The Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach® was presented with a $100,000 grant as part of the Orange County Board of Supervisor’s Fifth District Arts-Related Grant Relief Program in response to the significant financial distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using American Rescue Plan funding, Supervisor Lisa A. Bartlett’s Arts-Related Grant Relief Program will provide much needed financial assistance to eligible arts organizations in her district.
“The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters is the longest-running outdoor fine art exhibition in California and arguably the crown jewel of arts related events in my district, but was sadly forced to cancel the entire 2020 summer season due to the pandemic,” said Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. “As 2022 marks the 90th anniversary of the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, it was my great pleasure to present this beloved organization a check for $100,000 to help support its many wonderful events, programs, and activities going forward.”
The arts have been an integral part of Laguna Beach for more than 100 years, distinguishing it from other beach towns in Southern California. The Festival of Arts became a nonprofit corporation in 1934 with the mission “to promote, produce, and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study and performance of the arts.” The organization remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that the arts can be enjoyed by everyone. This grant will allow the Festival of Arts to continue its mission, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Festival of Arts, its hundreds of volunteers, and all those in our community are grateful to Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and her colleagues for their recognition of the Festival,” said Festival of Arts president David Perry. “Like all arts organizations, the Festival of Arts found the last couple of years challenging. The County’s grant program will help assure local arts organizations’ continued contribution to our community.”
The grant will help the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters build upon its art legacy and keep the non-profit organization a Laguna Beach staple for years to come. The support will ensure that the Festival continues to make the arts accessible to the community by creating quality summer productions and exhibits; providing career and income opportunities for visual and performing artists; presenting hands-on art workshops, and importantly, awarding scholarships to local students – the artists and art patrons of the future.