The Missing Piece

When people hear the words Laguna Beach art, they naturally think of paintings of dolphins, bucolic landscapes and idyllic Plein Air-style scenes. But at Artists Republic, a tiny gallery located on a stretch of South Coast Highway overlooking the ocean, there isn't a seascape or classical painting in sight.

One of the newer galleries to dot the map of Laguna Beach's art scene, Artists Republic has consistently showcased a series of world-renowned artists and talented locals who walk the line between fine conceptual art and youth culture, taking inspiration from modern skate culture, street art, graphic design, punk rock, surf art and more.

Founder Torrey Cook opened her first brick-and-mortar location in Laguna Beach in 2010, calling it Artists Republic 4 Tomorrow (AR4T). The tiny gallery received a welcome reception from the community. “It was kind of a surprise, I wasn't sure what kind of response we'd get,” Cook says. “I thought we were going to be the redheaded stepchild, shunned by everyone else.”

AR4T steadily opened exhibitions, found a larger location and shortened its name. Its big-name roster includes Jeff Gillette, Chantal deFelice, Don Pendleton, Tim Hendricks, Robert “Sticky” Shaw, Zio Ziegler, Shag, Jennie Cotterill and Angela Boatwright. Any given show—whether abstract painting and illustration, photography, sculpture, prints, or mixed media—”connects with different levels of people,” Cook says. “It's well-thought-out but accessible to everyone.”

Although the works displayed at Artists Republic have more in common with what you'd see in Juxtapoz magazine than a Main Street gallery or the Sawdust Festival, Cook says she admires the city's rich history. “I think what a lot of people don't know is that Laguna Beach's art is actually progressive. It's had a really cool art scene going on for nearly a hundred years,” she says. “Artists Republic is the extra piece of that art puzzle.”