Art Auction

Randy Larson has always wanted the most for his son Trevor. When Trevor was a child, Larson made sure to have activities for him and tried to create a good network of friends. This might seem like the normal plan for any parent but for Larson it was especially important. Trevor, now 28, has Down syndrome. When Trevor was growing up, Larson partnered up with local parents, creating sports teams for their special-needs kids. He has coached them in baseball, basketball and soccer for 23 years.

The Laguna Art Museum, as always, has some new exhibits to explore following on the tail of one of its biggest events of the year, the 20th art auction fund-raiser. Appropriately called AAXX (Art Auction 20), the recent event auctioned more than 140 pieces, raising more than $61,000. About 250 art enthusiasts and artists attended. The auction was in memory of Joan Benford, who started the museum's auction to raise money for the children's art program.

The Laguna Art Museum is counting down the hours to Saturday night's "Art Auction 2012: California Art Lounge," the museum's annual benefit auction to raise funds for its educational and exhibit programming. For this year's auction, the Laguna Beach museum is partnering with more than 20 art galleries, including local ones, to auction off 106 art pieces by contemporary California artists working in many different genres. Twenty-five of the 106 artists live in Laguna Beach.

Festival to hold annual auction The Sawdust Festival's 16th annual Art Auction Starting from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday the Sawdust Festival will host its 16th annual art auction to celebrate the last week of the festival doors being open. The live auction gives art enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase original art. It also benefits the Sawdust Benevolence Fund, which provides financial help to Sawdust artists who have suffered from illness or other catastrophic events.

The Laguna Art Museum is where the party's at. Come 6 p.m. Saturday, the museum, decked out as an underground club, will host a slew of art aficionados at its annual art auction. Titled "Art Auction 2013: California Underground," the event features more than 100 works by California artists that will adorn the entire main level of the space. Live performances, silent and live auctions, and gastropub fare are part of the evening's lineup. "It is a twist on a California contemporary speakeasy," Director of Special Events Sarah Strozza said.

Museum's art auction Saturday Laguna Art Museum's 22nd annual art auction will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday with a host bar, which will stay open throughout the night, courtesy of Young's Market Company. It will be followed by an array of hors d'oeuvres, coffee and desserts. The real fun will begin with the live auction. Fine paintings, drawings and sculptures will be offered for sale by a professional auctioneer with the competition lively. The prices will be unbelievable said Laguna Art Museum public relations director Stuart Byer.

Artists can apply for airport exhibit John Wayne Airport is on the lookout for Orange County-connected visual artists to apply for exhibition slots in a show titled "Community Focus Space. " Once selected, the artists will be included in the calendar for this solo display series from July 2014 onward. The artwork, available for passenger and public viewership, will be mounted in front of the security checkpoints and next to baggage carousels 1 and 4 in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

Laguna Art Museum has revamped its annual auction into a curated, specialized tour de force. "Art Auction = Stimulus," featuring works by new and established California artists, will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 10. A preview of the exhibition will be on view at the museum from Feb. 5 through 9; images of the pieces are also available on the museum's Web site, www.lagunaartmuseum.org. "We've created a whole new auction this year," Museum Director Bolton Colburn said.

Friday Candlemaking Class The Susi Q Senior Center and Pure Light Studios are offering a candlemaking class from 9 to 10 a.m. at the center, 380 Third St. Cost is $25. Friday Flicks The Arts Commission will screen "Bill Cunningham New York," a film about the New York Times photographer, at 7 p.m. at the Forum Theatre at the Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Friday to Sunday Folkdance Festival Dance around the world with live and recorded music at the 42nd annual Laguna Beach Folkdance Festival at Ensign School Gym, 2000 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach.

