santa Clarita resident pointed to a ceramic wall piece, featuring a human face emerging from a white backdrop, that hung on the wall of Aileen Buecheler’s booth.
“It’s extremely unique,” she said. “What it looks like up close, I do not know.”
There was more than enough to entice the eye — and maybe the wallet — as the annual juried festival opened for the summer with an invitation-only preview. By the time the invitees filed through the gate shortly after 5 p.m., more than 100 artists had set out their wares, which shared booth space Wednesday with wine, cider and snacks.
The festival grounds, housed in a regal-looking pink building with a canvas ceiling and yellow flags rippling on top, felt like a cool haven as the afternoon heat dissipated. With the Surftones playing background music on the stage by the lawn, patrons squeezed past each other en route to painted booths that offered glass, ceramics, celebrity portraits and more.
According to Mike Cahill, Art-A-Fair’s president as well as a photographer who exhibited his work Wednesday, the preview night amounts to major business for the festival each year. Starting this Friday, the general public will get to browse the booths as well: The festival, which began in 1967, continues every day through Aug. 31.
The juried show has at least one distinction to set it apart from the Sawdust Art Festival, which resides next door, and the Festival of Arts, which neighbors the Pageant of the Masters across the street: It’s the only one of Laguna’s three summer art staples without a residency requirement, which meant that some artists exhibiting Wednesday came from Northern California and even out of state.
Buecheler, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., and once owned an art shop in Laguna, comes back every other year to set up her booth at Art-A-Fair. The trip reconnects her to her roots in another way — she began her fine-arts training by taking classes at the Laguna College of Art + Design, which her son also attended.
In a typical year, Buecheler said, she sells about 50 of her ceramic pieces, often to repeat customers.
“Once you’ve been here a few years, you do tend to get a following,” she said. “People come back and look for you.”
Sylvia Simmons, a Santa Maria resident, has had ample time to build a reputation for her glass works: This year marks her 22nd time in Art-A-Fair. She’s seen customers venture from far beyond Laguna to peruse her stock.
“The furthest I’ve had people come back from is Nevada,” Simmons said. “But then, I have people come in from out of state.”
If You Go
What: Art-A-Fair
Where: 777 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 27 through Aug. 31 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4 and Aug. 31)
Cost: $7.50 for adults; $4.50 for seniors (65 and older), military and students; free for children 12 and under with an adult
Information: (949) 494-4514 or https://www.art-a-fair.com