My husband and I came here for the first time today. We had no idea this museum was tucked away in Encinitas. I had accidentally happened up the website when I was searching for things to do in Encinitas. Upon entering the gate to park you are surrounded my beautiful native California plants and there were sculptures scattered throughout the grounds. The museum itself is a very beautiful and modern building We were not sure what to expect and let me tell you it is definitely not your normal museum experience. We were met by a dossier at the front and escorted inside. We bought our tickets and then were escorted into a large spaced that housed the art. What is really amazing about this museum is that they have the artist in residence. The art on display is by the resident artist. They come from all over the world and live and work at the museum for about a month and their art stays for about two months before a new artist rotates through. After we viewed the art work (some were still in progress!) we also were able to tour the actual residence of the artist. Very cool! Some of the artist even leave some of their pieces behind for the next artist staying there to enjoy. It was an intimate museum experience and was enjoyable. This place is a hidden gem! Current exhibit is by artist Lila Jang and her pieces are amazing. read more

Lux Art Institute - Museums Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I went for fashion week San Diego. That's where they hosted it this year. The shows were great. Too bad Friday got a bit rained out. Saturday show was amazing but very small space for the show. It would have been great if the stage was a bit more raised. As for the gallery, it's a beautiful and Small gallery that gives you the opportunity to interact with the artist creating the artwork. It's worth walking along the short path which features sculptures among the plants and has a nice little out door venue area between all the art. Great little local place to check out if you have never been read more

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This place was really cool and a lot bigger than I thought! Got to speak with the artist as well for insight.

I am so thrilled that Lux Art Institute exists in Encinitas! I say this, because I had no idea that it does exist. I've driven by a million times, and for some reason thought it was apartments. Yikes! It most certainly is not. It is a beautiful and well curated space that displays art by the current artist in residence. (I believe they stay two months at a time.) Today was my first visit and I didn't have time to see everything, so I will come back this weekend. What I did see was some extraordinary embroidery work. The people who work at the institute introduced themselves and approached me with inspiring information about the art when they saw me looking at it and heard that it was my first visit. I love this place! I agree with the other reviewer that it feels warm and inclusive and inviting. No attitude here. Can't wait to come back. read more

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Read about this in the Union-Tribune. Their coolest sounding thing is that they have a residence here where artists that have a showing can stay during the first days of an exhibit so they can be on hand to meet people and answer questions about their works. I have not visited yet, but plan on going this weekend. Just adding the museum information to yelp in advance. Update 02/17/2008: When we tried to visit the museum on a Sunday we found the museum was locked up even though we were there an hour and a half prior to closing. Some staff saw us walking the perimeter and trying the door, but completely ignored us. The building looks really nice from the outside, we took a few pics and left. I called a few days later to complain about the waste of our time and mileage expenses both to my wallet and the environment. The woman who answered apologized and said they were between exhibits that weekend. I advised her of our 45 minute drive, and told her that we had checked their website for operating hours the day before our planned visit. She said they obviously still have some communication items to work out and invited us to drive back again in the future. Admission, when open during posted hours, is $10 for adults 21 and up and free for those 20 and under. read more

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We've been meaning to check this place out for months and finally did this weekend. We weren't crazy about the current work but fell in love with the building and grounds itself. The garden--completely native, drought-resistant plants and trees--is peaceful, attracting countless bird species from the nearby San Elijo Lagoon; I especially liked the apple tree installation. I practically wept with envy when our docent showed us the sunny, spacious artist-in-residence's apartment (way nicer than any studio I've ever lived in!). The Institute, which houses the exhibit/workspace and administrative offices, is architecturally stunning and undoubtedly conducive to fabulous creativity and parties; one wall slides completely back, opening to the garden and fresh air. On that note, I plan on returning for one of the Lux at Night events, where guests can meet the current artist-in-residence and ask them "just about anything" pertaining to their work and process. read more

Lux Art Institute - Lux at Night, 11.19.08 - Museums Near Me - Encinitas, California

This is one of the most interesting museums you will love to visit. It is run by a wonderful woman whom I met while attending one of the events seven years ago. I believe her name is Reesey. Her passion to this museum is absolutely incredible almost unbelievable. But it is because of the passion that she is able to bring such fantastic artists to the museum. This artists work on a masterpiece while residing Downstairs in a beautiful living quarter. After the 3 to 4 month period of working on their art pieces, they then open it up to the public to come and view. Those parties are a lot of fun, full of very interesting and intelligent individuals. I really love this place. read more

