The museum’s exhibitions, catalogs, and educational activities illustrate an ongoing examination of California art, which includes historical and contemporary art as well as regionally important influences, such as car and surf culture. Through collections, publications, and research on the art of California, Laguna Art Museum promotes understanding of the role of California art and artists in the development of the visual arts nationally and internationally.
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Laguna Art Museum Mission Statement

Laguna Art Museum is a museum of California art. Its purpose is to provide the public with exposure to art and to promote understanding of the role of art and artists in American culture through collection, conservation, exhibition, research, scholarship and education. Working within the tradition of the oldest cultural institution in Orange County, Laguna Art Museum documents regional art and places it in a national context. The museum maintains its historic ties to the community and is responsive, accessible, and relevant to the area’s diverse population.
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History

Founded in 1918 by a small group of painters who settled in Laguna Beach, the Laguna Beach Art Association developed an exhibition space in which to introduce the best current works being produced by artists in the area. This early emphasis on supporting artists in the region has been an integral part of Laguna Art Museum throughout its history.
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In 1920, the Laguna Beach Art Association was incorporated with artist Edgar Payne as president. The Association soon outgrew the old Town Hall, where its first exhibition was held, and after the completion of a successful fundraising drive, a gallery on the present site opened in 1929. In 1948, a gift from the estate of artist Frank Cuprien served as the catalyst for a fundraising campaign to enlarge the gallery space. The new addition opened in 1951 with an exhibition organized by Mrs. William Swift Daniell, a long-time leader in the arts. This selection of paintings by early Laguna Beach artists later became the museum’s Permanent Memorial Collection. The museum’s collection has since grown to include many exemplary works by California artists dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. By 1971, when the association had attained nonprofit museum status, it had a collection that reflected its artistic roots. The museum has occupied the same site in Laguna Beach since 1929. An expansion in the mid-1980s increased exhibition and support space. In keeping with the museum’s goal of collecting and exhibiting American art with a particular focus on California art, the name was formally changed to Laguna Art Museum in 1986.
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In 1996, Laguna Art Museum merged with Newport Harbor Art Museum creating the Orange County Museum of Art. In April 1997 a new non-profit reestablished Laguna Art Museum as a separate entity from the Orange County Museum of Art. Today the majority of Laguna Art Museum’s pre-merger collection has been returned to the museum. The re-establishment of Laguna Art Museum has been very beneficial in unifying the support of the local community in unprecedented ways.