FOA Presents Collection of Portraits
The Festival of Arts recently announced its newest off-site exhibit titled “Portraits from the Collection” on display now through April 15. The exhibit is located at the foaSOUTH Gallery inside Active Culture at 1006 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Admission is free.
Featuring a selection of portraits from the Festival of Arts’ Permanent Art Collection, “Portraits from the Collection” includes work from local artists including Kelly Akins, Scott Moore, Kathyrn Olsen, Pegah Samaie, Gregg Stone and Thom Wadlow. A highlight of the exhibit is a series of photographs by Ronald A. Greene, a local doctor and avid photographer who took portraits of Laguna Beach Greeter Eiler Larsen in the late 1940s to early 1960s. These iconic images present some of the many theatrical characters that Eiler Larsen had portrayed. Since the late 1950s, this series of Ronald A. Greene’s photographs would greet visitors in the famed Cottage Restaurant waiting room. In 2012, the Cottage was sold and the entire suite of 13 photographs were donated to the Festival of Arts by the former owners, John and Robbi Mazza.
Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 949-494-1145 or visit www.foapom.com.
Jazz Wednesdays Bring Peter Erskine Trio to the Stage
Laguna Beach Live! will present Grammy-winner Peter Erskine on Feb. 12 at the Jazz Wednesdays Winter concert at [seven degrees], 891 Laguna Canyon Road. Joining Erskine on stage will be Alan Pasqua on piano and Darek Oles on bass. The show is from 6-8 p.m., and doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door.
Erskine has played the drums since the age of 4 and is known for his versatility and love of working in different musical contexts. Fifty albums have been released under his own name, or as co-leader, and he appears on 700 albums and film scores. Erskine also recorded five albums with the band Weather Report and won his first Grammy Award with their album “8.30.”
Community Art Project Presents ‘Insider Art’
Community Art Project (CAP) presents “Insider Art” at The CAP Gallery—a juried exhibit of artwork by LOCA Arts Education teaching artists, board members, staff, students and members—from Feb. 8 through May 30. An opening reception will take place Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On view will be original work in mediums of painting, collage, printmaking, found-object compositions, and three dimensional wall art. Subjects range from still life, figurative, landscape, abstract and architectural. One section of the exhibit will feature selected works created by residents of Glennwood House in LOCA’s ongoing classes.
Ongoing exhibitions can be enjoyed at The CAP Gallery, in the unique Rotunda Gallery space located on the second floor of the Wells Fargo Building, 260 Ocean Avenue. Visit www.caplaguna.org for information about ongoing or upcoming exhibits, to be on the e-mail list or to become a member and supporter of CAP.
Local Band to Headline 5th Annual Kahuna Concert for a Cause
Kahuna Cares Foundation, a local nonprofit providing support for organizations that help enrich the lives of people with special needs, recently announced plans to host the 5th annual Kahuna Concert for a Cause on Saturday, March 7, at 6 p.m. at OC Tavern, featuring Laguna Beach’s own Common Sense headlining the event.
Kahuna Concert for a Cause raises money for people with special needs. In doing so, Kahuna Cares also pays tribute to the late Terry “Tubesteak” Tracy—who sparked the inspiration for the role of the Big Kahuna in the “Gidget” movie craze—and honors his legacy of love for local organizations that help the special needs community. He was the inspiration for his daughter, Jennifer Tracy, to found Kahuna Cares Foundation.
Every year, over 500 people attend this community event. This year, the concert includes the musical stylings of Laguna Beach’s own Common Sense, The Pollen Collective of San Clemente, and a performance by special guest Brandon Jenner of Malibu.
Common Sense is a home-grown group—guitarists Sherman and Gough and the band’s lead singer Nick Hernandez all attended Laguna Beach High School. Every year they have performed at the Kahuna Concert for a Cause to support the mission of helping support local programs for individuals with special needs.
“Common Sense is involved with the concert because we back the Kahuna Cares Foundation with all of our hearts,” Hernandez said. “I knew the icon ‘Tubesteak’ personally. His support at the Surfers Healing events was felt by all. He would tell stories about music in his day and the importance of giving back. Giving and volunteering are essential for the happiness and health of our community.”
Funds raised from the event will benefit organizations such as Surfers Healing, San Clemente High School STEPS Program, and Teri College.
For more information, including how to donate and sponsorship opportunities, or to purchase tickets for the 5th annual Kahuna Concert for a Cause, visit kahunacaresfoundation.org or call 949-370-1083. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
Sandstone Announces New Exhibits
Meet Sandstone Gallery artists RoseMarie Davio, Ann Kim, Dominique McKenzie, Anne Moore, Jong Ro, and Lynn Welker at Art Walk from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, and view “Cosmic Dream,” abstract expressionist acrylic paintings on linen by Sunny Kim. Complimentary refreshments will be offered. Also on view in the gallery at 384 N. Coast Highway is, “Discovered: Abstract Landscapes of the Natural World,” oil on birch board by Aimee Bonham.
Scholarship Applications Available from FOA
Applications for a Festival of Arts scholarship are now available to Laguna Beach High School seniors on the Festival’s website at foapom.com/scholarships. They must be submitted before March 6.
The scholarships are awarded to students who excel in film, performing arts (dance, music and theatre arts- including performance and production), visual arts and writing. A student may apply for any or all of the four categories, but will only be awarded one scholarship. Scholarship awards begin at a minimum of $1,000 and can be renewed for a total of four one-year scholarships. Students must reapply each summer for a continuation of scholarship status. Auditions and interviews will be scheduled in March and April.
Fashion designer Seena Shahmardi received a Festival of Arts scholarship in 2011 and has since worked in fashion houses in London and New York before establishing his own studio. “[The Scholarship committee] gave me the confidence that there’s a world out there that appreciates this kind of work,” said Shahmardi.
For more information, call Michelle Reindl at 949-464-4201 or visit the website at LagunaFestivalofArts.org.
Regarding the suite of 13 photographs of Eiler Larsen that were donated to the Festival of Arts, I’d like to know if they are permanently exhibited anywhere, or whether they are available to view online somewhere. I worked at The Cottage in the late ’70s and well into the ’80s, and was always so intrigued by that particular character photo shoot and how Eiler Larsen’s personality shone in each study. Are they on display somewhere or are they tucked away only for some special occasion? I was thinking of featuring them in an upcoming Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center event if possible, and to learn more about the photographer and the back story behind the photos.
Thank you,