The Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach is thrilled to announce its latest off-site exhibit, Then & Now, is now open for guests to enjoy through September 9, 2022. Located within The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Then & Now is part of the commemorative festivities in celebration of the Festival’s 90th anniversary, and offers a glimpse of how the Festival organization has evolved and thrived over the last nine decades. The exhibit is free to the public and is open daily.

Then & Now spans the decades, featuring items from the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters’ historical archives and artwork from the Festival’s Permanent Art Collection. Guests will have the unique opportunity to see historical work such as the first Festival of Arts program from 1932, photos of Festival of Arts Founder John Hinchman, vintage images of early activities surrounding the development of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and even a variety of vintage newspaper articles from 1932 featuring the overwhelming success of the Festival of Arts. “Flower Stalls” by painter Virginia Woolley is recognized as the very first artwork sold at the inaugural Fine Art Show in 1932. It is now part of the Festival of Arts Permanent Art Collection and may be seen at The Ritz-Carlton exhibit along with a painting by Joane Cromwell of the Festival of Arts in 1935. Then & Now also includes the Irvine Bowl Dedication from 1941, hand-painted Pageant costumes, and an assemblage of vintage scripts and handwritten notes from the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Also being showcased is art created by many current long-time exhibiting Festival artists including: Jacobus Baas, Paul Bond, Bruce Burr, Eric Gerdau, Murray Kruger, Carolyn Machado, Mia Moore, and Mitch Ridder. More artwork from these artists and others may be seen at the 2022 Festival of Arts Fine Art Show in Laguna Beach from July 5 – September 2.

For more information visit www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/laguna-niguel.