I just love Laguna Beach, and this museum is a little gem. Located near the entrance to Las Brisas, this small museum offers multiple floors of local art. Its convenient location allows a nice prequel to your planned beach day, or respite from the sun while waiting for your table at a local restaurant. Now, when rating something I always try to compare it only to its own kind--this museum is in no way comparable to LACMA--this is a local heritage spot, and it delivers just that. The highlight of my visit was the lovely dosa, Martha. It was like walking the gallery with a new, knowledgeable friend. She explained the history, notable connections to the art pieces, and encouraged/allowed time for introspection without hovering. I don't think my experience would have nearly hit the mark without her guidance. I love learning fun facts. Thank you for a great visit, Martha! read more

Laguna Art Museum - Work by Cuprien - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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We dropped by on a busy Saturday afternoon. Not another person was there looking at art. Two of the five galleries they had were closed. I found the work on display to be lackluster at best. I was very disappointed to not find a single interesting or thought provoking piece in the collection. read more

Previewed the art auction items and the selections are varied and cater to a lot of audiences. The silent auction items can be access through Bidsquare. Ed Ruscha's piece is different. Shepard Fairey's piece not just another poster. read more

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After walking by many times, I finally visited the Laguna Art Museum when they offered free admission during the month of November. I knew it was a small museum, but was surprised to see that it was larger than I expected, thanks to the recent acquisitions on the bottom floor. Friendly staff and docents make you feel very welcome. Admission is $15, with free admission the first Thursday of every month from 6pm-9pm. Children 12 and under are free. read more

I was trying to find new to me art museums to visit and I discovered there was an art museum in Laguna Beach. It's free during the month of November so if it's free it's for me ! I found free parking across the street in the residential neighborhood. Be careful that you don't park in the no parking anytime zone or on Tuesdays between 8-12 noon except for holidays or you will get a ticket. The museum primarily has California art which I love. They have a large exhibit from painter/illustrator Conrad Buff. You will spend around an hour to an hour and a half at this museum. Just the perfect amount of time ! Sorry no picsI was just enjoying the art work and trying to be present. We were given free stickers from the receptionist/docent ! I Think they give the stickers to the little kids that come to the museum. I appreciate stickers ! If you're in the area ! Stop by ! It's a hidden gem in Laguna Beach ! read more

Laguna Art Museum - Free stickers ! - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Small and wonderful! All 3 floors were open and there was a silent auction occupying the main floor, which was wonderful since it offered a wide range of artists and media. The top floor was also a great extra experience as it featured 6 master's student from the Laguna College of Art and Design (titled Undercurrents). Also, there were several well informed, friendly and helpful docents. Thank you LAM!!! Hope you enjoy a few of our favorite pieces. read more

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Great place to visit. Current shows are outstanding. Helpful & knowledgeable docents. Paying for memberships is very worthwhile.

Wow! Next level Art experience. I joined my daughter on her Art Museum project for one of her college credits and absolutely fell in love with this museum. A very special thank you to Linda who was gracious enough to escort us through the exhibit. Her knowledge was incredible and made this experience a wonderful lifetime memory for us. Thank you! read more

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The Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach is a charming space centered around California art. It is great for a quick, low-key visit, especially with free admission this November. Advanced tickets are recommended, but not required. Parking is challenging: street spots can be hard to find or valet is available next door at Las Brisas for $10 (cash or card accepted). read more

Welcoming staff. Engaging exhibits. Open late for First Thursday Art walk. Interesting lectures with artists and art experts.

I bought a ticket here using the OC Library Discovery Pass. It's a nice small library. It showcases local art students pieces which is nice. It has a mixture of different art themes. They currently have a jewelry exhibit that is very pretty as well and I think worth visiting. This is a small museum, so really only need an hour here or maybe less. It is located in downtown Laguna, so it's a nice stop along the beach. read more

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Pretty nice little museum, especially the special exhibit rooms on the main floor, but also some really great stuff in the new aquisitions room downstairs, where you will also find the bathrooms. Very friendly and helpful docent who came around to check on us, give us extra info and answer questions. Definitely check this out if they have an exhibition from an artist you love! $15 admission at the time of writing. read more

Parking was a bit frustrating since there's no dedicated lot, so we had to park on a nearby residential street. The museum itself isn't very large, but the quality of the art is excellent. We also ran into a docent who was incredibly knowledgeable. It was a pleasure talking with him, and we learned a lot. I only wish I had asked his name. Overall, it was a really rewarding visit and well worth the stop. read more

