Resources for Artists in Laguna Beach

City programs

The Arts Commission advises the City Council on artistic and aesthetic matters. It has seven members and, according to the city, generally meets the second and fourth Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 505 Forest Avenue. The city’s Cultural Arts Department pages list the programs below, and the city’s Arts Directory lists artists and arts groups living, working or exhibiting in Laguna Beach.

Artistic Innovation Grants

The city offers grants of $5,000 to $30,000 to support the making and premiere of new work. The city says lodging establishments and the city fund the program. The 2026-27 round closed, and the next cycle opens December 1, 2026. Read the eligibility rules on the city’s Grant Opportunities page before you apply. A separate fund pays nonprofit organizations that present arts programs in Laguna Beach.

Calls and competitions

As of October 28, 2026, the city’s Calls for Artists page listed a 2027 call for the Temporary Public Art Program, due January 18, 2027, and Children’s Holiday Palettes, due November 16, 2026. It also links permit applications for the Artist Work/Live occupancy permit and for performing on the Forest Avenue Promenade.

The city’s 2026 calls, listed below, have closed and show how the programs run. The pages read for this guide listed no 2027 versions:

• Summer banners. Orange County residents 18 or older painted lamppost banners for June to August. Entries were due March 2, 2026, and the call listed a $4,000 honorarium for completed banners selected.
• Council Chamber banners. Artists 18 or older who live, work or exhibit in Laguna Beach painted banners for the Council Chambers, for $900 each.
• Art That’s Small. Orange County residents entered works no larger than 12 inches for a $15 fee, with honorariums of $100 to $600.
• Juried Fine Art. Orange County artists submitted two-dimensional work. The 2026 awards reception is November 5, 2026, with honorariums of $1,200, $600 and $300.

Public art and murals

Public art and murals go through the Arts Commission. To propose a work, you complete the city’s Arts Commission Application (B) and email it with a site plan, scaled and colored drawings, a photo of the site and a maintenance schedule. The Art in Public Places program is a municipal code requirement, and its projects use Application (A). A mural also needs a permit: Municipal Code 25.54.024 sends the application to Community Development, and the Arts Commission approves every proposed mural. The murals page explains the review, and the public art page lists the works.

Work/live space

An artist who wants to live in an Artist Work/Live space in the listed zones needs city certification first. The city’s application requires at least three of four items: recent work, formal training, public presentation and three letters of recommendation. The city’s undated form says Community Development decides within 30 days of a complete application.

Exhibiting at the summer festivals

Each festival sets its own rules. Fees below are as of October 2026.

• Festival of Arts. Applicants must be 18 or older and have lived in Orange County for at least a year before the deadline. For the 2027 show the deadline is Friday, October 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. The jury has two phases, five digital images per medium and then three works in person, at $50 per medium. The festival opens 48 of 120 spaces through the jury. Accepted artists pay an $800 booth fee, build their own booths and lighting, hold a city business license and a California seller’s permit, and give 10 volunteer hours. The festival takes no percentage of sales. See the Festival of Arts page.
• Sawdust Art Festival. The summer show is for full-time Laguna Beach residents with original, handcrafted work. Winter Fantasy welcomes artists from outside Laguna. Sawdust asks you to email or call 949-497-0515 to start. See the Sawdust page and the Winter Fantasy page.
• Art-A-Fair. There is no residency rule. Apply through ZAPP with three images per medium, at $55 for each application. Images for the 2027 show are due January 31, 2027, and the jury meets in mid-February. Accepted artists pay a $200 deposit and a $35 membership fee, with booths from $1,170 to $2,650. The festival takes a 20 percent commission, and each artist works a weekly shift or pays $950 for coverage. See the Art-A-Fair page.

LPAPA

The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association takes members from anywhere. Artist Membership is $90 a year, Student Membership is $45, Signature Membership is $175 and is by jury, and Supporter Membership starts at $50. Its gallery at 414 N. Coast Highway shows monthly juried or invited exhibitions, and its juried shows take studio and plein air work except the Best of Plein Air show. See the Plein Air Painting Invitational page.

LCAD classes

Laguna College of Art + Design runs short, not-for-credit classes and drop-in workshops for the public. In fall 2026 it listed Saturday painting and watercolor courses and Saturday short pose workshops. The Friday long pose workshop is $15 for four hours of drawing without instruction, for ages 16 and up. See the LCAD page.

Selling your work

The Festival of Arts requires its exhibitors to hold a City of Laguna Beach business license. The city’s fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026, lists a $63 business license base fee and a rate of $0.44 per $1,000, up to $1,650, for a category that includes artists and craftsmen. It also lists a Home Occupation Permit at $200 and a Sidewalk Vendor Permit at $1,005. The business license guide explains how licensing works.