ENCINITAS, CA - Oct. 9, 2008 - Lux Art Institute, San Diego's interactive art destination, announced its acquisition of an adjacent building for $1.8 million. Just south of the Lux Artist Pavilion and fronting on El Camino Real is the 6,600-square-foot, one-story structure formerly occupied by KinderCare Learning Center. The acquisition will more than double the square footage currently owned and utilized by Lux for administrative offices, studio and exhibition space, and artist's residence.

While the newly acquired property gives Lux the opportunity for future institutional growth, the museum has partnered with the Sanderling Waldorf School and offered it a short-term lease. While the school and Lux share the premises, Lux will work on a long-range plan for the property that will include expanding art education programming.

"This acquisition is a great opportunity for us," said Lux Director Reesey Shaw. "It is the gateway to the existing four-and-a-half acre Lux site and fronts on the busy thoroughfare of El Camino Real. Our Valise Project, Luxcursion, and Summer Art Camp programs are growing rapidly and additional room was needed." ."

The Institute, which had been working on the property acquisition for the last four months, paid for the new space with money raised and contributed by the Lux board, friends of Lux, grant funds from the County of San Diego and outside financing.

About Lux Art Institute
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 seamlessly 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.

Lux Hours: Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10 for two visits.

For more information about Lux Art Institute, please visit www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760.436.6611