Laguna Beach is an arts colony by destiny.  In the early years, adventurous tourists braved rugged trails through the canyons to come to this coast.  Among them was painter Norman St. Claire, who traveled to the seaside village by train and stagecoach from San Francisco in 1903.  St. Claire returned home with glowing reports.  Soon, plein air artists like William Wendt and California marine artist Frank Cuprien moved to Laguna.  By the 1920s, half of the town’s 300 residents were artists.

In 1918, artist Edgar Payne opened an art gallery now known as the Laguna Art Museum.  In 1932, the Festival of Arts was launched and vaudevillian Lolita Perine added “living pictures” to the festival, leading to the birth of the Pageant of the Masters in 1935.  During the 1960s, the Sawdust Festival arrived and a third show, Art-A-Fair, was launched.  In 2001, a multimedia arts and event facility called [seven-degrees] opened with live/work studios for artists.

Members of the Laguna Beach Alliance for the Arts provide many year-round events.  The Laguna Beach Arts and Crafts Guild holds bi-monthly Sunday shows at Main Beach.  First Thursdays Art Walk features 40 art galleries who open their doors one evening each month to showcase their artistic offerings.

There are almost 100 art galleries throughout Laguna Beach, including the well-known Fingerhut Gallery, Richard MacDonald Fine Art and Sculpture Garden and the Wyland Gallery.

Art takes many forms – and Laguna Beach is living proof.  The city is home to film creator Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films, which has produced IMAX classics like Everest, Coral Reef Adventure and Dolphins since 1976.

Performing arts are part of the mix, too.  Laguna Beach Live! presents musical concerts and the acclaimed Laguna Playhouse offers year-round performances. 

Call 800-877-1115 for the Laguna Beach Visitors Center or visit www.lagunabeachinfo.com.