LOCA initiates video series on Public Art with Laguna Honors its Artists, dedicated to Mike Hallinan by Mike Tauber 

By DIANNE RUSSELL

Photos by Mary Hurlbut

Some of the art one sees around Laguna Beach is the result of two city programs: “Public Art and Murals” and “Art in Public Places.” The goals of the Public Art and Murals and Art in Public Places (adopted in 1986) initiatives are to create diverse art installations of the highest quality that will, over decades, reflect the city itself and its citizens, and improve the quality of life and to be a source of pride to all Laguna Beach residents. 

There are more than 150 pieces of public art in Laguna, and Laguna Honors its Artists, which was installed in November 2022, is the newest mural in the City of Laguna Beach Art in the Public Places collection. Created by local artist Mike Tauber, it is dedicated to beloved artist Mike Hallinan, who made an immeasurable imprint on the city’s art community.

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(L-R) Julian Hakim, Greg MacGillivray, Mike Tauber, Barbara MacGillivray, Catherine Hallinan, Lisa Hall, Louis Weil and Marshall Innins

The new LOCA video series will be part of their Arts for Schools Program for both adults and youth to learn about public art. Laguna Honors its Artists will be the first in the series explaining the process behind public art, from inspiration to final installation. 

Laguna Honors its Artists, which is located on the Cleo Street side of the Taco Stand on PCH, has a unique and inspiring background and seems the perfect piece of public art to kick off the video series. 

The mural project was funded by development fees, as required by the city’s Art in Public Places ordinance and supplemented by cash from the Cleo Street Beautification Committee. 

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(L-R) Mike Tauber and Greg MacGillivray

As The Taco Stand (formerly Taco Bell) was being proposed for re-development, a plan was needed to fulfill the art requirement. With the help of the Cleo Street Neighbors group, all the elements soon came together.                      

The group, led by Greg and Barbara MacGillivray, along with architect Marshall Innins, contacted the new owner, Julian Hakim, and succeeded with their proposal to raise funds and oversee a tile mural by Tauber. 

“When Julian decided to remodel, we thought a mural was a good idea,” said Greg MacGillivray. 

The project soon took off and gained momentum.

“The city wholeheartedly embraced the idea right away,” Tauber said. 

“We are so happy to be connected with a community where residents are so welcoming,” said Hakim. “We wanted to do anything we could to contribute.”

The MacGillivrays rallied the members of the neighborhood to contribute, and Travis Fidel, representing his family who are in close proximity to restaurant, said, “When the MacGillivrays approached us, we were more than happy to contribute. We all love the mural and the new Taco Stand.”

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Travis Fidel, representing his family who contributed to the mural

The MacGillivrays requested that Tauber find visual inspiration from a past Laguna Beach artist, thus illustrating the connection between generations of artists and reinforcing the legacy of Laguna Beach as an arts colony. 

“I was very honored and said, ‘yes’ immediately,” Tauber said. “The MacGillivrays offered me several names of past artists to take inspiration from, and Michael Hallinan stood out to me right away,” said Tauber. “I knew Mike and so many people enjoyed taking his classes. Catherine, his wife, gave me some of Mike’s work. I found two that worked together and combined them into a 5 x 10-foot rectangle. The left side is a eucalyptus and the horizon and the right side is palms and the horizon. It’s both tropical and reflective of our coast. A fun fact is that Greg requested that it have a curling wave, so he drew it and got what he wanted.” 

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(L-R) Tauber, MacGillivray, Hakim and Innins 

Architect Marshall Innins, who designed the new Taco Stand, had a special perspective. “I used to come to Taco Bell in the 1970s. It was a challenge to change it and upgrade it, yet make it more iconic. Julian jumped right on the band wagon.”

“It was so exciting to watch the whole mural project that honored Mike Hallinan,’ said Barbara MacGillivray.

 “It was great to see the neighborhood and business partner for this,” Lisa Hall, Hallinan’s daughter, said. “It’s nice to watch all the folks stop and take it (the mural) in. Thank you for the partnership.”

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(L-R) Barbara MacGillivray, Catherine Hallinan and Lisa Hall

“It is hard to put into words what this means. It’s overwhelming, it’s such a tribute,” said Catherine Hallinan.

