In The Arts

Passport to the Arts renewed

The Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau is again partnering with the “big three” summer art festivals on the Laguna Beach Passport to the Arts season pass, according to the bureau. The $19 passport allows entry into the Festival of Arts, Sawdust Art Festival and Art-A-Fair all summer and includes a one-time parking pass for the Act V parking lot.

In addition, the bureau has asked its membership to offer special discounts upon passport presentation. Shoppers may buy passports at www.LagunaBeachPassport.com or, during the summer season at any of the festivals’ box offices. Anyone who buys a passport online before May 15 will be eligible to win a fall getaway to Laguna Beach. For more information, visit www.lagunbeachinfo.org.

‘Sea Tales’ film series starts tonight

The Laguna Beach Film Society will present “Sea Tales: The Truth of the Ocean in Film,” a four-month series of documentary films about the sea, beginning at 7 tonight at the Forum Theater on the Festival of the Arts grounds.

The series includes:

?Today: “End of the Line,” regarding whether the ocean’s fish are being depleted for the love of sushi.

?Feb. 12: “Sea of Darkness.” Michael Oblowitz’s dark tale of paradise and surfing in Indonesia.

?Mar. 12: Greg MacGillveray’s award-winning film “Dolphins.”

?April 9: “Kansei Project,” a film about the island of plastic trash floating 1,000 miles north of Hawaii and the efforts to clean it up.

Each film is $15 at the door, or join the Laguna Beach Film Society and see all these documentaries plus an additional first-run indy, foreign or premiere film at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the South Coast Cinema, preceded by a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception at Wells Fargo Bank Community Room. Memberships are $150 for singles or $225 for a couple. To join, contact JoAnne Story at (949) 494-8971, ext 201 or jstory@lagunaartmuseum.org.

Auction 100 benefits Museum programs

Auction 100, presented by Laguna Art Museum, features 100 works of art from 100 premier California artists in a live and silent auction from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 6, with a buffet by Las Brisas, cocktails, music and curbside valet parking are included with the price of admission.

Art may be previewed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30 through Feb. 5 at the Laguna Art Museum or online.

Any works unsold will be available for sale in a post-auction Feb. 7.

Auction 100 is a fundraiser benefiting the education and exhibition programs at the museum.

“As a fundraiser for the museum, a nonprofit institution, Auction 100 financially supports and strengthens the art education and exhibition programs at Laguna Art Museum,” said Bolton Colburn, executive director of Laguna Art Museum. “The museum’s purpose is to provide the public with exposure to art and to promote understanding of the role of art and artists in American culture through collection, conservation, exhibition, research, scholarship and education.”

Artists in Auction 100 have more work available due to the economic slowdown and this represents a rare opportunity for collectors, according to museum officials.

“The new economy is forcing artists to adjust their pricing accordingly,” said Laguna Art Museum Director Bolton Colburn. “With fewer sales, artists have more inventory and are more likely to give work to the museum that they would not in rosier times. Down economies offer some of the best conditions for buying art. All in all, you will see higher quality work at better prices in this Auction 100 than in prior years.”

The event will feature a live and a silent auction. Chuck Dreyer will present the work during the live auction assisted by Jacqueline Bunge, the museum’s curator of education.

“When you purchase a work of art at Laguna Art Museum you are not only making a private investment, you are also making an investment in the creative capital of California,” Colburn said.

Tickets are $125 for museum members and $150 for non-members, and can be bought online or by calling Dawn Minegar at (949) 494.8971, ext. 203.

Friday flicks at the Forum Theatre

The Laguna Beach Arts Commission will present a series of free art-related films at the Forum Theatre, on the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road in January.

Screenings will be at 7 p.m.

The schedule is:

?Jan.15: “Yossou N’Dour, I Bring What I Love;”

?Jan. 22: “Chihuly in the Hot Shop;” and

?Jan. 29: “Who Gets to Call It Art?”

This program has been funded by the lodging establishments and the city of Laguna Beach.

Deadline nears for Heisler writings

The Arts Commission is seeking short stories and poems as part of the public art component of the Heisler Park renovation project. The selected short story/poetry will be published in the call for artists and may provide the inspiration for artists who could include the work in its entirety or communicated visually or aesthetically in designs for the public art works.

Adults who live in Laguna Beach may submit a maximum of 500 words relating to Laguna Beach, its community or personalities, be inspiring and relate in some way to the park.

The deadline is Jan. 15. First place winner will receive $2,000; second place will receive $750; and third place will receive $250. The competition will be judged by the commission, with final approval by the City Council.