SANTA ANA, Calif. - Calling all historians and those with an interest in history, John Wayne Airport is pleased to share the story of the Laguna Art Museum in our Orange County: Destination Art & Culture exhibit now through December 2018. Founded by artists in 1918, the "Laguna Art Museum Turns 100 – An Artistic Legacy in Orange County” exhibit is a fascinating journey that reflects on its origins. Take a stroll through John Wayne Airport’s pedestrian walkway, connecting Riley Terminals B and C (pre-security) and rewind the clock to the 1920s to a board-and-batten cottage, travel through the historic decades and the evolution of where the museum is today.
“This collaboration between John Wayne Airport and Laguna Art Museum reflects the long and storied history of aviation and art in Southern California, and their unique place in its history,” said Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do. “The aerospace industry has influenced artists and assisted in the growth and reach of the art of California,”
Laguna Art Museum grew out of the Laguna Beach Art Association with a successful fundraising drive led by early Laguna Beach painter Anna Hills. In 1929, the Art Association opened a grand, custom-built gallery, the Laguna Beach Art Gallery, designed by the well-known Los Angeles architect Myron Hunt.
In subsequent years, the gallery was used to show and sell the members’ own works while taking on some characteristics of a museum with the growth of a permanent collection of donated works, and a program of loan exhibitions.
In 1972, there was a name change to the Laguna Beach Museum of Art and in 1986 the current name, Laguna Art Museum, was adopted to coincide with the most recent building expansion, as it now stands.
As the community has grown around the museum, the museum has broadened its scope and kept up with contemporary best practices by growing the collection, the exhibitions, the art education for children’s programs and public programs. There is truly something for everyone at Laguna Art Museum.
The exhibit is located prior to security screening and is visible to anyone traveling through the Airport. The Laguna Art Museum has planned a year of celebrations, special events, exceptional exhibitions and family festivals for the museum’s centennial festivities. Go to https://lagunaartmuseum.org/ to learn more.