Art classes and workshops in Laguna Beach

Five places that teach

Several institutions in Laguna Beach teach art to people who are not enrolled in a degree program. They run on different calendars and take registrations in different ways. This page lists what each posted when it was read on October 28, 2026. Schedules turn over every term, so use the links to see what is open now. For galleries to visit rather than classes to take, see art galleries, and for the museum’s own page see Laguna Art Museum.

Laguna College of Art + Design

LCAD teaches degree students, and it also runs community education that its site says is open to the public, short-term and not for credit. The fall 2026 list had three courses and two workshop series, all on the main campus at 2222 Laguna Canyon Road:

• Painting Explorations, Saturdays from September 12 to November 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Studio 9. LCAD lists tuition of $300 as of October 2026, and its course page says enrollment is not offered this time.
• Portrait Painting, the same Saturdays, 2 to 5 p.m., Studio 9. LCAD lists tuition of $300 as of October 2026, a limit of 16 students, ages 16 and up and all skill levels. Enrollment for this course showed as closed.
• Watercolor, Saturdays from September 12 to October 17, which has finished.
• Short pose workshops, Saturdays from September 12 to December 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Studio 8, with no class November 28.
• Long pose workshops, Fridays from September 4 to December 11, 6 to 10 p.m., Studio 8, with no class November 27. These are drop-in: $15 a session as of October 2026, collected at each session by credit card only, no registration, open to the public from age 16.

The LCAD page covers the campus, the downtown gallery and the college’s history.

Sawdust Art Festival

The Sawdust Art Festival, at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, says it offers art classes on its grounds all year. Its class page lists glassblowing, a two-day mosaic workshop, pottery wheel classes, drawing, photography and meditative coloring, each with a posted price as of October 2026. Prices on that list run from $75 for a drawing class to a range of $300 to $500 for the glassblowing experience. The Sawdust also says some classes are free while one of its festivals is in session. The festivals themselves are on the events page.

Laguna Art Museum

The museum at 307 Cliff Drive lists a Learn section with public programs, tours, Art Access and LAM Kids. Its calendar on October 28, 2026 listed a LAM Kids! Studio session on October 24 (now past), an artist talk on November 5, Art Sessions on November 20, a One Hour/One Painting session on December 5 and three Jean Stern Presents talks between October 25 and December 13. It posts no prices on those listings and says members get discounted and free programming. Check the event calendar for the format of each one, since a talk and a hands-on session are different things. The museum’s summer camps are on the camps and youth programs page.

City of Laguna Beach Recreation Division

The city’s registration catalog has art sections for adults and children. In October 2026 its adult art section had Art Salon at $35, Art Techniques & Fundamentals at $100 to $120, Drawing & Watercolor: Let’s Paint Laguna at $90 to $150 and Gouache Painting at $175 to $225. The children’s art section had Clay Art For Toddlers at $109, Kids Art Class at $75 to $100 and Art For Parent & Me at $107. The city added a 2.6 percent convenience fee to credit card payments from April 10, 2026. The division works from the Community & Susi Q Center at 380 Third Street and the Community & Recreation Center at 30516 South Coast Highway, and the recreation centers guide explains registration. The city says need-based scholarships for students enrolled in the Laguna Beach Unified School District are available through SchoolPower.

Plein air workshops with LPAPA

The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association runs workshops, paint-outs, painting demos and Plein Talks, and sells recorded lessons. Its listed workshops were a plein air gouache workshop on October 20 to 22, 2026, which has passed, and an Inside/Outside watercolor workshop on May 25 to 27, 2027. The page shows no prices or eligibility rules, so ask the association. Its gallery at 414 North Coast Highway is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on first Thursdays. First Thursday evenings also bring the Art Walk.

How to choose

Look at four things before you pay: whether the class is a drop-in or a series, the minimum age, whether materials are included, and the refund terms. The organizations above set these themselves. For youth programs see things to do with children, and for stage classes see performing arts.