SUZIE HARRISON With the cool weather invigorating my bones I'm ready to fill up my schedule with happenings such as the Carnevale costume workshop, the First Sundays at Laguna College of Art and Design kick off, the second Thursday's new tradition of film in Laguna, Lagunatics and the museum's 21st annual Art Auction. TIME TO PLAY DRESS UP This is the first time Laguna will host something like Carnevale and I can't hide my excitement. The Carnevale Laguna Beach invites locals to experience how Carnevale is done in Europe.

Thomas Jefferson Kitts is inspired by nature. Also, given a choice, he prefers not to rely on memories, photographs or drawings. The result? A prolific 30-year career as a plein air painter. An avid follower of John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla and Anders Zorn, the Portland resident is driven by the challenges posed by this style of painting. He stands in agreement with Paul Cézanne's words: "Nature is the best instructor. " "It simply comes down to the fact that the world is more complex a place than anything I can make up in my head - I become lost in it as I paint," said Kitts, 52. "It's the closest I can come to God. " Kitts is one of 40 plein air painters who donated original work to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn.

Artists can apply for airport exhibit John Wayne Airport is on the lookout for Orange County-connected visual artists to apply for exhibition slots in a show titled "Community Focus Space. " Once selected, the artists will be included in the calendar for this solo display series from July 2014 onward. The artwork, available for passenger and public viewership, will be mounted in front of the security checkpoints and next to baggage carousels 1 and 4 in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

The Laguna Art Museum is where the party's at. Come 6 p.m. Saturday, the museum, decked out as an underground club, will host a slew of art aficionados at its annual art auction. Titled "Art Auction 2013: California Underground," the event features more than 100 works by California artists that will adorn the entire main level of the space. Live performances, silent and live auctions, and gastropub fare are part of the evening's lineup. "It is a twist on a California contemporary speakeasy," Director of Special Events Sarah Strozza said.

The 2010 floods took a dreadful toll, but many local artists were hit with a double whammy. Not only were their homes in Laguna Canyon damaged, their studios and art were also swamped by the Dec. 22, 2010, deluge. The Artists' Benevolence Fund, from the Sawdust Art Festival, came to the rescue, distributing $30,000 in grants to 20 artists. "I can't even tell you how important that grant was," said sculptor Louis Longi , one of the recipients. "My home and my studio were gone.

Nearly 600 people jammed into Laguna Art Museum for Feb. 4's 2012 Art Auction and afterparty, setting an attendance record since 1997 for the annual benefit event, LAM officials said. The 584 attendees represented a 35% jump in attendance compared with last year's benefit soiree turnout at LAM. By evening's end, the live and silent auctions netted $145,850 in combined winning bids, said Sarah Strozza, the museum's special events director. Altogether, Saturday's event, which organizers dubbed as a "California Art Lounge," grossed $182,000 — a figure that included sales of tickets to both the auction and afterparty, and also broke museum records since 1997, officials said.

Laguna Art Museum 307 Cliff Drive (949) 494-8971 http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Open until 9 p.m. during First Thursdays Art Walk. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, students and active military. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. The museum is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days. Free admission on First Thursdays Art Walk nights. Special Events: View and bid on items in annual auction from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Feb.3 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb 4. Free admission to museum.

Friday Candlemaking Class The Susi Q Senior Center and Pure Light Studios are offering a candlemaking class from 9 to 10 a.m. at the center, 380 Third St. Cost is $25. Friday Flicks The Arts Commission will screen "Bill Cunningham New York," a film about the New York Times photographer, at 7 p.m. at the Forum Theatre at the Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Friday to Sunday Folkdance Festival Dance around the world with live and recorded music at the 42nd annual Laguna Beach Folkdance Festival at Ensign School Gym, 2000 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach.

The Laguna Art Museum is counting down the hours to Saturday night's "Art Auction 2012: California Art Lounge," the museum's annual benefit auction to raise funds for its educational and exhibit programming. For this year's auction, the Laguna Beach museum is partnering with more than 20 art galleries, including local ones, to auction off 106 art pieces by contemporary California artists working in many different genres. Twenty-five of the 106 artists live in Laguna Beach.