Art Auction

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.

The Laguna Art Museum's director of marketing and public relations for the past six years, Stuart Byer, has announced his resignation. Byer, who worked part-time for the museum, gave notice in early December to ensure that the institution had enough time to find a suitable replacement. He chose a Feb. 15 end date in order to complete his work on the museum's upcoming Feb. 10 art auction. "It's been a tremendously rewarding experience; one that I'll always value," Byer said.

Find Arty for Art-A-Fair's anniversary Art-A-Fair is celebrating its 45th anniversary Sunday with free admission and special events. "Arty," Art-A-Fair's anniversary character, will be hidden on the grounds every hour, and the first person to find him will win an art prize. Visitors can also enjoy live Caribbean music by Upstream and smooth jazz by Rideshare. Sunday's art workshop on collage will be taught by juried artist Agnes Copeland. The two-hour class will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1 to 3 p.m. Cost is $30 for one session or $45 for both.

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.

The Laguna Board of Realtors and Affiliates handed out checks on Tuesday totaling $43,000 to community nonprofit organizations. Proceeds from the board's most successful Taste for Charity fund-raiser ever were distributed to Martha Lydick , president of the Friends of the Laguna Beach Library; Tonja Bewar , CSP Youth Shelter volunteer coordinator; David Peck , who heads up the Cross Cultural Council, Sally Rapuano , for Sally's...

Friendship Shelter celebrated 20 years of assisting homeless adults to rebuild their lives at “The Art of Getting Home,” an art auction with a theme and a goal. The goal of raising $120,000 was exceeded. The goal of restoring self-esteem and hope to souls who have strayed into darker byways is ongoing. “It is exciting and humbling to be joining Friendship Shelter at this critical moment in its history,” newly appointed Executive Director Dawn Price said.

Sawdust workshops continue A few spaces are still available at the Sawdust Art Festival's annual Spring Into Art workshops, which run for two more weekends at the festival's grounds, 935 Laguna Canyon Road; classes range from oil painting to blown glass to crocheting, and are taught by professional Sawdust exhibitors. They are open to everyone, from beginners to experts, and are limited to 10 students. The sessions meet from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The 19th annual Sawdust Art Festival Benevolence Fund art auction will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. "The Sawdust Artist Benevolence fund shows what a family the artists who exhibit at the Sawdust have become," community and media relations manager Rebecca Meekma said. "They created it and had the heart to include all artists of Laguna Beach as eligible for the fund." Meekma reiterated that any Laguna Beach artist who makes a living from their art can apply for the fund; all business related to the fund is kept in strict confidence.