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February is just around the corner, join LOCA’s workshops and Art Talks

LOCA is offering Art Talks and several workshops in February. Here’s what’s coming up.

–Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 1-4 p.m.

One-Day Workshop, Make a Valentine Card with Joy Vansell

Joy Vansell will show how to use collage cuttings from dictionaries, music books and photos to make Valentine cards. Vansell will have her wonderful collection of cuttings, but you should also bring anything that you would like to incorporate into your personal design. This class is held in the Art Room of the Susi Q Senior Center in the Laguna Beach Community Center. Members are $25; Non-members $50. To register, click here. 

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Photos courtesy of LOCA

Make your own Valentine’s Day cards

–Tuesday, Feb. 7, 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.

Contemporary Landscapes with Cydette Vikander, Feb. 7 and 8 

Laguna Beach Community Center, 380 Third St., Laguna Beach. 

Two Day Workshop: Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb.7 and 8 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Working from photo references, students will learn what makes a strong composition and how to arrange it on their canvas. Participants will be using water mixable oil colors. Participants may bring their own supplies if they choose. Members: $50; Non-members $100. To register, click here.

Vikander’s work 

–Wednesday, Feb. 8, 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.

Contemporary Landscapes with Cydette Vikander 

Laguna Beach Community Center 380 Third St., Laguna Beach.

Two Day Workshop: Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 7 and 8 from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Working from photo references, students will learn what makes a strong composition and how to arrange it on their canvas. Participants will be using water mixable oil colors. Participants may bring their own supplies if they choose. Members: $50; Non-members $100. To register, click here. 

–Thursday, Feb. 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 

Art Talk, Open Studio, Joy Vansell 

LCAD Gallery, 374 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach.

Love is in the air at the Art Talks “open studio” event where everyone gets to create a valentine card to take home. Visitors may select from an amazing array of specialty decorative papers provided by Joy Vansell, who will be on hand to show how to arrange the cuttings and affix them to a card using glue stick. Plastic templates will be available, to create fitted envelope liners. The casual, “open studio” format allows everyone to work at their own pace, and come and go as desired. Members are free; non-members, $20. Fee: Advance registration is required, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Carole Boller 

–Saturday, Feb. 25, 9-11 a.m.

LPAPA and LOCA - Carole Boller: Laguna Plein Air Paint Together 

Heisler Park 375 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. 

Register to join LPAPA Artist Member Carole Boller for this fun and informative LPAPA+LOCA in-person Mentor Paint Together session on “Boller’s Bloomers: The Value of Plein Air Painting.” In this mentor session, Boller will demonstrate her oil painting process, brush stroke by brush stroke, of a lovely garden scene at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach. LPAPA and LOCA Members $25; Non-members $50. To register, click here. 

Cost: Advance registration is required, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

LOCA Art Talks are for anyone and everyone who loves the visual arts. Their events, offered monthly in Laguna Beach and surrounding areas, are educational and informative, yet casual and fun. Attendees get to meet fascinating artists and industry leaders, and learn about their work and careers. 

For more information about LOCA, go to www.locaarts.org.

Laguna Community Concert Band celebrates 23rd season with “Songs from the Heart” at the Artists Theater

The Laguna Community Concert Band opens its 23rd season at the Artists Theater on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. with a mix of vocal and instrumental music, “Songs from the Heart,” that tugs at our very heartstrings.

Lush orchestrations and thrilling vocals transport us to other times and places. “Moonriver,” sung by Laguna Beach baritone Gary Greene returns us to the ‘60s and Breakfast at Tiffanys. Lyric soprano Candice Carvalho’s “When I Fall in Love,” reminds us of the ‘90s and Sleepless in Seattle. Emcee and principal vocalist Lisa Morrice riffs on George Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” harking back to the ‘40s and the magic of Fred Astaire.

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Courtesy of Laguna Community Concert Band

Candice Carvalho

The concert band plays the hauntingly beautiful “Bring Him Home,” from Les Miserables, as well as lilting pieces from England and Ireland, and “God’s Country,” a majestic work that takes listeners on a journey of picturesque landscapes – from beautiful mountain ranges to breathtaking waterfalls.

As with all of the band’s performances, this concert is free. “As a group, we continue to evolve and enlarge our repertoire,” said Mark Lowery, co-conductor of the Laguna Community Concert Band. “Especially now, many musicals and concerts remain financially out of reach for so many. These free performances bring the joy of live music to everyone in the community.”

