How discerning gifts are shaping Laguna Art Museum’s public collection
Laguna Art Museum is actively growing its collection through a focused plan to bring important examples of California art into public view. From its setting on the cliff above the Pacific, the museum looks for works of lasting quality by artists who help describe the shared experience and incomparable creativity of this state. Each acquisition is considered with care, guided by museum leadership and a Collections Committee whose members bring expertise and a deep affection for the arts.
In recent years, the museum has partnered with generous collectors, artists, families and galleries across the country to strengthen the collection. These conversations begin with a shared belief that significant works should be seen, studied and enjoyed beyond private ownership. With the public is the ultimate beneficiary, these gifts allow visitors to encounter works that might otherwise remain in private spaces.
“Collecting for the museum is both careful and deeply personal,” says Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director of Laguna Art Museum. “When a collector places a work in Laguna Art Museum’s collection, they are doing more than making a gift. They are adding their name to the group of artists, collectors and philanthropists who have shaped the museum over generations. In a community like ours, that kind of generosity stands apart.”
Amir Zaki’s Concrete Vessel 55, 2018, was given by the artist. The large-scale photograph turns a California skatepark into a study of form, light and design. With no skaters in view, the architecture itself becomes the subject, connecting photography to the built environments that shape Southern California life.
Frederick S. Wight’s Santa Ana Blowing II, 1983, came from the collection of Loren Ostrow and Brian Newkirk. The painting relates to one of the region’s defining conditions: the Santa Ana winds. Through abstraction, Wight suggests weather, movement and the charged atmosphere familiar to Southern California.
Charles Garabedian’s Martyrs, 2001, was given by Claire Garabedian and Sophia Octeau with assistance from LA Louver Gallery. A major Los Angeles artist, Garabedian was known for bringing myth, religious imagery, the human figure and theatrical composition into bold, highly personal paintings. Martyrs adds that distinct voice to the museum’s collection and deepens its representation of postwar and contemporary art in Southern California.
For donors, a museum gift is meaningful, thoughtful and practical. For the public, the benefit is lasting. Through acts of generosity, Laguna Art Museum’s collection continues to grow for California and for all who come here to experience it.
