Art + Nature

Art + Nature is an annual initiative that brings together thousands of participants to foster a love of nature, raise environmental awareness and discover cross-sections between science and the arts. As an immersive journey into the symbiotic relationship between art and the natural world, Art + Nature addresses the environmental situation through a creative and unique lens – the artist’s perspective.

Call For Artists: 12th Annual Art + Nature in 2024

Laguna Art Museum invites visionary artists to participate in the 12th Annual Art + Nature slated for November 2024. This dynamic program encompasses a multifaceted celebration that converges outdoor installations, performances, exhibitions, workshops and leading thinkers at the intersection of creativity and the environment.

Letters of Interest must be received by LAM no later than Tuesday, February 23, 2024. Artists can submit their proposals to Victoria Gerard at VGerard@lagunaartmuseum.org. Selected artists will advance to the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage.


Art + Nature 2023
Cristopher Cichocki in his studio. Photo courtesy of Lance Gerber.

Find your path to Rising Inversion

Located on Main Beach in front of The Inn at Laguna Beach

Rising Inversion

Cristopher Cichocki

November 2-5, 2023

At the heart of the 11th annual Art + Nature stands Cristopher Cichocki, the visionary artist whose outdoor installation Rising Inversion will debut at Laguna’s Main Beach November 2-5. Rising Inversion harnesses oceanic and planetary elements engaging in direct dialogue with the surrounding natural landscape of Laguna Beach. From dawn to dusk, this transformative installation morphs from a sprawling arc of sand and barnacles into a luminescent orb rising over the Pacific shoreline. This synergy encircled within the elements of water and light will illuminate throughout the night in a phosphorescent glow powered from the residual energy of the sun.

Cristopher Cichocki is a trailblazing multidisciplinary artist renowned for exploring the cyclical patterns of decay and rejuvenation within the intricate tapestry of human-nature interactions. His trajectory of work spans the realms of painting, land art, sound art and natural science – encompassing eras from ancient oceans to present-day deserts.

Indoor Exhibitions

Escape – Route

November 2, 2023 - March 8, 2024

Escape – Route by Luciana Abait is a narrative installation of sculpture, photography and video that positions the viewer as a spectator on a road trip through the American West. An enormous sculptural map calls attention to the physicality and interconnectedness of our world. The marks upon it that define our cities, roads and divisions are a stark reminder of human intervention and the decreasing opportunities to experience nature unblemished.  A large photograph taken through a rain-splattered windshield of a driving car is the first in a series of images that drives the audience through ever-changing environments with the final goal to reach water – the symbol of life and renewal. The exhibition concludes with hypnotic video of images that continually morph from one landscape into another.

Learn more about Escape – Route at this link.

Burghers of Cali: A Ballad of Redwood Spirits

November 2, 2023 - February 4, 2024

In his art practice, Andre Woodward examines the complex human relationships with nature. At the center of his Art & Nature 2023 installation at the Laguna Art Museum he draws attention to California’s Coastal Redwoods (sequoia sempervirens), the tallest trees on earth able to live to be 2500 years old. Today, there are less than 5% of old growth coastal redwood forests left due to the merciless harvesting of the wood for human consumption in the 19th to early 20th centuries. The loss of these forests and the biodiversity they supported has markedly contributed to today’s issues with climate and environment.

Learn more about Burghers of Cali: A Ballad of Redwood Spirits at this link.

Circular Dimensions x Rising Inversion

Join us for a live audiovisual performance by Artist Cristopher Cichocki on Main Beach on Saturday, November 4 at 7:00 pm. This performance is free to all, and encapsulates the cycle of decay and renewal through examining relationships between humankind and the natural world. Situated on the fringe of painting, land art, sounds art, and natural science, the artist’s practice reflects upon timelines spanning from prehistoric oceans to present-day deserts.

Cristopher Cichocki, Circular Dimensions x Excavation / Evaporation, 2021. Performance / Installation with chemistry glass, barnacles, sea salt, phosphorescence, marking paint and ultraviolet illumination. Photo Courtesy: Fondation LAccolade.

Experience Art +Nature to its fullest with your Aqua Pass.

Get the full Art + Nature experience with our exclusive Aqua Pass, an ALL-INCLUSIVE November 2-5 ticket including an eco-friendly A+N VIP bag! As an AQUA PASS ticket-holder, you will have full access to 3 ticketed events and additional experiences.

Entering its second decade, the emphasis of the Art + Nature initiative is to focus on the way art can provoke creative discussions about the global environmental challenges we face today.

Aqua Pass includes:
Artist Talk: Cristopher Cichocki, Art + Nature Keynote & Recption and Art + Nature AFTERGLOW party, as well as an Art + Nature Aqua Pass eco-friendly VIP gift bag.

Art + Nature Keynote/Reception

Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Saturday, November 4 at 4:30PM
Shared Roots: Nature, Art and Action on a Changing Earth

Award-winning author Lyanda Lynn Haupt will deliver the 2023 Art + Nature Keynote. Join this celebrated author and ecophilosopher for an engaging and insightful talk about the power of nature, art, and activism.

“Hope is ‘that virtue by which we take responsibility for the future.’ Not just responsibility for our individual futures but also for that of the world.” – Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Lyanda Lynn Haupt is an award-winning author, naturalist, ecophilosopher, and speaker whose work explores the beautiful, complicated connections between humans and the wild, natural world. Her newest book is Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit (Little, Brown Spark 2021).

Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Free Family Festival

SUNDAY, NOV. 5 9:30am -1:00pm

The Art + Nature Family Festival is an event for all ages. Laguna Art Museum partners with local organizations whose missions focus on art, climate, science, animal welfare, and environmental education to present fun and enriching hands-on activities and educational stations throughout the museum.

Art + Nature is generously sponsored by the FOA Foundation of Laguna Beach, National Charity League, Inc., Gary and Kellie Johnson, Ken and Jan Kaplan, Mark Porterfield and Steve Chadima, Elie Weaver and Hilton Weinberg and anonymous donors.

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