ENCINITAS, CA — (September 17, 2009) — Lux Art Institute announces the second event in its "Studio Series," taking place on Saturday, October 17. The public is invited to join the museum for an evening of art and conversation with former Lux resident artist Daniel Wheeler, who will lead a discussion and Q & A about current resident artist Elizabeth Turk's work. Wheeler will lend his perspective and insights as a fellow sculptor and friend of Turk's. A wine reception will welcome guests at 5p.m. before the presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.

"Lux's second 'Studio Series' will provide guests with the unique opportunity to hear a sculptor's perspective on the work of his peer," said Lux Director Reesey Shaw. "Although Wheeler and Turk use vastly different mediums, both are internationally renowned artists who have challenged our guests to interpret the natural world in new ways. I encourage everyone to attend this event, which promises to be educational and engaging."

Hosted by Lux's Education Committee and introduced this past summer, "Studio Series" is designed to bring new light to exhibitions in the Lux studio by inviting artists, scholars and professionals to share their perspective through commentary and discussion.

Wheeler, based in Los Angeles and a former faculty member at Brown University, was the fourth resident artist in Lux's inaugural 2007/2008 Season when he debuted a work-in-progress, the Blindspot project, as well as a photographic body of work, GULP (Generative Urban Landscape Project), featuring images using the ubiquitous Southern California pool as the medium through which the surrounding landscape is interpreted. For the last twenty years, Wheeler has produced installations, drawings, photographs, performances and sculptures using the Los Angeles landscape as his muse. Once called a "free-form cultural anthropologist," he is known for enticing viewers out of their learned response to the environment into all-new sensory encounters. Exhibited nationally and internationally, Wheeler's work is included in private and public collections across the country.

Embracing a classical medium, Turk painstakingly transforms solid 400-pound blocks of Sivec and Carrara marble into improbable shapes. Her fascination with patterns results in large, intricately latticed collars and ribbons of undulating waves, evoking both man-made and organic forms: starched lace, Elizabethan ruffs, pinwheels, flowers, even the double helix of DNA. A testament to Turk's remarkable technical ability, the marble works are a study in contrasts – solid material appears weightless, liquid, buoyant, illustrating the tension between both the inherent strength of the stone and its fragility.

Turk is in-studio at Lux through October 3. Her exhibit, as well as the marble sculpture for her "Collar" series that she is working on during her residency, will be on view at Lux through October 31.

Tickets to the "Studio Series" with Wheeler are $10 for non-members and $5 for members (includes studio admission). While tickets will be available for purchase at the door, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is limited. To reserve your spot, please e-mail education@luxartinstitute.org, or call 760-436-6611.

About Lux Art Institute

Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, Calif., is redefining the museum experience with the region's only artist-in-residence program that invites artists to live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art – start to finish. This one-of-a-kind institution invites visitors to not only "see art," but also to "see art happen."

Throughout each year, Lux invites several significant regional, national and international artists to participate in its residency. Visitors from across the country are able to participate in exclusive liaison-led tours, providing intimate access to the artist-in-residence, the artist's exhibition and the museum's permanent collection of indoor and outdoor art. Lux also offers a wide range of innovative programming for all ages.

The recipient of the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s top design award, the Grand Orchid, and the first art museum in California awarded LEED certification for new construction, Lux is located alongside one of Southern California’s few remaining coastal wetlands. The five-acre site also overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean.

Through its Phase II Capital Campaign, Lux plans to add 25,000 square feet of galleries and classrooms. Once completed, the new building will also feature a hilltop plaza and a series of gardens climbing between the galleries and the Artist Pavilion.

Lux Art Institute is located at 1550 South El Camino Real in Encinitas, Calif. Hours are Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and cost is $10 for two visits. For more information about donations, memberships, volunteer opportunities and more, visit http://www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760-436-6611.