Three New Exhibitions Opening at Laguna Art Museum March 2023

Laguna Art Museum will present three new exhibitions opening in March, Facing the Giant - Three Decades of Dissent: Shepard Fairey, Unseen Ties: The Visual Collection of Sherman Library & Gardens and Outlook/Insight: The LCAD Effect.

"Our team has created three exciting opportunities to experience California as a place where cutting-edge artists uphold the values of our shared culture. These experiences range from the socially conscious and impactful work of globally renowned artist Shepard Fairey, to the creative and intellectual surge of a new generation of artists from the Laguna College of Art and Design and, in partnership with Sherman Library and Gardens, discovering a little-known collection of artworks that speak to how artists in the first half of the 20th century interacted with and conceptualized the significance of coastal Orange County," said Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director of Laguna Art Museum.

Opening on March 11 and on view until June 4, 2023, Facing the Giant - Three Decades of Dissent: Shepard Fairey features a selection of key works that highlight how Fairey has developed an intentionally accessible visual style that speaks broadly by pulling from visual history to address critical issues. The show is a celebration of Fairey's 30 years as an artist featuring works that range back as far as three decades. Many of the works depict the struggle of oppression as a human experience.

The title Facing the Giant references the giant of Fairey's early stickers of Andre the Giant, which generated over a million copies distributed around the world. The title also references the giant issues and forces he confronts through his art.

Facing the Giant - Three Decades of Dissent: Shepard Fairey was organized by the Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA, in association with OBEY GIANT ART. This exhibition has been generously supported by The Segerstrom Foundation and Lori and Harley Bassman.

On March 18, the museum will present Unseen Ties: The Visual Collection of Sherman Library & Gardens. A special partnership between Sherman Library & Gardens and Laguna Art Museum brings the legendary collection out of the library for the first time. Each artwork in Sherman Library's fine art collection is an opportunity to make connections between past and present, tell a tale of local lore and notoriety and see the ties that weave California's coastal and artistic communities together. Unseen Ties correlates the culture of Southern California with its storied history of art collecting, featuring artists Rex Brandt, Phil Dike, Anna Althea Hills, Clarence Hinkle, Edgar Payne and William Wendt. The exhibition will be on view until June 4, 2023. Unseen Ties: The Visual Collection of Sherman Library & Gardens is presented in partnership with the Sherman Library & Gardens and is organized by guest curator Meg Linton and Director of the Sherman Library Jill Thrasher.

Opening on March 25 and on view through May 21, Laguna Art Museum will present Outlook/Insight: The LCAD Effect, a sampling of the artwork from the 2023 Master of Fine Art graduates from Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD). Outlook/Insight implies that mindful engagement with the outer visible world builds personal insights. These artists skillfully express, not only how things look, but also what they can make you feel. Both the rational and the poetic are made apparent to the viewer who takes time to observe and reflect. Outlook/Insight: The LCAD Effect is presented in partnership with the Laguna College of Art and Design.

For more information about Facing the Giant - Three Decades of Dissent: Shepard Fairey, Unseen Ties: The Visual Collection of Sherman Library & Gardens and Outlook/Insight: The LCAD Effect at Laguna Art Museum, visit lagunaartmuseum.org.

Laguna Art Museum exists to engage and enlighten people of all ages through art that embodies and preserves the California experience. Laguna Art Museum presents exhibitions relevant to California art and artists throughout the year and is home to the annual Art & Nature Festival celebrating the museum's unique relationship to the environment.