Ninth Annual Art & Nature Festival Expands With Diverse Programming And New Exhibitions

On Thursday, November 4, Laguna Art Museum will kick off the ninth annual Art & Nature, expanding this year's festival with diverse programming for all ages, as well as three new exhibitions that will be on display into the new year.

The 2021 Art & Nature Festival will present the featured exhibition Any-Instant-Whatever by artist Rebeca Méndez, a keynote lecture by Dr. Daniel Lewis, the Dibner Senior Curator for the History of Science & Technology at the Huntington Library, the Art & Nature Gala, Family Festival, and two additional exhibitions A Fanciful World: Jessie Arms Botke and Sky Space Time Change.

Bold, decorative studies of exotic birds and flowers are the subject of Jessie Arms Botke's most notable paintings. A Fanciful World examines work from different periods of Botke's career and travels, including a magnificent 29-foot-long mural that once adorned the Oaks Hotel in Ojai, California. Sky Space Time Change presents paintings, prints, sculpture, and photography from Laguna Art Museum's permanent collection curated as a compliment to this year's Art & Nature featured installation, Any-Instant-Whatever. Like Mendez, many of the artists of Sky Space Time Change also looked up to Southern California skies, contemplating through their artwork the interconnections among physical, environmental, and cultural systems.

Art & Nature Festival Schedule of Events and Exhibitions

Thursday, November 4 Art & Nature's featured installation Any-Instant-Whatever opens to the public during the First Thursdays Art Walk, as well as A Fanciful World: Jessie Arms Botke and Sky Space Time Change. Laguna Art Museum will offer free admission from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The museum is proud to partner with Kelsey Michaels Fine Art, The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, the Community Arts Project at Wells Fargo, and the Suzi Q Senior Center who are each presenting nature-themed exhibitions in conjunction with Art & Nature.

Friday, November 5

Dr. Daniel Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator for the History of Science & Technology at the Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens, will give this year's Art & Nature Keynote Lecture John James Audubon: Art, Nature and Science in the Nineteenth Century. Tickets are $25 for museum members and $30 for non-members, and can be purchased on the Laguna Art Museum website.

Saturday, November 6

Laguna Art Museum will celebrate nine years of Art & Nature with the annual Art & Nature Gala at the Sherman Library and Gardens. The Gala helps support Laguna Art Museum's education programs and exhibitions of California art that are an important representation of the life and history of the state.

Sunday, November 14

Art & Nature fans of all ages can join Laguna Art Museum and its partners during the Art & Nature Family Festival from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The event will include fun, enriching hands-on activities and educational stations throughout the museum that explore art, climate, science, animal welfare, and environmental education. Admission to the Art & Nature Family Festival is free.

For more information about Art & Nature and Laguna Art Museum, visit lagunaartmuseum.org. To stay connected and learn about upcoming events, follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter