Lux Art Institute

It’s not often I do anything out of sheer petulance, let alone write a bad review for something other than a horrible meal or a much less than stellar time. I’ve never been to Lux Art Institute, at least not for anything more than stopping in the parking lot thinking there was an electronics recycling dump there. I haven’t perused the art or supported any patrons. No, none of that.
What I have been, however, is a victim of their raucous parties that blare into the night with screaming abandon at least once month or so. Starting around 8:00pm, some DJ without an ounce of originality starts pumping top 40 hits over the loud speakers while everyone shrieks in amazement that they get to hear Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars for the 12^th time that day. This goes on until passed 10:00pm, typically waking up my toddler son as he cries in terror as his windows rattle in time with every single off of 1989.
Thanks, Taylor.
And that’s if we’re lucky. Every once in a while we are treated to some truly awful techno that basically just serves as a booming reminder that actual music is more than just a bass rhythm. I used to go to raves out in the desert, listened to Martin van Buren and Kaskade while people screamed into the firelight. And we did all that where no one would be bothered by the ongoing party.
We were young, but we weren’t assholes.
And yet, here’s Lux, smack in the middle of a residential area, barking at the top of their lungs, not giving a rat’s ass about who is around or who they are hurting. A number of my neighbors and I have called the police to complain and I know others nearby have done the same, because the response we invariably get from the Sheriff’s office is, «are you on South El Camino? Near Lux? Yeah, you’re not the first to call.»
For years this has gone on. Before I never really cared, but now they wake up my son on a regular basis and I’ve heard the same problems from all my neighbors. And apparently the police either do nothing or, most likely, are being paid off in some way. It really reminds me of those frat houses you hear about at colleges with a major football team. They can party, fail every class, burn furniture in the streets, and rape their way down sorority row, and no one does anything other than say, ‘boys will be boys! Go Trojans!‘
Lux has been here in Encinitas for 25 years, if the flags hanging on the lights are to be believed. I’m kind of under the impression that they pay the city to the point where the police either look the other way or patrolmen get to have free drinks when they show up to tell them that everyone within half a mile radius is complaining about their shitty music. My girlfriend complained once, finding an e-​mail address to vent her frustration. All she got back in response was a promise that it only happens once a year as part of an annual fundraiser.
So, not only do they treat everyone around them in the neighborhood like crap, but they also lie.
And, I’m pretty sure they know they’re pissing everyone off, they apparently just don’t care. That’s the kind of people they seem to be. Whether if any of that shit is true or not is up for debate, I just want people to know the type of business they might be patronizing; self-​entitled, jack-​asses that blast loud music into the night, laughing at those that dare to complain that their banal revelries are absolute torture, and continuing on without a care in the world. And it will keep on continuing; let’s face it, it’s what they have been doing for years and what they will keep on doing for years and years to come.
Lux Art Institute … for half price on Thursday, you too can help this burgeoning business trash an entire neighborhood on a regular basis.

I really love LUX. It is not a museum, it is an institute. There is no permanent collection, however they do have artists who come to live in the residence for several weeks and they create art in the studio while you are there. School children come to visit and they talk with the artist in residence and then they go to the Arti Pavilion and create art something like the artist is doing.
I absolutely love the meeting the artists. They have all been very edgy and I learn something with each one. I think there are 4 artists a year.
During the year there are classes offered to children and adults as well. The Pavilion just opened and they are just getting the adult classes going. I am planning to take a class in January for fun.
Look at their schedule and visit one of the openings for an artist or a night when the artist give a talk about the history of their work. It’s a very fun hour to treat yourself to.
I think it’s better than any of the old, stuffy museum in San Diego.

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.

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.

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.

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 über-​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!

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.

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.

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 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 Unilocal 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.