Artists
present their best in Laguna
By Jamie Ouye
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
 The
37th annual Laguna Beach Sawdust Art Festival
opened June 27. According to Rebecca Meekma,
community and media relations manager, the
Festival, which is tucked beautifully amongst
21 eucalyptus trees and 15 other species,
features 195 artists and will be open until
August 31.
The
first Sawdust Art Festival was held in 1966
in a vacant lot in Laguna Beach, said Meekma.
The original artists put down sawdust to
keep the dust at bay and that is where the
name comes from. For the 2003 show, 120,000
pounds of sawdust were purchased and spread
along the festival’s paths.
Some
highlights of the festival are the demonstrations
and hands on workshops for children. The
glassblowing demonstration is a large crowd
draw and is definitely a sight to see. By
the wide smiles on their faces you can tell
the children enjoy themselves at the ceramic
art booth set up by the Glaze and Pacifica
Potters Wheels, provided by Laguna Clay
Co.
The
festival features three cafes, one snack
cart and a saloon. The saloon offers 20
different types of beers and six wines.
According to Meekma a total of 64 entertainment
acts have been booked to perform on three
different stages for the event. Entertainment
ranges from traditional rock and bluegrass
groups to a classical harpist, an amazing
juggler and the Balloon Diva.
Admission
to the festival is $12.00 for a season pass,
$6.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, $2.00
for children age six to twelve and children
five and under are free. The festival’s
hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and
it is located at 935 Laguna Canyon Road.
“I
think it is a little early, not a whole
lot of people know that the festival is
open and those that have been here know
they have a while to shop around,” said
Nikolai Erngren, a woodworker. The festival
seems to be starting off slowly, but many
artists believe that attendance will pick
up as more of the Laguna Beach festivals
like the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts
and the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters
open.
According
to the Web-site The Laguna Beach Festival
of the Arts is set to open June 5th and
is slated to feature more than 140 artists.
It first made its home in Laguna Beach in
1933, which makes this year its 70th.
On May 10th the festival is offering free
admission to its Imagination Celebration
where children will be able to create their
own works of art as artists host workshops
from noon to four.
According
to its Web-site The Pageant of the Masters
is held in an amphitheater in the hills
a few blocks from Laguna’s scenic Main Beach.
The pageant is a mix of art and music and
opens July 9th. “It is a very different
way to look at art. The pageant is interesting
and definitely memorable,” said Leah Yoshizaki,
Liberal Studies major.
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