Laguna Art Museum names featured artist for 12th annual Art and Nature

The unrelenting temperatures might say otherwise, but at least for the art festivals in Laguna Beach, the sun has set on the summer season.

Art enthusiasts will now look to the fall, when Laguna Art Museum will renew its vows to the outdoors with the 12th annual Art and Nature.

The exhibition, which explores the intersection between artistic expression and environmental awareness, will return to the doorstep of the beach town from Nov. 2 through 11.

Christian Sampson will provide the headlining exhibit for the show, museum officials have announced. The Los Angeles-based artist is known for creating layered installations of color, light and form.

“With a solid 12-year history of attracting thousands to the beach right outside the museum’s door, there is always a bit of pressure in selecting a featured artist for Art and Nature,” said Julie Perlin Lee, the museum’s executive director. “We are so excited for Christian Sampson’s ‘Ocean Ions’ to come to Laguna Beach, as we know it will dazzle audiences, help draw deep introspection about our human interaction with our environment and push us to think deeper about time, perception, unseen forces and even the possibility of transcending dimensionality.”

The Art and Nature period at the museum will include two additional exhibits in “Jay DeFeo: Trees” (Sept. 21 to Jan. 12) and “Fred Tomaselli: Second Nature” (Oct. 6 to Feb. 2).

In other Laguna arts-related news, the application period for artists hoping to exhibit their work in the Festival of Arts fine art show in 2025 opened this week.

Artists who have resided in Orange County for at least one year prior to the close of the application period on Oct. 30 may enter. Five digital images of their work per medium must be submitted along with the application. Exhibitors will be juried into the show after having their work evaluated on the bases of craftsmanship, design, media expertise and professional presentation.

“Part of our mission is to provide a platform for local artists to reach a wider audience, and every year we are amazed by the depth of talent in our community,” said Christine Georgantas, the exhibits director at the Festival of Arts. “We look forward to welcoming new and returning artists and seeing how they contribute to the festival’s rich legacy.”

A free informational seminar to assist artists with the application process will be held at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon.