A gala dinner honoring renowned ceramic artist...

A gala dinner honoring renowned ceramic artist Beatrice Wood and benefiting the Archives of American Art will be held Saturday night at the Surf and Sand Hotel, 1555 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. Wood, who recently celebrated her 101st birthday, has lived and worked in Ojai for nearly 50 years. Information: (714) 588-2217.

Privately founded in 1954, the Archives of American Art became a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution in 1970. The archives collects, preserves and makes available for study more than 12 million documents: the records, original papers, photographs, diaries and oral histories of artists, craftsmen, collectors, dealers, critics and museums. Federal funding through the Smithsonian accounts for 35% of the archives’ operating budget; the rest comes from individual and corporate gifts.

Compiled by Ken Williams