ART MUSEUM REOPENING TO BE SEPT. 23

The Laguna Art Museum’s main facility in Laguna Beach, closed since April of 1985 for a $1.1-million structural expansion, will be reopened to the public Sept. 23 with an exhibition on 20th-Century California impressionism, the museum announced Thursday.

Exterior construction is nearly complete on the 56-year-old facility at North Coast Highway and Cliff Drive, according to spokeswoman Lauri Pelissero. The original three-level, 9,000-square-foot structure is gaining another 6,000 square feet, including three new galleries, plus new storage, library and administrative spaces.

The impressionism show is being curated by Janet Dominick and is underwritten by the Newport Beach-based Fieldstone Co. Also set for the reopening are exhibitions devoted to regional photography and Southern California contemporary artists.

Before the public opening on Sept. 23, a series of fund-raising events by museum supporters will begin with a “premiere” dinner Sept. 11. A front-entry sculpture by Michael Davis of Los Angeles will be dedicated during that week.

City approval was given for the expansion plan in August, 1984, but site preparation was delayed because of additional plan reviews.

Then the reopening, announced for June, 1986, was postponed due to flooding caused by an underwater spring.

Until the reopening, the museum will continue to operate a satellite facility in the South Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Mesa.