About this place

Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, Calif., opened its doors to the public in November 2007 and is redefining the museum experience with its unique artist-in-residence program. At Lux, artists live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art. Throughout the year, Lux invites significant regional, national, and international artists to participate in the Lux residency and encourages visitors from across the country to observe and engage them. This one-of-a-kind institution invites visitors to not only “see art,” but also to “see art happen.”

Slated to be the first “green” (LEED certified) art museum in California and located alongside one of Southern California’s few remaining coastal wetlands, Lux’s five-acre site overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In an effort to meld the conservation and re-vegetation beyond the museum walls, an array of rare native plants blends seamlessly into the nearby preserve. Santa Monica, California-based Renzo Zecchetto, AIA – whose other significant architectural projects include the award-winning Church of the Nativity in Fairbanks Ranch, Calif. and the Alusa Printing Company in Santiago, Chile – designed the two-story building to utilize energy-saving strategies such as the use of natural light and recycled materials which will preserve resources for future generations.

Mission

Lux Art Institute is redefining the museum experience to make art more accessible and personally meaningful. At Lux, you don’t just see finished works of art; you see the artistic process firsthand, engaging with internationally recognized artists in a working studio environment.

As part of this mission, Lux works to:

• Support artists in the development of new projects through a residency program, and share their discoveries with scholars, art patrons and a regional and national audience.

• Educate and engage the community to foster an appreciation of the living artist and creative process.

• Exhibit finished works from Lux residencies alongside the artist’s other works and those of others who have influenced them.

• Develop relationships with similar institutions to produce publications that interpret the work created in the residency program.