Art + Nature

What Art + Nature is

Art + Nature is an annual initiative of Laguna Art Museum. The museum started it in 2013 and describes it as a celebration of the exchange between artistic expression and environmental awareness. The museum says the program brings special exhibitions, a commissioned outdoor work of art, lectures, panel discussions, films and family activities.

The museum ties the theme to the town’s history. It says that in 1929 the Laguna Beach Art Association built a gallery in a commanding spot on the coastline, close to the natural wonders its artists painted, and that the present museum stands on the same site.

The 2026 Celebration Week

The 14th annual Celebration Week runs November 5 to 9, 2026. The museum’s schedule lists these events:

• Flag walk, November 5 to 9, 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Four outdoor flag installations by painter Kim Manfredi, titled A Flag Walk for Our Future. It is free, and the museum says self-guided visits are welcome.
• Guided walks with Manfredi, November 5 to 9, 10 to 11 a.m. They meet at the museum. The museum lists them as free, with no reservation needed.
• First Thursdays Art Walk and Artist Talk, November 5, 5 to 7 p.m. The first hour is free viewing of the exhibition, and Manfredi speaks about her outdoor commission from 6 to 7 p.m. The talk needs advance registration.
• Free art activities at Main Beach, November 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On the public cobblestone area, with participatory art making, a viewfinder project, a DJ and complimentary food.
• Free museum admission, November 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Keynote by Dr. Lucy Jones, November 7 at 6 p.m. At the museum. As of October 2026 the museum lists $35 for members and $40 for nonmembers.

The flag walk

Manfredi’s flags run along a 0.7-mile accessible coastal route from Main Beach through Heisler Park. The museum says each group of four flags stands for a time of day (Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night), and the groups step down in height like surfboards stacked along the shore. The flags are hand-painted and hand-gilded, with abstract symbols of air, water, leaf, web, cloud, glint and light. Four sites along the path are set aside for pausing and watching the light.

The museum’s volunteer call says volunteers monitor the banners and ground spikes to prevent touching or damage. For the park, see Heisler Park.

Inside the museum

The indoor exhibition, View with a Grain of Sand, opened October 3, 2026 and runs to January 18, 2027. It carries the walk’s ideas into painting. The museum names a second show, Radiant Terrains: Elements of Light in Contemporary Art from the Permanent Collection, among the galleries open for free on November 7. For hours and admission on other days, see Laguna Art Museum.

Before the week

Two events precede the Celebration Week at the museum. Venerable Thuptan Phuntsok and Venerable Kunchok Tenzin create a Kalachakra sand mandala in the Steele Gallery from October 27 to 30, in partnership with the Phen-Dey Foundation. A dissolution ceremony and procession to the ocean follows on October 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The museum lists both as free with museum admission.

Getting there

The museum is at 307 Cliff Drive, the same street as Heisler Park, and the walk starts at Main Beach. The free Coastal Route trolley runs on Coast Highway between North Laguna and Heisler Park, downtown and South Laguna. On Saturday, November 7, the city’s off-season schedule runs it from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Read the trolley page and the parking guide before you drive.

Usual timing and 2027

The museum says it has asked artists for outdoor works shown for about six consecutive days in the first week of November. It calls the 2027 edition the 15th annual and says it is slated to begin in November 2027. No 2027 dates are posted yet.

More in November

November also brings the First Thursdays Art Walk, covered in art walk, and the season of holiday events. See Hospitality Night, Sawdust Winter Fantasy and the November guide.