Laguna Art Museum

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION

The Laguna Art Museum sits on the bluff edge adjacent to Heisler Park, in a building that looks out over the Pacific between galleries dedicated exclusively to California art. The collection is strong in the plein air tradition that defined early Laguna Beach, and the works on the walls give the town's coastal light a historical context that deepens a walk along the bluff. The galleries are unhurried and the building itself is worth the visit.

OPERATOR STORY

Laguna Art Museum was founded in 1918 by the Laguna Beach Art Association, a community of plein air painters who had established Laguna Beach as a cultural destination in the early 20th century. It is one of the oldest art museums in California, focused exclusively on California art from the 19th century to the present, and remains independently operated as a community nonprofit.