We wish you a prosperous start to 2026! 70° is celebrating 11 years in business! Thank you for your ongoing collaboration!
70 Degrees is partnering with the UC Irvine Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences to innovate digital history technologies using AI. We are working with an incredible cohort of students who will transform archive systems.
From the Archives
We are working on Sawdust Art Festival’s 60th Anniversary book. You can follow the project and contribute your story! The archive contains thousands of never before seen photos, slides, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. Dive into the fascinating history of Sawdust and explore how Laguna Beach’s art scene developed. This book will contain excerpts from the oral history collection, written stories, and poems. It is an ode to an incredible community of talented artists who build their own booths and are multidisciplinary. Some artists, Doug Miller for example, perform music in local bands and have provided live entertainment for decades.
Artists of the Month
Experience the excitement of two new art exhibitions inside both of Casa Romantica’s art gallery spaces! Immerse yourself in an evening of art and community. On view in the Art Gallery is “Making Peace with the Earth” by Ann Phong, a powerful series of contemporary works inspired by environmental conservation. In the Studio, celebrated artist John Cosby will present his vibrant plein air paintings that capture the beauty and spirit of the natural world.
The Art Gallery reception is located in the Courtyard; The Studio reception is located in the Main Salon. on Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. It will be held at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente.
Book of the Month
The University of California Irvine and the city of Irvine were master-planned by William Pereira. Learn more in Pike Oliver and Mike Stockstill’s Transforming the Irvine Ranch: Joan Irvine, William Pereira, Ray Watson, and the Big Plan book. This text covers the 1947-1987 development of Irvine Ranch into the Irvine Company. Mike shared with us that he is working on a second book that will cover from 1977 to present time. It will published in May. Michael Stockstill, co-author of the book “Transforming the Irvine Ranch: Joan Irvine, William Pereira, Ray Watson, and the Big Plan (2022),” has given lectures at UCI Libraries. Explore this ranching story and learn more about his incredible land transformation.
Events
We are honoring the city of Newport Beach’s 120th anniversary with this origin story for our first event of the year at the Lido Theater. Discover the Irvine Ranch story!
Join us for a curated film screening with Nathan Gopen, the director, on February 4th at 6pm at the Lido Theater. The film will be 75 minutes followed by a Q&A with Nathan Gopen. Spanning 150 years, from when James Irvine purchased over 100,000 acres in Orange County, to the incredible transformation from agriculture to real estate in the 1960s and beyond. This is a compelling inside look at the making of a premiere master-planned community that is recognized as a role model world wide. Get a first look at exclusive clips, extended interviews, and never-before-seen moments from The Story of Irvine. Meet the experts who helped shape the city’s vision — and the community that continues today.
The United States of America will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026. Mission San Juan Capistrano—the birthplace of Orange County—will also mark its 250th anniversary. This historic milestone offers an incredible opportunity to celebrate, not only our country’s birth but also the rich cultural heritage, resilient spirit, and diverse community that define the city of San Juan Capistrano. Check the website for all upcoming events! They will have a trolley tour on January 6, 2026. Learn more and RSVP at: sjc250.org
Route 66 – Happy 100th Birthday to America’s Mother Road: Paintings by Joan Gladstone
December 13, 2025 – May 30, 2026
Celebrate the centennial of America’s most iconic highway as artist Joan Gladstone captures the spirit and nostalgia of historic Route 66 – the “Mother Road” that stretches 2,400 miles, from Chicago to Santa Monica, across eight states. This exhibition showcases 18 vivid contemporary oil paintings of the legendary road and its bold, colorful signage, inspired by Gladstone’s travels, archival images and imaginative reinterpretations.
Cynthia Daignault: Light Atlas
September 20, 2025 – February 8, 2026
In 2014, artist Cynthia Daignault (b. 1978, Baltimore, MD) traveled around the entire outside border of the United States, stopping roughly every twenty-five miles to paint the view before her. She spent roughly nine months alone in her Dodge Ram pickup on back roads and smaller highways to drive the perimeter of the US, pulling over to sketch and photograph the view from her window. After the journey, she returned to her Los Angeles studio to transfer her drawings and photographs into finished oil paintings. The resulting work, Light Atlas (2014–2017), is a monumental portrait of the land she encountered in 360 canvases, one that reveals slow shifts in weather patterns, atmosphere, economy, and the impact of the development on the land.
Paper is fragile and susceptible to damage and deterioration, yet it holds some of our most treasured memories. Keep those memories safe with polyester sleeves from Gaylord Archival. Protect childhood keepsakes, awards, newspaper clippings, graduation programs, military records, wedding invitations, career milestones, photos, artwork and much more for future generations. You are the guardian of your family history.