Laguna Art Museum's 12th Annual Art + Nature Celebration Week Concludes with Record Attendance

Laguna Art Museum’s 12th annual Art + Nature celebration week has officially wrapped, attracting over 11,000 visitors to its diverse array of events, installations and performances. While the week of festivities concluded, Art + Nature will continue with ongoing exhibitions and new programs for the community to enjoy throughout 2025, making it a cornerstone of the museum’s annual programming. 

"We're so pleased with the overwhelming turnout for this year's Art + Nature," said Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director at Laguna Art Museum. "It’s inspiring to see so many people interested in exploring the connections between art and the environment, especially at a time when these conversations are so vital to both our community and our country. As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited to invite artists to submit their proposals and be part of this celebration of creativity in the beautiful setting of Laguna Beach. We hope the work on display will continue to inspire artists of all levels and contribute meaningfully to the ongoing cultural dialogue around environmental issues.”

Laguna Art Museum is already turning its attention to the 13th annual Art + Nature in November 2025 and is inviting visionary artists to submit Letters of Interest by January 31, 2025. The initiative will officially begin indoors in late September, with the public installation and associated events scheduled from November 6 through November 11, 2025. Art + Nature 2025 will feature outdoor installations, performances and workshops that continue to explore the synergy between art and the environment. Artists are encouraged to submit their portfolios and an artist statement explaining how their work aligns with the ethos of Art + Nature. 

This year’s celebration week, held from November 2–11, 2024, featured programs, outdoor installations and performances, alongside thought-provoking exhibitions designed to foster a deeper connection between attendees and the natural world, while encouraging civic dialogue around urgent issues of our time. 

Highlights from Art + Nature 2024 celebration week included:

Upcycled Couture (Nov. 2): Laguna Art Museum’s first-ever sustainable runway show, showcasing emerging designers from local universities, including UC Irvine, Chapman University, Santa Ana College and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. 
Ocean Ions Public Displays (Nov. 7-11): Commissioned artist Christian Sampson’s solar-powered art installations in five locations, transforming Diver’s Cove Beach, Main Beach and Heisler Park with light and color.

Ocean Ions Performance (Nov. 9): A choreographed collaboration between Volta Collective dance group and Sampson’s installation, enhanced by artist Ariel Dill’s costumes.
Drawing for the Planet: The Tiger’s Forest (Nov. 11): A conservation-focused art workshop led by Jane Lee McCracken, supporting the Born Free Foundation’s tiger conservation efforts.

Art + Nature: Portrait of Place (Nov. 9): A community art workshop led by artist Oriana Poindexter.

In addition to these immersive events, attendees explored three compelling exhibitions at the museum, which will remain on view until early 2025. Christian Sampson’s Ocean Ions Laguna (through February 2, 2025) offers a solar projection installation that transforms the museum lobby through changing colors and reflections, encouraging cosmic contemplation. Additionally, video footage of collaboration between the Volta Collective dance group and Sampson’s installation is on view on the second floor of the museum, along with other acrylic works by Sampson experimenting with light.

Featuring over fifty works, Fred Tomaselli: Second Nature (through February 2, 2025) merges social issues, nature and popular culture in intricate resin paintings and New York Times collages, providing a vital narrative emphasizing the beauty and turmoil of our times. Jay DeFeo: Trees (through January 12, 2025) traces DeFeo’s exploration of natural resilience, from 1950s drawings to 1970s black-and-white photography of Bay Area trees, blending abstraction with representation. 

The museum also offered a Free Museum Day on Sunday, November 10, attracting over 600 visitors from around the world to explore the indoor exhibitions.
 

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