Sawdust Art Festival

[4][5] As the only non-juried art festival in Laguna, the Sawdust displays paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, glass, ceramics, jewelry, woodwork, furniture, textiles, clothing and mixed media.

[12] In 1965, a group of hippie-type artists were dissatisfied with the nearby Laguna Beach Festival of Arts (FOA) and its jury system, which they viewed as rigged and part of The Establishment.

[13] This group held their first exhibit in 1965 on the vacant Peacock lot near Park Avenue in Laguna; it was called "The Rejects Festival" by some in the media and at the FOA.

[15] The Sawdust's “Benevolence Fund,” started in 1987, is a non-profit organization, assisting artists living in Laguna Beach who have, “suffered a catastrophic event, making them unable to work."

[21] By 2003, the festival had acquired professional management, was charging $5.50 for admission, had about 200,000 visitors a season, and new artists were only allowed to exhibit if they were Laguna Beach residents.