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LUX is more than just an art gallery - its a whole experience. They have "LUX at night" once a month or once every other month (check their website), where on a Wed. evening, admission is free from 7 to 9pm. At this event you can view the current resident artist's work that they did while at LUX. I've been several times and enjoyed the showings. At the last one the artist was present and chatted with us about his creative process. What I like about LUX is they are dedicated to making art accessible to the community. The building is also something to be seen. It's one of the first Leed certified "green" buildings in San Diego. I'd recommend signing up for their newsletters on their site so that you know when their upcoming events are. read more

If you like art and/or learning about it, this is a great place to have an intimate experience. The room that displays the current artist's pieces is really small, like 500 sq ft. I visited on a Thurs afternoon during museum month and got in half price, $5. The admission includes 2 visits to the artist in the building. The artist there was Alison Saar. I'm not a big art buff by any means, but some stuff can be pretty cool. I arrived during a tour being given to an art class. The artist was talking about her work and answering questions. Afterward, the liaison came over to me and a couple of other people not in the class and took us around the small studio to explain most of the pieces. Now that's pretty cool. Otherwise, I didn't really know what I was looking at or how to interpret it. During the visit, Alison, was working on a sculpture so you could watch her and ask her any questions. I enjoyed the experience here and would go back if an artist peeked my curiosity. The building and grounds are really nice as well. I'm interested in going to a free Lux@Night Wednesday. read more

Loved this place! Beautiful location, love the landscaping, everyone is super friendly and fun. I went to a party here and there was so much more than just great art - there was also live music, dancing, artists that did demonstrations and got everyone at the party involved, from young kids to older folks too. It felt really warm, fun and all-inclusive. Classy but not pretentious. Will definitely be back! read more

I have been wanting to come back to the Lux Art Institute for a long time. This past Saturday-it was free admission! Plus guided tours, live music and free food & drink from 11 am-3pm. The artist exhibiting was Robert Lobe and I was very intrigued. When I go up to Encinitas, it it usually to hit Moonlight Beach or the La Paloma Theater. To go east of Interstate 5 feels unnatural somehow. Still-the Lux is a magnificent airy structure over-looking San Elijo Lagoon wildlife preserve and stretching towards the Pacific Ocean. I particularly enjoyed Lux's landscape design of rare native and drought-tolerant plants throughout the site. The ecological sustainability of Lux extends beyond just saving water but to to a variety of energy-saving solar strategies to reduce its impact on the local environment, qualifying it as one of only a few LEED-certified "green" buildings in San Diego County. This is what is so unique and cool about Lux. It is not just some remote, austere art monument to coastal North County but a living, breathing, vital local adjunct to those who love and respect the artistic creative process. The free Saturday was a subdued visit but I enjoyed the experience of checking out Robert Lobe.The process of repoussé he uses to recreate ephemeral objects as monumental sculptures is pretty awesome. By "seeing art," but also being able to "see art happen" facilitates a greater understanding and appreciation. I would hope that Lux might consider some fresh blood artisry such as Guy Dill-a family friend- whose corporate and public works are well represented in board rooms. wealthy homes and museums across the United States. How about UCSD Art Professor Emeritus Patricia Patterson-the wonderful artist and wife of the late great Manny Farber? Another suggestion: inviting artists from the entertainment world such as Devo singer and visual artist Mark Mothersbaugh, Music Producer and painter Brian Eno, or lastly the uber-talented Incubus front man Brandon Boyd-whose paintings and drawings are extraordinarily beautiful? Not to turn the process into a popularity contest, but I feel that calling on some multi-media artistry would take Lux up a knotch to the next level in appreciation and local visibility. Otherwise a wonderful place to spend a artistically-luxuriating afternoon of art appreciation! read more

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I came here with my gf and her family to support her brother, who was playing sax as background noise for an art opening at LUX. While the space is really cool and very modern, it's also pretty small! There's only 1 room that is used for actually showing art. I was surprised because there's a lot of open space surrounding the building, The grounds are pretty cool, it's set on a hillside, somewhat nestled into a small canyon. The sounds from Anya's brother's sax bounced off the low desert shubs (in a cool way.) I told my art history teacher about my visit to LUX and she said her only beef was that it can be somewhat expensive for students (in the area of $10 to get in.) We didn't pay a dime because it was an art opening, so no real complaints there. If you're reading this and wondering why I only gave it 3 stars, I'll say that without seeing my gf's brother play, I wouidn't have had nearly as good of a time, but art galleries really aren't my deal. read more