Very friendly staff and they offer discounts to students, military, and seniors. Purchased a pair of earrings from the gift shop that I love. Can't wait to come back and catch the next installation. read more

Laguna Art Museum - Earrings from gift shop - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Had the opportunity to visit LAM for the first time last week and was super impressed by the building, exhibitions, and kindness of the docent & front desk staff. It's super cool that they highlight CA artists and especially women artists!! Loved the Donna Schuster exhibition sm and love that it's so close to the ocean. Would def recommend. read more

The Laguna Art Museum is a wonderful spot in Laguna Beach! Each time I visit for a stroll or for an event, the front desk staff are helpful and always ready to answer questions about the exhibits and flow. The art and the facility is clearly well cared for. During my last visit, they were promoting several community programs and well as student programs. I thought that was a wonderful way to expose more local communities to art! It's a great place to spend time while in Laguna. read more

We had our annual Valiant Women membership meeting and breakfast this morning at the Laguna Art Museum... Wonderful and informative tour afterwards with the ExecutiveDirector Julie Lee. She did an amazing job explaining most of the art that was presented. This is a smaller Art museum but it is packed with very interesting artists. Since 1918 Laguna art museum has brought our into the lives of millions of people. They also offer Many programs and events all through the month. Become a member today the memories the inspiration and the connection all await you. Membership for an individual is only $60 a year. $30 for a student. ( unlimited daily admission to the art museum and exhibits. Discounts on select ticketed programming or discussions and performances) and the annual membership appreciation week... read more

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The Laguna Art Museum is located off of PCH near the iconic Las Brisas in Laguna Beach. It's a smaller museum housing contemporary, modern art. We were greeted by a staff member upon entering and asked if we were Bank of America customers. For Bank of America customers, the first weekend of each month is free, so my husband and I took advantage of the free admission to visit. We were informed that we could take photos on all of the floors except for the lowest level where the special jewelry exhibition was on display. We made our way through the different levels seeing some local artists' work from LCAD, as well as some more well known artists like Frank Gehry. The museum is quiet and very walkable in an hour or two. The lower level Adam Neeley jewelry exhibit, showcasing a local Laguna Beach native, is quite spectacular so I was glad we were able to see it. Afterwards, we dipped our toes in the ocean and made our way back to the free LB trolley. It's definitely a great way to spend the afternoon, if you're local. read more

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Very quaint museum to check out if you are in South OC. There's 3 floors of exhibits. It's not very large so you can comfortably see everything in about an hour if you took your time. We wanted to check out what they had since we'd never been to this museum. General admission was $12 for adults, and it's just street parking or metered parking. The gift shop had a lot of cute items to pick up on the way out! read more

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Linda T. , Docent, was very helpful, offering info. about the current photo exhibit. Thanks for her insights. We will return.

Small but intimate museum showcasing a variety of art. I highly recommend the Wayne Thiebaud exhibit happening now (ends on October 24, 2021). I love clowns and Thiebaud's style and vision presented a fantastic rendition of these creatures (I am being facetious, of course, but I do think clowns are often demonized rather than humanized). Either way, Thiebaud's colorful style and dynamic brush work resulted in a very animated representation. It's a fun collection of pieces and a joy to explore. The museum itself is small and totally manageable within an hour visit. I really appreciate smaller institutions like this as it gives you an opportunity to truly look at each piece. It's also priced reasonably at $7/adult ($5 for students and seniors). They had a couple rooms that held their permanent collection plus three special exhibitions (clowns, an abstract architectural photography exhibition upstairs, and a tableau vivant portrait photography exhibit downstairs). Each exhibition was very different from one another and provided a welcome contrast. The tableau vivant portrait exhibit (based on the local tableau vivant festival in Laguna) was really interesting. It was accompanied by a video which provided the necessary context (and was really important to the exhibition as it explained/showed the event). Gift shop: Some cute items but pretty heavy on the artisanal jewelry. Could have benefited from a more eclectic collection of items. I'm sure Laguna has a wide variety of local artists with unique offerings. PARKING: A huge headache. There is metered parking on the PCH and Cliff Drive but it's naturally very hard to find. I'd recommend checking out the residential area across the street (free to park) as it's where we ended up eventually finding a spot. If you don't mind walking a bit, there are affordable parking garages in the downtown area. The city of Laguna does a good job making all the parking lot information available: www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/parking/default.htm. They even have an app to help you (although I haven't used it). read more

