If zoos can let people glimpse exotic animals in something like their natural habitats, why can't museums do the same with artists?

That's the philosophy (sort of) behind Lux Art Institute, a friendly and hands-on kind of place that puts working artists out in the open so the public can watch the work evolve and unfold.

Lux, which opened late last year, sponsors resident artists who stay and create at the Encinitas museum for extended periods. This summer, it's sculptor and installation artist Daniel Wheeler, who'll be in studio June 4-22. About 10 works from his photographic series GULP (Generative Urban Landscape Project) will be on display through mid-August; Wheeler creates the images by donning scuba gear, diving into residential pools and shooting through the water.

The GULP photos “are really amazing, otherworldly. Quite extraordinary,” says Reesey Shaw, the institute's director.

Speaking of natural habitats: While he's at Lux, Wheeler also will tramp through the natural preserve surrounding the museum with video cameras strapped to his legs; a project created from the footage will give a sense of the environment from a bug's-eye view.

Shaw says a respect for the surroundings is integral to the institute's vision. Not only has Lux embarked on a native-plant revegetation project, but it's on track to be the first in the state to be constructed as a “green” museum from the ground up.

And that's a pleasing hue for any artistic palette.