Culture Spotlight: Lux Art Institute

Culture Spotlight: Lux Art Institute

Posted on January 10, 2017

Nearly 20 years ago, a group of art patrons paired with local philanthropists to begin work on a museum that would not just showcase works of art, but also expose the creative process that made them. The Lux Art Institute was born. Located in Encinitas, on a plot of land serendipitously once called Lux Canyon, the institute now welcomes artists from all over the world to showcase their unique talents.

Founded on the idea of creating a museum without walls, Lux is made up of several spaces including an artist pavilion, education pavilion, studios, digital labs, gardens, and the Lux Store, where art lovers can purchase one-of-a-kind pieces. The institute hosts both permanent and rotating exhibitions, and attracts thousands of visitors who get a first-hand look at how art is produced as well as their own opportunity to create art.

Lux’s residency program invites artists to live and work at the institute for a month while they develop new projects. The artists who reside at Lux typically draw on a wide variety of styles and themes, from traditional still life to pop art to folkloric imagery and more.

Lux frequently partners with local artists who bring their talent to the education pavilion, where they teach a variety of classes including painting, mixed media, jewelry, and print design. Courses are always evolving and changing based on the instructors.

Local students can participate in a number of programs. After-school art programs for young artists let kids get up-close experiences with the works exhibited from the artists-in-residence. Summer art camps give children a chance to both make and professionally exhibit their artworks in a museum setting. The Teen Collective provides semester-long opportunities to partake in intensive art practices, create portfolio pieces, and have works professionally published for scholarship applications. The Valise Project brings interactive art experiences into area classrooms where students observe, discuss, and even touch artwork, all while creating their own. Both teens and adults are welcome to the Open Studio, where they will find materials and the freedom to create as they see fit. The institute even offers yoga classes in the garden.

January’s artist-in-residence is Italian-born Siro Cugusi, whose residency piece will culminate with a large oil abstract painting inspired by the surroundings of the Lux Art Institute. Drawing from this new environment, Cugusi’s work will explore the relationship between dream and reality. Then, in March, Vibha Galhotra, a native of Chandigarh, India, will bring her world-renowned ecological- and feminist-inspired sculpture designs to the workspace. 760.436.6611, luxartinstitute.org   Ryan Thomas