In The Arts

Foreign romantic comedy to screen

The Laguna Beach Film Society will present the Uruguayan romantic comedy “Gigante,” a Berlin Film Festival award winner, at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at the South Coast Cinema.

The film explores what happens when Jara, a supermarket security guard who spends his night shift monitoring the surveillance cameras in his building, catches sight of a cleaning woman, Julia, and becomes mesmerized by her as she works and then begins to watch her even after work.

Tickets are $15 at the door, or for $20 for the screening and reception. The event is free for members. A reception is at 6 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Bank Community Room. For information, e-mail JoAnne Story at [email protected].

Plein art assn. names new members

The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. recently juried eight members into its top Signature status. Joining 26 other Signature members are: Daniel Aldana, Michael Situ, Carolyn Hesse-Low, Jim Wodark, Jennifer McChristian, Ronaldo Macedo, Greg LaRock and Kathleen Dunphy.

Their works were submitted to and judged by Jean Stern, director of the Irvine Museum; Saim Caglayan, association president; Jeff Horn, association vice president; and Signature member Ray Roberts.

Signature members are carefully selected after demonstrating the highest level of proficiency representing the plein air style. Loosely translated, “plein air” is a French term that means to paint outdoors, usually on location. Signature members are expected to mentor and provide workshops for the general artist membership.

Laguna has always enjoyed a rich artistic history. In 1996, Saim Caglayan invited a group of local landscape painters to form the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. Original Signature members included Caglayan, Ken Auster, Jacobus Bass, Cynthia Britain and John Cosby. Their intent was to link the strong plein air movement of the early California painters to today’s painters in order to create a national bond.

Today, the nonprofit organization represents hundreds of painters throughout the country. Membership is open to artists, students and patrons of the arts.

For more information, visit lpapa.org, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Curators to lead museum tour

The Laguna Art Museum curatorial team will lead a personalized tour of the new exhibition, “Collecting California: Selections from the Laguna Art Museum,” at 1 p.m. Sunday at 307 Cliff Drive.

Leading the tour will be: Susan Anderson; Janet Blake, collections curator; Jacqueline Bunge, education curator; Bolton Colburn, director; Doug Harvey; Grace Kook-Anderson exhibitions curator; and Tyler Stallings.

Attendees will hear about the historical and contemporary California art featured in the exhibition from the experts who researched and wrote essays about each piece for the publication that will accompany the exhibition.

“Collecting California: Selections from Laguna Art Museum” includes some of the most significant works of art created in California over the past 150 years. The exhibition focuses on individual collectors and the important gifts they have made to the museum.

Admission is free to museum members and children younger than 12. General admission is $12 and $10 for students, seniors and active military. For more information, visit www.lagunartmuseum.org.

Winter Fantasy opens Nov. 21

The 19th annual Winter Fantasy, “A World of Art and Imagination,” begins Nov. 21 at the Sawdust Art Festival and will continue for four weekends including the Friday after Thanksgiving from 10 a.m to 6 p.m., ending Dec. 13.

More than 170 artisans, many from out of town, will create, showcase and sell their original artwork on the Sawdust’s grounds, which will be transformed into a winter wonderland with thousands of holiday decorations. These featured Winter Fantasy artists and craftspeople handcraft each piece of art, creating a rare holiday shopping experience for visitors. Art media include art glass, ceramics, jewelry, clothing and textiles, paintings, gourds, photography, mixed-media and more.

In addition to the original artwork, visitors will also find 170 hand-constructed art booths, live entertainment, outdoor cafés, the festival’s classic Town Square, Community Trees decorated by various local organizations, and Santa Claus. Falling snow, themed Community Trees, the Holiday Gingerbread House and the beautiful outdoor eucalyptus grove make for great photo opportunities for families.

New this year will be a small farm animal petting zoo presented by Zoomars. This year’s Special Winter Art Series will also introduce new and unique art classes in a wide variety of media, available to guests who sign up.

The ninth annual Community Tree Lighting Ceremony, a Laguna Beach tradition, will begin at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 when Mayor Kelly Boyd will formally light the Community Tree and announce the winners of the community tree and artist booth decorating contest. To help celebrate the opening event, special guests and community performers including the Laguna Community Concert Band, Sasha Evans, Rene’s Marionettes, Laguna Presbyterian Church hand-bell group, Top of the World honors chorus, Balloon Diva and, of course, Santa will entertain the crowd.

Complimentary holiday cookies and apple cider will be provided during the opening ceremony. Laguna Beach residents are admitted free with ID after 3 p.m. opening day.

Adult admission is $6; seniors $5, (65 and older); $3 for children ages 6 to 12; children younger than 5 get in free; and $9 for a Season Pass. The Sawdust Art Festival is at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. For more information, visit www.sawdustartfestival.org or call (949) 494-3030.

Make a seal ornament Saturday

Ceramic artist Mike Tauber will lead a seal ornament workshop from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center on Laguna Canyon Road. The class includes a tour of the center where a docent will point out differences between seals and sea lions. Following the tour, attendees will paint a seal’s face on a ceramic cutout. The finished ornament can be taken home. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 children 6 and older.

All materials are included, and advance registration required through Laguna Outreach for Community Arts. To register, e-mail [email protected] or call (949) 363-4700. For more art class schedules, visit www.locaarts.org.

Children may enter palette contest

Children ages 5 to 17 who live or go to a school or art program in Laguna Beach are invited to enter the Children’s Holiday Palette Exhibition. Entries must be delivered by 4 p.m. Nov. 20 to the Cultural Arts Department, 505 Forest Ave.

Entries must be original designs celebrating the holiday season, painted or drawn on quality paper representing a palette shape.

As many as 12 designs will be selected for mounting onto wooden palettes, which will be displayed throughout December at City Hall. In addition, selected artists will be presented certificates at the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 1. The artist’s signature and age, and the date should be placed on the front left hand side. There are no restrictions on the subject matter. However, religious symbols are discouraged.