In the Arts

The Festivals of Arts Foundation recently announced that it has awarded $90,000 in grants to nonprofits in Laguna Beach.

The recipients include the Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach College of Art + Design, Laguna Beach Live!, No Square Theater and the Sawdust Art Festival.

“The Festival of Arts Foundation feels that art appreciation and the development of one’s artistic skills should start at an early age,” foundation President Scott Moore said in a news release. “The majority of the foundation’s grants are focused on the youth of our community, and it is the foundation’s hope that we are seeding programs that will begin to nourish these young minds.”

In 1989, the Festival of Arts utilized a $1.5-million donation to create the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts Foundation, a nonprofit that offers annual financial support for the arts in Laguna Beach. In the years since, the organization has put more than $2 million into the creative community.

Co-founded by John Rayment and David Young, the foundation operates separately from the Festival of Arts. It retains funds in a permanent endowment, and its earnings and income are used for scholarships given to Laguna Beach High School graduates and as grants distributed to local art nonprofits and educational institutions.

The foundation is located at at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

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In March, the Festival of Arts board of directors revealed the appointment of Laguna Beach resident and festival artist Kathy Jones to a board seat left open when Tammie Arnold resigned and relocated to New York.

“We are very sorry to lose Tammie from the board along with her considerable expertise, but very excited to have Kathy Jones to fill the vacancy,” Festival of Arts President Fred Sattler said in a news release. “Kathy’s diverse set of skills and exceptional track record of success will serve to further complement the festival’s broad range of board member expertise.”

Born in San Francisco, Jones completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University. With more than two decades of experience managing organizations, she is now the principal of the Napa Group, providing coaching and consulting for clients seeking organizational and performance improvement. She has also served as senior vice president and secretary of Georgetown University and as vice chancellor of university relations at UC Irvine.

Jones kicked off her career as a professional painter in 1995 and began exhibiting at the Festival of Arts five years later. She has taught art classes at Cairo American School in Egypt and Laguna College of Art + Design.

In a news release, Jones called her appointment “an honor and a privilege.”

As a board member, Jones joins President Fred Sattler, Vice President David Perry, treasurer Anita Mangels, secretary Pat Kollenda, Wayne Baglin, Tom Lamb, Bob Moffett and Ann Webster.

For more information, visit https://www.foapom.com.

— Rhea Mahbubani