IN THE ARTS

First Sundays hosts guitar trio Oct. 5

Laguna Beach Live! Will begin another season of First Sundays, a collaboration with Laguna College of Art & Design to present a free afternoon of music and art on the first Sunday of the month, from October through May, except January.

Back by popular demand is the Triada Guitar Trio to open the season from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Brothers Chekardzhikovi “” Nikola, Vasil and Petar “” are from Bulgaria and have studied guitar since early childhood. They will perform classical and contemporary guitar works.

Established in 2001 (and known first as the BG Brothers), the Triada brothers are former members of the guitar quartet Four of a Kind, an ensemble that included their sister Petya Chekardzhikova. Since coming to the United States, the brothers have performed in California, Wisconsin, Indiana, Colorado, Texas and Hawaii. In March 2004, Triada won first prize in the Third Annual Guitar Ensemble Competition in Brownsville, Texas.

This concert is supported by the Laguna Beach Board of Realtors Charitable Assistance Fund, the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach and donations from the audience. They are held in Studio 6 at the Laguna College of Art & Design, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. The college art gallery opens at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.

Equinox, Day of Peace event will be Sunday

The Autumnal Equinox and International Day of Peace will be recognized at Endangered Planet Gallery with art-inspired family fun Sunday. Guests will be treated to a new display of works “Dream Island” by Swedish artist Karl Momen.

The event will mark the debut of the “Birdsong” CD “If I were a Fish and Other Ocean Songs for Kids” by Cheryl Procaccini’s Birdsong & The Eco-Wonders. The Laguna Beach resident will perform songs from the CD.

A songwriter and singer for more than 20 years, Birdsong, as Procaccini is known, began composing children’s music after being inspired by her work as a Laguna tide pool docent. Birdsong also incorporates real animal sounds in the recordings as much a possible. For example, birds and sea lions can be heard on certain tracks which are accompanied by various instruments, from ukuleles to steel drums. Over the years Birdsong has collaborated with a number of well-known Orange County musicians on her recordings. John Heussenstamm and Evren Ozan accompanied her on “Adapt to the Habitat,” a song written for the Laguna Wilderness Park. The CD will be available for sale at the event and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Endangered Planet Foundation.

In addition, the day will feature a solar-powered Akeena truck that will power the entertainment and teach about solar energy, including art activities for children.

As part of the Art Miles Mural Project, canvas squares titled “Patching the Environment” will be provided on which youngsters can paint ocean/environmental themes. These painted canvases are to be used as “family passes” to the upcoming One Earth

One Dream “Autumnal Green Festival” to be held Oct. 3 to Oct. 5 at the Festival of Arts grounds.

In commemoration of the International Day of Peace, an art installation, “Pinwheels for Peace,” will be created. The project is nonpolitical, asserting a simple definition of peace “” a state of calm and serenity in the absence of violence and freedom from conflict among people or groups of people.

The International Day of Peace and Autumnal Equinox celebration will begin at 2 p.m. and will conclude after the “Equinox” occurs at 7:45 p.m.

Endangered Planet is located at 384 Forest Ave., Gallery 13, Laguna Beach. For more information, visit www.EndangeredPlanet.org or telephone (949) 497-5690.

Laguna Art Museum is seeking docents

Laguna Art Museum is now accepting applications for its 2008-09 provisional class of docents.

Members of the Laguna Art Museum Docent Corps provide tours for visitors and school groups and serve as ambassadors of art within the Museum.

The docent provisional class will begin in late October. Training sessions are generally held on Mondays. Training for new exhibitions is held during the exhibition’s opening week. Training will be held until May, holidays exempt.

To apply for the provisional class, contact jbunge@lagunaartmuseum and request a provisional application form. A meeting will take place for perspective applicants to answer any questions in October.

‘Mrs. Perfect’ author to read, sign books

Laguna Beach Books will host author Jane Porter, who will read from and sign copies of her new book “Mrs. Perfect” Thursday. A wine and cheese reception and book signing at 6 p.m will be followed by the reading at 7 p.m.

“Mrs. Perfect” is the follow-up to “Odd Mom Out,” and has had tremendous success with critics and readers. USA Today called the book “the perfect beach read.” The novel is about a woman who discovers what is important in life when she learns to let go of her quest for perfection.

Porter taught junior high school for six years before becoming a full-time fiction writer. She lives in Bellevue, Wash., and has written more than 25 novels. Her novel, “Flirting With Forty,” was optioned for Lifetime TV. The film is currently in post-production and will air in December; it will feature Heather Locklear and Robert Buckley.

Laguna Beach Books is located at The Old Pottery Place at 1200 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach.

Wyland event co-hosted by actress

The Wyland Foundation will hold its 15th Year Celebration and Fundraiser gala Sept. 26 at the Loew’s Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. Actress Jane Seymour will co-host the event with Laguna Beach-based environmental artist Wyland, focusing on the environmental impacts children will face in the next 20 years.

“By 2020, today’s children will be faced with an accumulation of environmental issues, These issues will have a far-reaching impact on economics, water scarcity, biodiversity, pollution and energy. It’s our responsibility to give the children the tools they will need to handle the challenges ahead of them,” Wyland said.

The Wyland foundation has been a leader in supporting children’s environmental education for more than a decade. Recent endowments include funding from the Charles H. Leach Foundation, Rotary International, and the General Mills Foundation. Moreover, the foundation has been recognized for its efforts by the United Nations Environment Program, NOAA, the White House, Sierra Club, American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and National Rural Educator’s Assn., among others.

The foundation’s clean water education curriculum promotes the use of art and science to inspire future generations to protect marine habitats and wildlife.