BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Bob Henry retires from festival board

Bob Henry, a Festival of Arts board member for nearly six years, recently announced his retirement from the organization.

Henry was elected to the board of directors in 2001. Prior to being elected to the board, his efforts were instrumental in the cause of keeping the Festival and Pageant in Laguna Beach.

A longtime Laguna Beach resident with a history of community service, Henry has served as president of the Laguna Beach Garden Club and worked in support of a new senior center. He now plans on spending time with his wife Annette and family.

Appointed to the open board position vacated by Henry is 10-year Pageant volunteer David Perry of Irvine, who will serve out Henry’s unexpired term ending in November of this year.

Contemporary art gallery closes

The Chinese Contemporary Art gallery closed earlier this month.

The owners plan to focus on Internet sales; they said on their Web site that the vast majority of their business comes from outside the local area.

Sculpture installed at children’s hospital

A sculpture by artist Dominic of the Joseph Wise Gallery in Laguna was dedicated at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County on Monday.

The 10’x3’ “Kids at Play” sculpture is located near the hospital’s main entrance, and was donated by a private party who saw the sculpture at the gallery and wanted it to benefit the community at large.

For more information call (949) 376-7902.

CAP, Festival of Arts collaboration debuts

A new printmaking exhibition entitled “Impressions and Expressions” is now open to the public at the Wells Fargo Bank, 260 Ocean Ave.

The show is a collaboration between the Festival of Arts and Community Art Project (CAP).

The two organizations have brought together a range of artists who employ the various methods of printmaking in their work. More than thirty different Festival of Arts and CAP artists have been chosen for the show. Some of the techniques represented include engraving, mezzotint, collage, intaglio, serigraph, silk screen and viscosity etching.

The show, which runs through May 1, is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, call (949) 464-4282.

Ballet Pacifica ceases operations today

Ballet Pacifica, the county’s only professional ballet company, will cease operations today due to a lack of financial resources.

In a press release on its Web site, the company, founded in Laguna Beach in 1926 by ballet teacher Lila Zali, said that it will go into hiatus, but a skeleton staff will seek new funding for a potential re-opening. Other options that will be considered include mergers or acquisitions.

Spring Into Art continues

A few spaces are still available at the Sawdust Art Festival’s annual Spring Into Art workshops, which is in its final weekend at the festival grounds, 935 Laguna Canyon Road; classes range from oil painting to glass blowing, and are taught by professional Sawdust exhibitors.

They are open to everyone, from beginners to experts, and are limited to 10 students.

The sessions meet from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The costs for each class range from $100 to $250, including supplies, refreshments and catered lunches.

To check availability and register, call Program Director Mollie Bing at (949) 497-0520.

Last call for Laguna Beach women artists

Laguna Beach women artists wishing to exhibit their art at the Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach 6th Annual Art Show, Sale and Auction are asked to call Nadine Nordstrom at (949) 499-0233 or e-mail nadinenordstrom@cox.net.

Exhibit space is free but limited; exhibiting artists will be asked to donate one piece for the art auction, valued at $50 or more, with the proceeds going toward the renovation of the Woman’s Club.

All types of arts and crafts are eligible, including jewelry, ceramics, paintings, collages, basketry, drawings, photographs, and tapestry.

Festival artists debut ocean-inspired show

“Art by the Sea,” a new exhibition at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, features 10 Festival of Arts exhibitors. It is on view through April 20, and features marine or nautical imagery. The show explores how artists utilize the ocean as muse.

Exhibitors include Jacobus Baas, Beverly Factor, Roger Folk, Sherry Ford, Hal Lambert, Jacquie Moffett, David Nicklin, Howard O’Donnell, Michael Obermeyer and Tom Swimm.

The exhibition is located at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The general Ocean Institute gate fee is $6 for adults and $4 for children. For more information, call (949) 496-2274.

Local artist opens new gallery

Laguna Beach artist Vladimir Prodanovich will open an eponymous new gallery at 950 Glenneyre during Art Walk, 6 to 10 p.m. April 5.

Prodanovich was one of the winners of this year’s city Banner Competition. He will also appear at this year’s Sawdust Art Festival.

For more information, call (949) 494-8813.

State art competition announced

State Senator Tom Harman is currently accepting submissions for the California Senate’s 7th Annual Contemporary Art Collection.

Each year, senators select an artist from their districts whom they feel best represents the district through art. The chosen artist will have his or her artwork displayed in various locations at the State Capitol. Additionally, the artist will have his or her artwork included in a catalogue which accompanies each year’s art show.

For more information, call (714) 957-4555 or visit https://www.ftb.ca.gov/.

Playhouse wins production award

The Laguna Playhouse’s 2006 staging of the West Coast premiere of “A Marvelous Party: The Noël Coward Celebration” received an award for Distinguished Achievement in Production at the 38th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony, held on March 19 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

The revue was also nominated in the categories of Musical Direction and Ensemble Performance.

Although The Laguna Playhouse has been nominated for LADCC awards in the past, this is the first time The Playhouse has received a LADCC award.

Art-A-Fair welcomes new artists

Art-A-Fair has added 18 artists to its festival this year, bringing the total number of exhibitors to 120, following its jury day last month.

From Laguna Beach and other parts of the county are: Nathan Fischer, sculpture; Mary Aslin, pastel; Arlene Rheinish, oil; Bob Sihilling, clay; Shaun McGrath, photography; Leo Simone, watercolor; Bill Fisher, mixed media and photography; Todd Kenyon, oil; George McGhee, acrylic; Bob Johnson, jewelry; Lynn Welker, mixed media; Brian Bell-Irving, glass; Rolando Mojica, oil; Jennifer Orellana, petroglyphs.

Those from outside the county are: Sharon Cannon, watercolor; Elaine Cohen, sculpture; Molly Lipsher, pastel; Andrew Fagan, sculpture; Richard Jenkins, mixed media.

In addition, three existing members were juried in with new media. They are Gary Johnson, oil; Donnell Mai, jewelry; Nancy Pace-Campbell, acrylic.

The Art-A-Fair also will introduce an international theme this summer, and its grounds will be updated.

Laguna art talk slated for April 14

Laguna College of Art & Design (LCAD) and the American Association of University Women, Laguna Beach Branch (AAUW-LB) are co-sponsoring a panel discussion of “The State of the Arts in Laguna Beach, Part 1” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the college , 2222 Laguna Canyon Road.

Dennis Power, president of the college, will moderate. Panelists include artist Sandra Jones Campbell; Charlie Ferrazzi, a gallery representative and head of First Thursdays Art Walk; Pat Kollenda, a member of the Arts Commission; and Victoria Murphy of the Laguna Art Museum.

The panelists will discuss whether Laguna has maintained its reputation of “artists’ colony,” why several galleries have closed recently and other issues.

Admission is free; donations may be made to the AAUW Laguna Beach Foundation for a scholarship to enable women to return to college, including LCAD.

For more information, contact Deana at (949) 497-9900 or sdpink1@yahoo.com, or Bana at (949) 495-3675 or bnhilal@cox.net.