Linda T was a wonderful Docent! We learned so much. A gem of a museum. They said new exhibits will open in a few weeks. We'll be back

Cute little museum with a big personality. Right in the heart of Laguna, if you have time to spare definitely recommend a visit. Not crowded, enjoyable art. a couple great rooms, and spacious as well. I didn't partake but looks like there was a craft room for kids of some sort so that's a definite bonus! read more

well, at least they got their $30 for a half hour visit for two guests. I am giving two stars because I did enjoy the two exhibitions I went to see, even though one of them barely had any works to view. The other reviews said the museum was small, but even knowing that and taking our time, we finished in 30 minutes. There is very little information posted about the works, if any information at all. And what really gets me for the price we paid was the condition of the bathroom - one clogged toilet, two stalls without paper on the roll, trash on the floor, and an overflowing trash bin when the museum had only been open for less than half an hour!! The gift shop was nice. read more

This museum is a great addition to a day in Laguna. My family and I were able to get free tickets through the orange county library program. It's a very small exhibition, takes around 20 minutes to get through. With a free ticket, stopping here after a visit to Urth Cafe across the street on the way to the main downtown makes a lovely afternoon. read more

What a great day we had with Linda Tilden giving us a guided tour of the beautiful jewelry collection by https://www.adamneeley.com/ A local Laguna Beach artist who creates one of kind pieces with a unique perspective and natural designs. Also loved the collection from Joan and Jack couple from LA based artists. Very informative, unique and a great way to spend the day with my favorite tribe of women from South OC. read more

10/10 in every which way! We are members and are so happy to renew! Thanks for a variety of activities for all!! Hope to see you soon!

Liked this museum, the only thing that I did not like was that there is no parking and it's a small gallery. There is plenty to see inside but some sections where closed when I visited due to COVID-19 restriction and I'm not sure if they were vamping up a gallery area. Always go to the beach near by so will visit museum again once they are done with new exhibit. read more

I love this museum. 1 of 3 exhibits were closed (were about to re-open) but the art that we saw was colorful & expertly arranged under lights. The museum was not busy (Tuesday afternoon) a small group was leaving the exhibit as we arrived, so we had the museum to ourselves. We also scored 3 hardcover books for $3 during their sale! read more

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This is my second time to check out Kahuna Art Museum. I enjoyed the show this time... but there's no impression for my first visit. This time, they have a graduate exhibition from LCAD which is pretty good. And Francis portrait exhibition is great as well. The basement, they have Jean Lowe's show which is my favorite, it is so fun and amazing to check it out. read more

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Cool exhibits, nice little gift shop. Friendly staff. Great location. Fun place to check out before or after a walk around Heisler Park and a meal next door at Las Brisa's. read more

Beautiful :) A must go check out!!! So went to go check out Laguna Art Walk last night super great, came across this museum and loved it . My sister told me people can volunteer to become the standing art at this event where people check out the art. Freaken awesome actually! So they have 3 floors where people can check out the MANY art pieces. On the bottom floor there is a vIdeo on how these volunteers where picked and what there experience was like. How the volunteers decided to do this stand still art for people. I bet it's an AMAZING experience!!! Check out the stand still actually people !!!! read more

Laguna Art Museum - Art - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. This teeny tiny art museum has a whole heck of a lot of soul. What that means is that the history and conception of this place is connected to the being of the early days of the town. Around the turn of the century, many plein air artists gravitated to Laguna Beach to live and paint. An art colony was formed. Frank Culprien, Anna Hills, Edgar Payne, and others formed the Laguna Beach Art Association (LBAA) in 1918. Their gallery was in the touristy Laguna Beach hotel. But the professional acclaim of the artists grew, so the Laguna Art Museum was opened on February 26, 1929 right in the spot that it stands currently. Awesome! But the old structure is long gone. Too bad. Today, it is a modern slick design. I was amazed by the history and paintings displayed here. I have been to art museums in NYC, SF, Sacto...but due to the largeness of those, I never sensed the soul of a community connecting to the art. But I felt that here. I never knew Edgar Payne moved to Laguna Beach in 1918 and was the first president of the LBAA. It is so great that the museum has some of his pieces concentrating on the coastal landscape of OC and of the other art colony, Carmel. The majority of pieces displayed here are from artists of the early art colony days that achieved successful national recognition. They also have other art work ranging through current day. They have staff walk around just making sure no one "messes" with the paintings. Photos are allowed, just no flash photography. They try to be discreet but due to the cozy size of the gallery, you may run into them a few times as they do their walk about. They are the friendliest. I spoke to a few of them. They are not docents or guides, so don't expect them to be experts. The adult admission is $7, $5 for students 18 yrs + and seniors 60+, and free for kids 17 and under...not bad at all. The day that I visited, unbeknownst to us, they were letting folks in for free due to the computer being down. Very gracious of them. But, parking is straight up challenging. They have no lot, it is street metered parking in a crowded touristy area. read more

