BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Laguna Art Museum plans two new exhibits

Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, will debut “Wayne Thiebaud: 70 Years of Painting,” an exhibitional survey of the American painter’s work, on Oct. 28.

The show traces the development of Thiebaud’s signature style, but also includes some of his lesser known figural and beach paintings.

The exhibition, guest curated by Gene Cooper, will present works from different periods of Thiebaud’s career with an emphasis on his beach culture series.

In conjunction with the opening, the museum will present a conversation with Thiebaud and Constance Glenn, the former director of the Cal State Long Beach University Art Museum, at 1 p.m. Oct. 28.

Cooper will also host a gallery walk-though at 1 p.m. Nov. 11.

The museum will feature Shag’s “The Flesh Is Willing” exhibition in its upper level gallery. It explores the artist’s pictorial interests in nudes and purgatory in an investigation of ’50s cocktail culture and the notion of sin.

This will be Josh Agle (better known as Shag, a contraction of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last)’s first major museum exhibition.

He will present a lecture at 1 p.m. Dec. 9.

Both shows will run through Jan. 27, 2008.

For more information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

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The city Arts Commission is currently accepting designs for the 2008 Artist Designed Bench Competition and an artist designed gate at Bluebird Park.

The locations of the proposed artist designed benches are the trolley stops in front of the two summer art festivals located at 777 and 935 Laguna Canyon Road. The sites are located on the sidewalks within the public right of way. The competition is open to artists who are residents of the State of California.

The two proposed designs should be imaginative, colorful and represent the purpose of the art festivals. Each of the proposed designs may include single or multiple components with back rests on some or all elements.

The proposal should not include any shade or roof component. The proposal should consider the use of the site.

The deadline is Jan. 4, 2008; the project has a $50,000 budget.

The location of the proposed gate project is the entry gate to Bluebird Park on Bluebird Canyon Drive.

This park is used primarily as a children’s play area, by the Boys and Girls Clubs and as a venue for the Music in the Park summer concert series.

The competition is open to artists who are residents of the State of California.

The proposed project is to replace the existing chain link pedestrian and vehicle gates with an artist designed gate that will continue to provide the same two functions.

The gate design must consider the purpose of the park, the existing public art and play equipment. It should be imaginative, may contain colorful elements as seen in the play equipment, and be a binding theme for the park. The design should be original and not mass produced.

The deadline is Feb. 1, 2008; the project has a $50,000 budget.

Application and competition guidelines are available at www.lagunabeachcity.net.