Sawdust Art Festival

This year, nearly 120,000 pounds of sawdust blankets the way between 195 artists spread across three acres, representing all mediums: painters, ceramists, glassblowers, metalworkers, jewelers, textile artists, and more. The booths are built by the artists, which creates a village of varied styles like a miniature city with its own colorful neighborhoods. However, the art isn’t the only attraction; the real treat are the live glass blowing, paint/printmaking, and ceramics demonstrations on site...or if you’re under 13, the children’s booth. In fact, the sawdust has one of the only fused-glass kilns on public view in the country. As a nonprofit organization for the arts, the Sawdust exists to support the Laguna Beach art community and to further art education amongst children. It is definitely a family affair.

Set amidst a eucalyptus grove with two waterfalls, the festival has been an inspiration for many artists as they work from their booths. Some furniture-making craftsmen have even been known to use the yearly eucalyptus clippings for their wares. We’ll meet Mark Blumenfeld, a ceramist who has "grown up" with the Sawdust Festival, being involved since its second year. Plus we’ll hear a bit about the process of putting on this elaborate show from a current board director, metalsmith Drew Weir. Naturally, we’ll visit the booths of a few choice artists in different mediums and get "mini-profiles" with them and their art. Most artisans have a workspace of some kind in the booth, so there's plenty of demonstrations to be seen.