Lux Art Institute had the best artist in residence this month. If you don't know about this place and you love seeing art or taking art/pottery classes you should find it. The artist there now does wonderful pottery pieces that show the coral reefs but they are mounted on the wall. Huge pieces of pottery that are made to look like real coral. I was amazed. The artists change about every 2-3 months so you can see different ones and they actually make there art there and show some of their art in the gallery. I love it:) read more

I'm updating my initial review after being contacted by Lux to apologize for misleading postings regarding gallery hours, and an offer to try again at a future date. Original post: Checked their hours to make sure they were open last Saturday & saw their hours were from 11 to 5. Brought my niece from Santa Cruz to see the gallery & arrived around 2:30 to find them closed (with hours posted as noted above). I called & got voice mail & left a message. No call back. Be sure & call them before going since believing the hours they post is a mistake. Can you say "Disapponting?" read more

impressive location and venue and mission. I am so glad encinitas (and san diego) have a new contemporary art venue. I have not been completely impressed by the artists there. and if you charge admission to look at ONE fairly small space of artwork, there has got to be more to it. read more

I was told by a dear friend that I should visit Lux Art Institute to check out its facilities and their artist residency program. I had never heard of Lux so I was curious to give it a shot. First of all, Lux is hard to find. There is a tiny sign out front that is easily missed, especially when driving along a busy street. I passed it the first time. Already annoying. The buildings are beautiful but cold and sterile. Typical for a contemporary art space. The feeling I get is this place thinks it is way more important than it actually is. I first visited the education building. Dead. Very little to see but the studios are huge and the lighting is great. Too bad it looks like they only have overpriced classes for kids. I looked for more information on the website but it doesn't look like much is going on. There were landscape photographs up in the "gallery." LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHS. Boring. Next, I walked up the hill to see the "Artist Pavilion." Fancy name for a small space featuring one artist. Again, beautiful building but cold and off-putting. I'm familiar with Encinitas because I have friends who live there and this space seems so out of place. Encinitas is a pretty family friendly (emphasis on friendly) community but this space feels like someone died in it. The place has such limited open hours, all during the day, so I'm curious to know how many people actually visit. There is so little to see, I don't think I would ever make an effort to come back. The exhibition was alright, but I doubt anything would look bad in such a nice building. Clean white walls, open space, and nice lighting goes a long way. The work is secondary to the architecture, and even then, it's dull. Curious to know how the artists are chosen and why. The website says there is a curatorial staff but nothing is listed. No curator? They should get one. read more

I've lived in Encinitas for years and know some well established artists in San Diego. How this place stays open is a mystery. Their classes and camps must keep them around, because the last opening I attended had maybe 30 people present. Not like a Quint opening where you can barely walk around. Plenty of room to breathe the hot air blown at a Lux opening. Whoever decides which artists get shown either loves boring art or is easily impressed by the idea of artist working repetitively or in an unexpected medium (in an expected, decorative way). Hardly innovative, meaningful, or thought-provoking. This place claims to be "reinventing" the museum experience by having the artist present during the residency, but good luck trying to talk to them. The environment in the exhibition space is stuffy and is smaller than the exterior of the building would lead you to believe. The buildings are well designed though, so if you like architecture, there's that. There used to be concerts, including Dan Deacon which was a shock and actually the best thing I've seen at this place, but it seems Lux is trying to bank itself on showcasing boring art. Too bad. If you're looking for a bland art experience, visit Lux Art Institute. Otherwise, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art - San Diego, UCSD, or the Athenaeum in La Jolla for the good stuff. read more

The staff was great while the resident artist was away they took the time to explain his style and though process. Where he draws inspiration from, which was so helpful in understanding his art. A great place to stop by for a quick rush of visual display read more

The LUX institute is the greatest art establishment on the west coast!!! With artists in residence, you have an opportunity to meet the artist in person while they're creating, ask questions about their work and process and attend interesting social events, like the Lux at night! And, the education pavilion that was recently opened for kids' classes and camps is phenomenal. One of kind opportunities at a one of a kind art gallery/museum!! read more