Arts & Culture

San Diego Weekend Arts Events: 'Impermanence,' Denja Harris, Children's Film Festival, Pottery Tour, Voices of Our City Choir, FlowerSong Press, and 'My Fair Lady'

By Julia Dixon Evans / Arts Reporter/Podcast Host

Published December 2, 2021 at 8:56 AM PST

This story was published more than 2 years ago.

Speaker 1: (00:00)

This weekend in the arts, there's an ephemeral art exhibition. Let next poetry are returned to the stage for voices of our city, choir and outdoor rock and roll. Johnny May is KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dickson Evans. Welcome Julia. Hi

Speaker 2: (00:17)

Maureen. Thanks for having me

Speaker 1: (00:18)

Now. First up is a group art exhibition opening at a new Carlsbad gallery. This one is called impermanence. Tell us about the show.

Speaker 2: (00:28)

Yeah, so Fez gallery opened the summer and it's in this converted bungalow on state street in Carlsbad. And this new exhibition is about the fleeting nature of time and objects and even art and they'll show the work of four artists plus Tibetan monks from the garden, shard St. Monastery and Tibet, and the impermanence shows up in many forms. There is Andres Amador who is in Northern California landscape artist and photographer. And what he does is he finds an empty beach Cove in between tides and rakes or digs these intricate swirls and really complicated patterns into the sand and then takes an aerial picture before the surf washes it away. There's also Wendy Mariama, San Diego, who will install her tag project, which is a large, large scale installation that are these sets of hanging paper tags. Each one is inscribed with a story or biographical information about a Japanese American who was incarcerated during world war two. And from afar, these sculptures look like ghosts. It's really cool. Also on view our illustrator, Cathy McCord and sculptor, Michelle Curtis Cole. It opens on Sunday with an artist reception from two to four, and throughout the exhibition, the Tibetan monks will be constructing a Sandeman Dolla that takes place on Wednesday of next week.

Speaker 1: (01:54)

Impermanence opens at Fez gallery in Carlsbad on Sunday and runs through February flower song press as a publisher dedicated to the borderlands and the voices of Latin America and the U S tell us about their poetry reading,

Speaker 2: (02:08)

Right? These are all California authors that the press is tapped for this event, and it's going to be held at the central cultural dealer rasa. Each of the writers has a poetry collection published or forthcoming from flower song press there's 10 poets in what is really an incredible lineup to name just a few. There is Sonia Gutierrez whose book dreaming with butterflies that came out just under a year ago. Brianna Munios just published. Everything is returned to the soil and her writing's really informed by reclaiming her indigenous identity and culture. There's also a Ventura based Fernando Albert Salinas, who recently published toxic masculinity and also reading is Matt [inaudible] whose latest collection is mowing leaves of

Speaker 1: (02:57)

Grass. The flower song press reading is Saturday at 7:00 PM at the Centro cultural de LA Raza foodies. No, to save the first Sunday in December for the annual Sono Fest and chili cook off. And after last year's virtual event, it's great to see this back in person in north park is so is it the food or the festivities? That's got your interest? Julia,

Speaker 2: (03:22)

It's probably the music. Um, the festival is actually free to get into so you can wander around with, or without your chili tasting ticket. And you can listen to performances by a dozen bands on two different stages. And there's even a children's stage two. It all starts at 11 and the first music kicks off at 1130 with grandpa Drew's Americana. There's also scary Pierre, low volts, um, and then chili Fest, standers, the creepy creeps, and also Chloe Lou and the Liddells who we're listening to right now.

Speaker 3: (03:57)

[inaudible]

Speaker 2: (04:16)

And if you want to grab one of the handmade bowls for your Chile, that bowl presale is tonight at 6:00 PM at the San Diego ceramic connection. And when they run out of bowls, they also have cute commemorative mugs that you can get your Chilean to

Speaker 1: (04:32)

The Sono Fest. And the chili cook-off is Sunday from 11 to 5:00 PM at the intersection of thorn and 32nd street in north park. Finally, voices of our city choir is a local organization that offers choral music opportunities to people experiencing homelessness, and they're holding their holiday performance and fundraiser on Sunday at music box. Let's listen to a recording. The group made of deck the halls last year,

Speaker 4: (05:00)

Right here we go. Y'all y'all ready. Take the hall, come on, list

Speaker 5: (05:10)

[inaudible]

Speaker 2: (05:16)

And I should point out that that's actually a really great video. You can find on voices of our CD choir's YouTube channel. They made it for a virtual holiday celebration last year, but this year they're back on stage with a live audience at music box. This group you'll remember they got the golden buzzer award on America's got talent recently, and they are such an important part of San Diego's music scene, as well as among homelessness advocates, because not only do they create opportunities to sing, but their big picture goal is to get their members into permanent housing. This fundraiser concert will support that work and also be a chance for the group to share their stories along with holiday tunes. And they will have a jazz funk band company,

Speaker 1: (06:02)

Voices of our city choirs hope for the holidays. Concert is Sunday at 5:30 PM at music box for details on these and plenty more arts and culture events, or to sign up for Julia's weekly arts newsletter go to kpbs.org/arts. I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans. And thank you, Julia. Thank

Speaker 2: (06:24)

You, Maureen. Have a great weekend.