The Artists Theater is located at Laguna Beach High School at 625 Park Ave., Laguna Beach. No ticket is necessary to attend the band’s free concerts. The Laguna Community Concert Band rehearses at the Laguna Beach High School band room on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

For the latest news about the band and a calendar of concerts, go to www.lagunaconcertband.com.

Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts to be featured guest at 13th Creative Edge Lecture

Arts Orange County recently announced that they will present a live, in-person talk by Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson at its 13th Creative Edge Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m., in the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Admission to the lecture is free of charge thanks to the generosity of sponsors, but reservations are required through the Irvine Barclay Theatre ticket office. 

The Creative Edge Lecture is presented in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education and the 4th District PTA.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Jackson’s work has focused on understanding and elevating arts, culture and design as critical elements of healthy communities. Her work blends social science and arts and humanities-based approaches to comprehensive community revitalization, systems change, the dynamics of race and ethnicity, and the roles of arts and culture in communities.

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Photo by David K. Riddick

Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, will present a live talk at 13th Creative Edge Lecture in February

After confirmation by the U.S. Senate in December 2021, Dr. Jackson became the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts last January. With this historic appointment, Dr. Jackson is the nation’s first NEA chair to be an African American and Mexican American woman. 

“When she was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Jackson was already a longtime leading voice on the importance of arts and culture in our nation,” said Richard Stein, president and CEO of Arts Orange County. “In her role as head of our federal government’s arts agency, she is well-positioned to observe the role creativity plays in the life of American communities. We are exceptionally pleased that she will spend time with us to share her observations and to inspire artists, arts leaders, arts patrons and students at our much-anticipated annual Creative Edge Lecture. Adding special importance to her appearance, this will be the first visit to Orange County by a National Endowment for the Arts Chair since 1988 – a period during which our arts community has grown tremendously in vitality and diversity.”

Ticket reservations may be made here.

Past Creative Edge Lecture speakers have included thought-leaders and best-selling authors on creativity, innovation and arts education, as well as two U.S. Poets Laureate: Daniel K. Pink (2010), Sir Ken Robinson (2011), Randy Nelson (2012), Tom Kelley (2013), John Maeda (2014), Sarah Lewis (2015), Dr. Charles Limb (2016), Juan Felipe Herrera (2017), Dr. Robert Duke (2018), Vijay Gupta (2019), Joy Harjo (2020) and Donn K. Harris (2022).

Arts Orange County (ArtsOC) is the independent nonprofit arts council for Orange County and is dedicated to sustaining, strengthening and advancing its creative ecology.

Irvine Barclay Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine.

“Art in Public Places” – Water Wall by Francesca Zobeck

By DIANNE RUSSELL

Photos by Mary Hurlbut

Some of the art you see around Laguna Beach is the result of two city programs: “Public Art and Murals” and “Art in Public Places.” The goals of the Public Art and Murals and Art in Public Places (adopted in 1986) initiatives are to create diverse art installations of the highest quality that will, over decades, reflect the city itself and its citizens, and improve the quality of life; and to be a source of pride to all Laguna Beach residents. 

Click on photo for a larger image

Ceramic tile mural depicting ocean and marine life

Water Wall, a ceramic tile mural by Francesca Zobeck, was installed in 2005 at the top of the Anita Street Beach Access stairway. It was funded through city lodging establishments, the City of Laguna Beach and a donation by Zobeck. In creating the piece, Zobeck wished to celebrate the arts in the city with an abstract representation of the ocean and its marine wildlife off our shores.

The installation has been covered for months due to a Laguna Beach water quality department project that replaced an aging sewer lift station at Anita Street and improved coastal access at that location. Now it’s on view again for visitors and residents to enjoy.

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The mural, which was installed in 2005, was unveiled after the city project was completed

The lift station, which collected wastewater between St. Ann’s and Calliope streets, up to Temple Terrace, had been in its current location since 1950, when it replaced the original lift station built in 1932.

This is the 89th article in our weekly series featuring Art in Public Places. Since there are more than 100 pieces of public art scattered throughout Laguna, it will take a while to cover them all.

For a map of Art in Public Places (not every piece is listed), click here.

To apply for the Arts in Public Places program, click here.