Laguna Beach – A Look Back: Art-A-Fair
By Dr. Gregg DeNicola, M.D.
The story of the creation of the Sawdust Festival in the 1960s as a form of protest over the renowned Festival of the Arts “juried” system is well known to most Lagunans. What is sometimes overlooked is the irony that the Sawdust spawned an additional protest, since both the Festival of the Arts and the Sawdust required the artists to be residents of the city.
When the Sawdust artists moved from North Laguna to the canyon, a group of artists that could not join either of the festivals banded together, and in 1966 organized into yet a third festival – which they called the Art-A-Fair. Marketing and finances were large obstacles, but the band of artists persevered. In fact, they were so successful, by 1972 they found the means to move from the empty lot they inherited when the Sawdust moved out into a more permanent home.
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Courtesy of Art-A-Fair
Hanging the new Art-A-Fair logo, 1972
The structure at 595 South Coast Highway – now the site of Laguna Village and the Cliff – was adorned by a new logo, and served as the home of Art-A-Fair until 1988. Artists numbering 110 made up the Art-A-Fair, and in contrast to the Sawdust, did not require Laguna residency. And in a nod to the Festival of the Arts, they used a juried system.
In a 1972 photo (pictured above), three Art-A-Fair belles are shown cheerfully installing the new logo of the festival on their new home. The whimsical, lowercase font was meant to contrast with the ritzy Festival of the Arts and the hippies of the Sawdust.
Today, Art-A-Fair is nestled in their forever home at 777 Laguna Canyon Road at ground zero of the festival district. The logo has modernized – now with the word “ART” boldly displayed in red cursive.
This year, 258 artists applied to show their art; only 115 made the cut. The Art-A-Fair boasts being the only Laguna art festival that has no residency restrictions. Thus, it is especially fitting that this year’s theme is “A Festival Without Borders.”
The success of Art-A-Fair has solidified the triumvirate that has become a summer institution for all of Southern California.
