ENCINITAS -- Atop one hill stands the first permanent building of the Lux Art Institute, which debuts this weekend.

Springing from scrubby slopes are concrete and glass walls trimmed with galvanized steel, framed by a cantilevered overhang clad with teak panels. The building appears as durable as the hill itself.

Overlooking the structure, on a taller hilltop, is a replica of the Greek Temple of Artemis. Unlike the sturdy art institute, or the limestone temple, which dates to 580 B.C., the outdoor installation is made of wallpaper affixed to a wood backing, something its creator expects to decay.

Themes of the permanent and the temporary underscored a gathering of the institute's supporters on Wednesday.

The group celebrated the completion of the building at 1550 S. El Camino Real. No ribbon was cut, but for an institute named after the Latin word for "light," a switch was thrown.

"Let there be light," said San Diego artist Roman de Salvo, as he illuminated a chandelier he created.

The 12,700-square-foot building took one year to construct. The institute was founded in 1998 and has operated in trailers and other makeshift quarters since then.

Director Reesey Shaw told her audience that the institute's defining feature is an artist-in-residence program in which visitors can interact with artists as they work.

"Don't just see the art," Shaw said. "See art happen."

Even as art patrons and reporters toured the artists' pavilion on Wednesday, landscapers continued to pop native plants into mulch, and electricians pulled wiring for outdoor lighting.

The public is invited to tour the institute during an open house from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

People can meet the institute's first artist in residence, Tomas Rivas of Chile.

The work of Rivas, 32, will fill a combined gallery and workspace that draws some of its lighting from four windowed shafts that protrude from the building's roof. More natural light pours in through a sliding barn door.

Beneath the gallery is an apartment with contemporary furnishings laid out by a professional interior designer. That's where Rivas will live for the next month.

In an interview earlier this week, Rivas said the hilly topography of Encinitas reminded him of his home in Chile, and provided an ideal setting for the outdoor installation of his interpretation of the Greek temple, titled "Unobtrusive."

"What I wanted with the outdoor piece is something strange -- something you don't see every day," he said.

Rivas combined sculpture and drawing techniques to mimic the temple and other features of classical architecture.

Drywall, a most-common building material, is Rivas's choice for many of his creations. On the drywall, he draws patterns. He then cuts and peels the paper backing of the drywall to create sculpted surfaces. Lines become shapes.

Lighting plays an important part, he said, because with just the right focus, a light can produce shadows that add to the depth and relief of creations such as "Roseton y su Sombra" (Rosette and Its Shadow.)

In another piece, Rivas placed a stencil of an ancient Greek pattern onto a shelf-sized sheet of glass. He spread lard onto the stencil, then peeled it away. The glass fits horizontally into a slot on the wall, and light is aimed through it to project the pattern onto the wall below.

He said his concept was to marry the ephemeral with the permanent.

If the Lux facility proceeds as planned, the location of "Unobtrusive" will be temporary.

As soon as the excitement of the new building wanes, a capital campaign will begin to finance a 25,000-square-foot addition. It would be connected to the new building with underground corridors, Shaw said.

It's anyone's guess as to whether the wallpaper temple will still be standing by then.

Rivas said he wants to see it deteriorate.

"I want to see decay happen," he said. "What you see is a Greek temple, but it's made out of paper. Through the decay, I think something meaningful will happen."

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