In the Arts

The Festival of Arts’ newest exhibit, “Art Picks,” will be showcased at the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Laguna Beach through Oct. 31.

The multimedia show features about 20 artists — including Lindsay Buchman (printmaking), Baldemar Fierro (photography), Russell Jacques (sculpture), Troy Poeschl (mixed media) and others — from the 2013 Festival of Arts summer show.

Participating artists will attend a free reception from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 260 Ocean Ave.

“The current exhibit illustrates the exciting range of top-quality artwork that was on exhibit at the Festival of Arts this past summer,” exhibit curator Tim Shockley said in a news release. “The talent and diversity of work from these artists is just stunning.”

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Laguna Art Museum plans to present the California Art Award to Wayne Thiebaud on Oct. 12.

The dinner event will take place at 307 Cliff Drive from 6:30 to 10 p.m. and features a cocktail reception, live music, an after-party lounge and a three-course meal. Special guest speakers, including actor Val Kilmer, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust James Cuno and museum Executive Director Malcolm Warner, will touch upon Thiebaud’s life and career. Some new additions to the museum’s collection will also be highlighted.

The California Art Award pays respect to people responsible for the study and public awareness of California art, such as Thiebaud. The actor is renowned worldwide for renditions of pies, cakes, pinball machines and San Francisco’s cityscapes.

“He is undoubtedly among the world’s greatest living painters,” Warner said in a release.

Ticket prices to the event’s 120 seats begin at $750. Proceeds will benefit the museum’s education and exhibition programs, including elementary school tours, educational lectures and more.

On Oct. 13, the museum will organize a “Conversation With … Wayne Thiebaud” at 1 p.m. The man of the hour will be part of a panel discussion with artist and art historian Gene Cooper and Connie Glenn, founding director and director emeritus of the University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach.

Tickets to the 130 available seats will be free for museum members and free for non-members with museum admission.

For more information, contact Director of Special Events Sarah Strozza at (949) 494-8971, ext. 219 or visit https://www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

— Rhea Mahbubani