Lux Art Institute

It's not a museum, even if it has a thriving art education program and has a permanent gallery space. The Lux Art Institute in Encinitas is dedicated to making contemporary art and artists accessible to the public.

Artists who present exhibitions at the Lux are generally on site in the first days of a show, finishing work and talking about what they do. That's why there is a live/work space for the artist in the building, which was designed by Santa Monica-based architect Renzo Zecchetto.

The site of the museum adjoins a preserve that extends all the way to the ocean, and the building itself is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified "green" museum in California.