Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Art is an affliction first passed to humankind through a roundworm parasite linked to wildcats; it perpetuates itself through repeated viewing of the images the infected persons create. Today's deal for the Laguna Art Museum perpetuates the aesthetic plague. Purchase one of the following three Groupons:
For $6, you get one general admission ticket (up to a $15 value).
For $30, you get a one-year individual membership (a $60 value). Individual membership benefits include unlimited admission to the museum for one person, as well as exhibition-related lectures, a 10% discount at the museum store (excludes special exhibition merchandise), and more.
For $37, you get a one-year family membership (a $75 value). Family membership benefits include unlimited admission for up to two adults and children (immediate family only) under 18, plus a number of benefits, listed here.
The museum's current exhibition, Art Shack (on display until October 3), features some 30 full-size and miniature shacks, each an unexplored world filmed with multimedia and interactive components such as videos and a tattoo machine. Starting October 31, the strange, spare sculptures of John Paul Jones will take up the space and run until January 23, 2011. From October 3–31, there will be no main exhibition but the museum will still be open, with a small area of exhibits.
The Laguna Art Museum also owns a notable permanent collection. The special focus of the museum is the art of California, its artistic history, and supporting contemporary California artists. This tradition stems from the museum's roots as an artists’ colony from the turn of the century through the 1930s, when artists burrowed long tunnels into the sand and lived beneath the beach in hives of collective harmony. Situated near the beachfront and surrounded by palm trees, the museum facade looks equal parts stately institution and welcoming beach house, the latter aided by numerous pink waterslides and orange-trunked lifeguards.
Membership options are open to new members only.
Reviews
The Los Angeles Times and Frommer’s have both featured the Laguna Beach Art Museum:
- This bright, colorful museum has become a major fixture in the Laguna Beach art world with its regularly changing exhibits. – Los Angeles Times
- This beloved local institution is working hard to position itself as the artistic cornerstone of the community. In addition to a small but interesting permanent collection, the museum presents installations of regional works definitely worth a detour. – Frommer’s
Three Insiders Pages reviewers and multiple Yelpers give the Laguna Art Museum an average of four stars:
- Laguna Art Museum is a diamond in the ruff [sic]! They boost [sic] a unique collection of art and changing local exhibits...This is a museum that can't be overlooked! The prices are reasonable and it's the perfect size for an afternoon visit after lunch. I highly recommend a tour! – Nicole F., Insider Pages
The Fine Print
Expiration varies. Amount paid never expires. All memberships must be activated by 11/23. Day pass must be used by 1/23/11. For memberships: new members only. Valid only for membership or ticket purchased. Membership expires 1 year after activation. Not valid with other offers. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Laguna Art Museum
The Laguna Art Museum began in 1918 as a small gallery in a converted cottage, where local artists would display and sell their pieces to the public. As the exhibits and collections grew larger over the next several decades, the founders moved the gallery into a larger, custom space, and eventually transformed it into a museum celebrating the development of Californian art from the 19th century to the present. The museum currently boasts a permanent collection of more than 3,500 works, as well as rotating exhibits that track the evolution of artistic expression.
To further its mission of spreading public appreciation for local art, the museum hosts informative lectures and open-house receptions. The museum’s Carole Reynolds Art Research Library also intrigues readers with more than 5,000 books, many of which chronicle the history of Californian art.