Milestone celebrates creativity

The Laguna College of Art & Design has come a long way from the School of Art, founded in 1961 by members of the Festival of Arts and the local Laguna Beach Art Society.

When the school opened in 1962 on the festival grounds, the founders set themselves the mission of providing community art education of the highest quality. That mission has been far exceeded in the past 45 years.

The school has grown from its modest beginnings into a four-year, accredited college that offers bachelor of fine arts degrees in painting, illustration, graphic design and feature animation. A graduate program offering a master of fine arts degree in painting began this fall.

Those changes are reflected in the current mission statement:

"The Laguna College of Art & Design prepares women and men for careers as creative artists and designers in a culturally and ethnically diverse world and through curricula that emphasize the acquisition of skills based on observation, representation and concept development. LCAD is committed to offering its curricula through accredited degree programs that imaginatively combine studio work with academic studies, and to sharing its resources with the broader community through continuing education and exhibition programs."

A black-tie gala will be held Oct. 4 at Seven Degrees in Laguna Canyon to honor the founders and early supporters of the school and to inaugurate Founder's Scholarship Fund.