Art Roundtable
By OCinSite At-Large | February 03, 2012 6:00 AM
Photos courtesy of Jody Tiongco
Two local gallery owners talk about the future of Laguna’s art scene.
Ariane MacDonald, owner of Dawson Cole Fine Art:
Historically, what remains constant here are a few signature galleries with top dealers bringing world-class art to Laguna Beach along with new contemporary galleries representing emerging artists or mid-career artists.
Galleries come and go—sometimes within a few short years. Where is the scene headed? My hope for the Laguna Beach art scene is that the city attracts high-end dealers to the area. I would like to see additional dealers here that are building solid collections for clients that have lasting value.
Art fairs will continue to have an increasing impact and I believe galleries who participate in fairs will be more successful. This year, Dawson Cole Fine Art exhibited in Hong Kong at the Arts Asia 2011 Fair at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. It was a successful venture that will allow us the opportunity to offer an international perspective for our Laguna Beach clientele.
Kathleen Updyke Barrett, owner of De Ru’s Fine Art:
With the incoming new director at the Laguna Art Museum, Malcolm Warner, and new president, Jonathan Burke, at the Laguna College of Art & Design, the art scene in Laguna is getting revitalized with new energy and perspectives.
The art entities in Laguna are increasingly finding ways to work together and enhance the arts in Laguna. This will make for a stronger art community and expanded awareness locally, nationally and internationally.
The partnership of member galleries of First Thursday’s Art Walk and LCAD in the professional mentoring program is a great example of enhancing the arts in Laguna. The graduating fine art students ... are teamed with art walk member galleries to experience the business aspect of presenting their work. The proceeds ... go to the student and to a First Thursdays Art Walk scholarship fund at LCAD, making the benefits come around full circle. With the economy slowly recovering, we see even more opportunities to partner together.
