In The Arts

Get a peek at wreaths for auction

The Silver Blue & Gold jewelry gallery in Laguna Beach will show a preview of eight original Shanti wreaths to be auctioned off at the 14th annual Holiday Wreath Auction on Dec. 5.

Shanti Orange County is a nonprofit that reaches out to and provides services for people dealing with HIV and AIDS.

“We are excited about having Shanti Orange County here for World AIDS Day,” Karin Worden, the gallery’s owner said in a prepared statement. “The wreaths are done by local artists and businesses, and there are some very creative designs.”

Silver Blue & Gold, which is in the Art Center at 1492 S. Coast Hwy., will host the preview from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1, according to a news release. Local artists, such as photographer Sue Chick, made the holiday wreaths by hand. A wreath contributed by the Tides Inn will be auctioned off along with gift certificates good for a one-night stay there or meals at Laguna restaurants.

On Dec. 5 at Mozambique Restaurant, 1740 S. Coast Hwy., 25 holiday wreaths will be auctioned off with proceeds going to Shanti OC. The auction, free and open to the public, will go from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information about Shanti, go to https://www.ShantiOC.org or call (949) 452-0888.

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Artists help with center’s food donation

At their group show in December, the Laguna Canyon Artists will be helping the Laguna Relief & Resource Center keep its pantry stocked with food.

The artists are putting together a canned-food drive for locals struggling in these economic times, according to a news release. The artists are asking people who plan to visiting their studios, 3251 Laguna Canyon Road, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3, to bring along non-perishable items. The Resource Center has a food pantry that supplies nearly 1,000 families monthly with groceries at no charge.

“We are honored to be present at this remarkable show,” Andy Siegenfeld, chairman of the center, said in a prepared statement. “The artists’ concerns for those in need is representative of our community’s character.”

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Chamber music solo concert is Dec. 4

Harpist Leah Panos will perform a free concert on the first Sunday of December at the Laguna College of Art & Design.

The performance, presented by Laguna Beach Live!, is part of the First Sundays series, a partnership between Laguna Beach Live! and LCAD, according to a news release.

Panos will perform at 3 p.m. Dec. 4 in Studio 1, Laguna College of Art & Design, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road.

For more information, call (949) 715-9713 or go to https://www.lagunabeachlive.org.

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Children’s storytime at LCAD is Dec. 6

The Laguna Beach Library and the Dennis and Leslie Power Library at the Laguna College of Art & Design invite kids to attend a special storytime at an exhibit of original illustrations for children’s books.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 6 at the LCAD Gallery, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road, where the exhibit, “The Society of Illustrators Presents Original Art: The Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration,” is showing.

Stories about the children’s book illustrations on display will be told at the event, according to an OC Public Libraries news release.

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Beaches on display next month

The Starbucks coffee shop at 180 N. Coast Hwy., near Laguna Canyon Road, will display beach paintings by artist Susan MacLeod through the month of December.

Her paintings include two 36-inch by 36-inch acrylics done on canvas, respectively titled “Summer on the Beach” and “Autumn Holdfast.”

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Field trip to Medieval Arts Center

Students from Laguna’s Community Learning Center recently visited the Medieval Arts Center in Long Beach, where they learned about brass rubbing, the art of using wax and paper to make an impression of brass found in churches.

According to a news release, the students visited the center, inside St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, which houses one of the biggest collections of church brass impressions in the U.S. and Canada. The students rubbed wax sticks onto black paper affixed to brass plates, creating an impression through the friction between the wax rubbing on paper, the release said.

Among other icons, the plates showed religious figures, knights and dragons, the release said.

—Imran Vittachi