LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – June 27, 2016 – Sawdust Art & Craft Festival—a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting art created in Laguna Beach—is pleased to announce the opening of the 50th annual Sawdust Art Festival this past weekend. In celebration of this anniversary, the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival received commendations from state and local dignities that were in attendance at the opening ceremony to present the awards. The Sawdust received a Certificate of Recognition from the Office of United States Congressman Dana Rohrabacher; a Resolution from Senator John Moorlach, Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblyman Matthew Harper of the California Legislature; a Proclamation from Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and a Proclamation from the City of Laguna Beach.
An excerpt from the Resolution from Senator John Moorlach, Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblyman Matthew Harper of the California Legislature reads as the following:
“Continuing an outstanding 50-year tradition, the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival will host its 50th Annual Summer Show, with the theme Celebrating the Soul of Art, from June 24 through August 28, 2016, and it is appropriate at this time to draw the attention of the public to this special community event.”
“From its humble beginnings in 1967 as a small show on a vacant lot on Pacific Coast Highway to a nine-week festival set on a three-acre eucalyptus grove in Laguna Canyon, art enthusiasts, collectors, and novice artists have come to the Sawdust Art Festival, which has earned a reputation as Southern California’s most popular summer art festival.”
For more information and to purchase event tickets, please visit www.sawdustartfestival.org: $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors (65+) and $4.00 for children (6-12). Children 5 and under are free.
About Sawdust Art & Craft Festival: Founded in 1967, the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting art created in Laguna Beach. Best known for offering two highly attended seasonal festivals, the organization also hosts a variety of workshops and classes throughout the year. Sawdust’s legendary summer festival is a nine-week summer celebration of fine art and craft – the largest in Southern California – with more than 200 Laguna Beach artists who exhibit and sell their original art and handcrafted items. The festival also offers live entertainment, artist demonstrations, hands-on art workshops for all ages, and a variety of food & drink offerings. Sawdust’s Annual Winter Fantasy Festival occurs for five weekends leading up to the holiday season, and boasts an international collection of over 175 artisans who create, showcase, and sell their original, handcrafted artwork on the Sawdust grounds, which are lavishly decorated to resemble a winter wonderland. Special activities include “Winter Art Series” classes, where guests can create holiday-themed works, and a highly anticipated Annual Community Tree Lighting Ceremony. Throughout the remainder of the year, the organization continues to provide its Sawdust Studio Art Classes in a variety of mediums, on-site and off-site. For more information, visit: www.sawdustartfestival.org.
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