Lux Art Institute, a visual arts institution that is redefining the modern museum experience, celebrates the opening of its long-anticipated Artist Pavilion by inviting the public to a free community open house from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11.

The Artist Pavilion, a LEED certified green building at 1550 S. El Camino Real in Encinitas, California, provides a residence and studio for artists as well as exhibit space, a library/conference room, and administration offices for the nonprofit institute. Designed by renowned architect Renzo Zecchetto AIA, the contemporary crafted building is the first building for the ambitious Lux Art Institute that has been more than nine years in the making.

“We are thrilled and proud to present this exquisite fine arts facility to the local community as well as artists and admirers around Southern California and across the country,” says Reesey Shaw, Director of Lux Art Institute.

Created to encourage a better understanding of visual art, this one-of-a-kind institution promises not only to let visitors “see art” but also to “see art happen,” notes Shaw.

Lux is one of the first facilities in the United States to establish an artist-in-residence program that invites mid career international artists to live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art. Throughout the year, Lux will invite artists to the studio and encourage visitors to observe and engage with the working artist. An exhibition featuring works by the resident artist will be on display, giving viewers the chance to see finished art alongside work that is in progress.

Lux will welcome Chilean artist Tomás Rivas as the first artist-in-residence. Visitors can see him in action this fall from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29. Rivas has achieved world acclaim for his investigations of two and three-dimensional space by combining sculpture and drawing techniques that mimic a specific period of art history. Using drywall, a readily available contemporary construction material, Rivas removes the paper topcoat to reveal a three-dimensional sculptural relief. His work examines space, transformation, and disintegration through the rediscovery of classical architecture in a contemporary environment.

Those attending the community open house can see Rivas in action and hear him talk about a commissioned work comprised of classic architecture-inspired reliefs that he’s creating in the local studio as a permanent and enduring piece for Lux. Visitors to the open house will also enjoy art activities, studio tours, entertainment, and refreshments.

Sculptor Roman de Salvo will add to the opening excitement by installing a commissioned chandelier that will become a permanent installation in the Lux conference room. Reinforcing the idea of “lux” (or light in Latin), “the illumination of this work symbolizes the bringing to light of the living artist and creative process in a space that is itself a work of art,” says Director Shaw.

Located alongside one of Southern California’s remaining coastal wetlands, Lux’s four-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 restoration of art beyond the museum walls, Lux has teamed with Greg Rubin of California’s Own Native Landscape to select an array of rare native plants that blend naturally into the nearby preserve.

The Artist Pavilion Building itself will be one of only a few LEED-certified “green buildings” in San Diego County. Conceived by Santa Monica, California based Zecchetto – 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 – the two-story building makes use of natural light and recycled materials to preserve resources for future generations.

The Artist Pavilion has been supported by generous donations from local philanthropists. Naming opportunities include: Pam Slater-Price, Barbara Walbridge, Hunter Industries, Ann Hunter-Welborn and David Welborn, Terri Peterson Zimdars, Linda Brandes, Eileen and Carlton Appleby, and Joanne and Frank Warren. Major support from Ramona Sahm, The Ackerman Foundation, Inge and Charles Brown, The Favrot Fund, Diane and Chris Calkins, Linda and Wally Dieckmann, Margarete and Ivan Gaylor, Gayle McInnis, The Melissa Reasner McGuire Memorial Fund, The Parker Foundation, Ewa Robinson, Trudy Stambook and Paul Robinson, Karen and Stuart Tanz, The Warren Family Foundation, and Kaye and Richard Woltman.

For further information about the free community event or Lux Art Institute, please visit www.luxartinstitute.org, email info@luxartinstitute.org or call 760-436-6611.

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