Art represents the triumph over chaos, just as pulled-pork donuts represent the triumph over dignity. Expand your tastes with today’s Groupon to Laguna Art Museum. Choose between the following options:
- For $6, you get general admission for one (a $12 value).
- For $11, you get general admission for two (a $24 value).
- For $20, you get general admission for four (a $48 value).<p>
The Laguna Art Museum’s curators zero in on more than a century’s worth of Californian art through year-round collections and special exhibitions exploring historical and contemporary art while examining the impact these works have had on the greater arts community. With a focus on California-centric influences such as car and surf culture, the museum’s permanent collection rolls out works ranging from the early 20th century to the present day in addition to displaying the essence of paintings not yet committed to canvas.
Current exhibitions include Best Kept Secret, which preserves the work of seminal UCI artists from 1964 to 1971, and Beauty Perceived, which showcases photographs taken by high-school students in San Juan Capistrano, who seek answers to questions such as “Do all photographers find beauty in the same things?” and “Why do squirrels wear makeup?”
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.