Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Good morning my friend! I hope it is a beautiful day wherever you are. In my previous blog post, I shared the fun experience I had at this year’s Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, CA. 

   In my last post, I discussed several of the wonderful artists I saw at the show as well as how I liked the new Festival entrance. Apparently they are not going to stop there, and from what I understand the inside booths will be redesigned and rebuilt in time for the 2016 Festival. That will be a huge undertaking, but I’m sure it will prove to be a great result.

   Part of the Festival of Arts is the Pageant of the Masters performance. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! The show consists of a series of “tableaux vivant” or living pictures in which the performers recreate classic works of art on the stage. Through the use of backdrops, makeup and stage lighting, the tableaux really look like real paintings! It is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

A tableau from a past Pageant performance. “Galileo in the Court of Isabella” by Detti

  Each year, the Pageant has a theme and the artworks they show relate to that. The theme for 2015 was “The Pursuit of Happiness” and so the art chosen all played to that idea. Regardless of the theme, the Pageant always closes with DaVinci’s “The Last Supper”, which ends the show on a reverent note. There is a live orchestra and a live narrator as well. It is truly a tour de force!

   When you are on the Festival grounds, there is a restaurant there called Tivoli Terrace which is a great place to eat! We had our dinner reservations again this year and have enjoyed dining there when spending the day at the Festival. It is nice to be able to park and not have to leave the grounds to eat dinner. The Tivoli Terrace offers a beautiful outdoor setting in which to dine in a landscaped area with lovely flowers and trees.

Tivoli Terrace

   It sits on an actual terrace overlooking the Festival grounds so you are able to see the patrons and art booths from most of the tables. The food there is quite good and I recommend it if you are going to the Festival and/or Pageant. 

   If your looking for a less expensive dining option, the Festival also has a great take-out place called Gina’s Alfresco. There are lots of tables in the outdoor green, and they have a live jazz band that comes and plays in the evenings before the Pageant performance. You may also bring your own food and picnic on the green.

   In addition to the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach, just down the street is the Art-A-Fair and the Sawdust Festival. The Art-A-Fair is similar to the Festival of Arts, but the artists who show there are not restricted by zip code. The Sawdust Festival is more of an artisanal craft show and has some wonderful things to see as well.

   I hope to get to the Art-A-Fair later this summer and will post a review and discussion of that as well. Look for that sometime in August.