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Haven't been here since high school but knew I wanted to stop by ever since they reopened after lockdown! They have a Granville Redmond exhibit going on right now, which is so beautiful! I really enjoyed it and thought it was set up well. The other floors aren't as intriguing but they do have a couple cool pieces in their permanent collection. I feel like you can really get a sense of Orange County/SoCal's history just by looking at the artwork here. Everything is super clean, pristine and it's definitely a great place to stop by when you're in Laguna! Just sure to reserve slots on their website. Tickets are reasonably priced, although that makes sense because the museum is quite small and you probably won't spend more than an hour here. All the staff members were really nice! read more

Laguna Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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I recently had the pleasure of taking a tour of the museum led by your fantastic art docent Linda Tilden. I particularly appreciated the two wonderful exhibitions that are currently on the view at the museum: The jewelry designs of Adam Neely and the art from Joan and Jack Quinn family collection. Linda shared her knowledge without being dry or overwhelming. Her enthusiasm for the art was contagious! I left the museum feeling inspired! read more

A few things to note about Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA: *this SMALL museum celebrating 100 years in 2018 is not comparable in size to the Art Museums you would find in big cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, etc. but the artwork displayed here is lovely and 5 star worthy of any large Metropolitan Art Museum. I saw some of the most beautiful paintings of the ocean that I've ever seen anywhere. The artists who painted my favorite seascape paintings depicted Carmel, my other California Coastal favorite locale. *you will find a small collection of beautiful, stunning paintings which rotate, many are privately owned. I was utterly inspired by the artwork I saw. I also learned many of the Museum owned pieces were not even on display. *Featured artists were inspired by the Laguna Beach area and most artists collaborated with the artist colony in Laguna Beach at one time or another. If I recall correctly most paintings I saw today were from the early to mid 1900's. *we arrived 20 minutes before closing and we saw everything but the second floor exhibit, which we were told was about 6 paintings *Admission is $7, $5 for students and free for military between Memorial Day and Labor day OR free for the general public on the First Thursday of every month from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm ***docent guided tours on First Thursday's. We visited for free. *There is a small gift shop but we did not get a chance to browse due to time constraints. *Street Metered parking can be difficult to find in summer months We were glad we visited and enjoyed a walk at the beach afterward, this is definitely not a destination that would take more than an hour to see. I decided to check out this Museum after a recent visit to the Festival of Arts, Pageant of the Masters this year. The Museum was mentioned in the show and I wondered why I've never visited. For the dozens of times I've been to Laguna, I've never bothered to stop into this Museum, and I am glad we did today. I would love to return for a docent guided tour. read more

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This is truly a delightful experience. Paying homage to the historical aspect of the thriving Laguna Beach art colony, it's a must visit among over 100 local galleries and artists studios the area has to offer. Hosting a broad spectrum of rotating exhibitions and family focused events along with darker collections-- this museum is a true pillar of the community. A few steps from Main Beach Laguna, include this as part of your afternoon itinerary whether just visiting or native to OC. read more

Laguna Art Museum - Laguna Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Much thanks to Dr. Malcolm Warner and associates for coming to our home, Oceans 13 Laguna, and choosing to exhibit one of the Russian Dolls series by Rhoda Weissman. We all had fun and are happy to share more art at this wonderful museum in the future! read more

Laguna Art Museum - Russian Doll painting with owners - Art Museums Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Probably more like 3.5 stars. I was disappointed that I paid the $12 admission only to find that the bottom floor was closed with no exhibit. I suppose this is my fault for not checking current exhibitions before entering, but it would have been nice had the person taking my money told me. This museum is quite small and while it had some nice work featured it took me little more than half an hour to finish my exploration. read more

Swung by here for 20 minutes today to check out the local artwork. Been meaning to come here for awhile now and finally did, by using the BofA client "museums on us" offer, where admission is complimentary on the first weekend of every month. Woohoo. Only main floor & upstairs were open to the public today. Wear masks at all times. Parking available by meter across the street. read more