ACTION ON LEASE PENDING : ART MUSEUM TO REMAIN AT MALL INDEFINITELY

Although the Laguna Art Museum’s board of trustees has yet to decide whether to sign a lease extending its gallery operation in South Coast Plaza, the museum will stay at the Costa Mesa mall “indefinitely,” said board president Thomas Tierney.

C. J. Segerstrom & Sons Inc., the operator of the mall, has agreed to “an open-ended stay,” said Tierney. The gallery has been housed rent-free in a 3,000-square-foot storefront since October, 1984.

A date for a final decision on formally extending the mall lease has yet to be determined, said Tierney.

Mike McGee, museum exhibition coordinator, said the current show, “Sculpture Form: Illusion as Content,” will close as scheduled Jan. 4. Under discussion as the possible next exhibit, he said, are young artists’ works that would be offered for sale or rent.

The sale/rent program is being considered as a major method of raising revenue for the mall installation, which is costing the museum $190,000 a year to run, Tierney said. He said the board has yet to decide whether it can continue with the mall gallery while operating the main facility in Laguna Beach. The main museum, which reopened Sept. 23 after a $1.6-million reconstruction project, will cost $710,000 to operate during the current fiscal year, Tierney said.

He said the next museum board meeting to discuss the mall operation is on Jan. 27. At that time, he said, trustees will continue to consider “revenue-raising options” for the mall gallery, one of which could be more aggressive gift shop merchandising.