This weekend in the arts: PHES Gallery, Mortis Studio, indie film for kids, pottery studio tours, "Hope for the Holidays" choral concert, poetry at Centro Cultural de la Raza and Broadway's "My Fair Lady."

'Impermanence'

Visual art

Carlsbad's PHES Gallery is opening a new show, "Impermanence," featuring the work of four artists whose art explores the temporary nature of life and art: Andres Amador, Michelle Kirtis Cole, Wendy Maruyama and Kathi McCord. I especially love Northern California artist Andres Amador's style of landscape art, where he finds an empty beach cove in between tides and rakes intricate swirls and patterns into the sand and snaps an aerial shot before the surf washes it away. Local woodworker and artist Wendy Maruyama's work is also fascinating — her "Tag Project" is a set of large-scale sculptural installations made of simple paper tags, inscribed with information about Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII.

As part of the exhibition, the gallery will also host a series of events with Tibetan Buddhist Monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery, including talks and a sand mandala creation next Wednesday, followed by the "dissolution ceremony" next Saturday.

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Details: Opening reception Sunday, Dec. 5 from 2-4 p.m. After that, gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 2-7 p.m. or by appointment. PHES Gallery, 2633 State St., Carlsbad. Free.

Denja Harris: 'Soft'

Visual art

Mortis Studio was founded in 2016 by Taylor Johnson and Dustyn Peterman as an art, animation, video and graphic design creative agency. They're opening a new studio in Golden Hill this week, with an art exhibition to kick things off. "Soft" is a collection of works by local textile artist Denja Harris of Brown Acid Goods, and it'll be on view beginning Friday through Jan. 16, 2022.

Work by Denja Harris will be on view at Mortis Studios in Golden Hill beginning Friday Dec. 3, 2021.

I love the way Harris plays with colors and shapes in her thick, rug-like tufted fiber works, and the patterns feel just as vintage as they do modern and surprising. The opening reception is Friday, with food and drink from the popular vegan TNT Pizza.

Details: Friday, Dec. 3 from 6-9 p.m. Mortis Studio, 1038 25th St., Golden Hill. Free.

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The cover of "Dreaming With Mariposas" by Sonia Gutiérrez, who will read at Centro Cultural de la Raza on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021.

FlowerSong Press Reading of California Authors

Poetry

Looking for some in-person poetry? Do not miss this lineup of ten poets from across California, all publishing poetry collections under the same press (in the writing biz they call this "label mates").

FlowerSong Press is committed to borderlands and the voices of Latin America and the United States. The all-star evening at Centro Cultural de la Raza will include poetry performances from Briana Muñoz, Sonia Gutiérrez, Fernando Albert Salinas, David A. Romero, Gina Duran, Matt Sedillo and many more.

Details: Saturday, Dec. 4 from 7-9 p.m. Centro Cultural De la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Free.

San Diego Children's Film Festival

Film, Family

One of my favorite parts of every Comic-Con is the San Diego Children's Film Festival, partly because there's always seats and it's a nice chance to escape the chaos. But once I'm there, it's always a delight, packed with sweet, short, boundary-pushing works of film and animation. This festival debuted last weekend at Comic-Con Special Edition, but will repeat — free for the public — on Saturday.

On my radar: "The Statue," a film about an immigrant child trying to get his one line right in the second grade play in the 1 p.m. block; the beautiful, illustrated stop-motion "The Bird and the Whale," in the noon block; and the silly and heartwarming "Blanket," in the 10 a.m. block. Find the full schedule here (scroll down for the Dec. 4 listings).

Details: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in hour-long programs. San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Ave., downtown. Free.

San Diego Pottery Tour

Visual art

This weekend is the 14th annual San Diego Pottery Tour, in hybrid format this year. Tour the work of dozens of potters in-person, or browse their work in the online galleries — in fact, two of the artists are only showing and selling work online.

There's a handy map here with ten stops mapped between Spring Valley and La Jolla and, combined with the online shop, it's an easy way to preview and pick your favorite studios to visit. Some work that caught my eye: Anna Cosimini and Warren Bakley of Clay Associates in Normal Heights, Ashley Kim (online only) and Amy Threefoot Valeiras (La Jolla).

Details: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Various locations. Free.

'Hope for the Holidays': A Celebration of Song with Voices of Our City Choir

Music

San Diego's beloved Voices of Our City Choir will perform holiday classics alongside a jazz-funk ensemble. The group was formed in 2016 to offer choral music opportunities and community to people experiencing homelessness in San Diego — and they'd ultimately go on to receive the "golden buzzer" on America's Got Talent recently. The organization also fundraises to help members find permanent housing.

The holiday-themed performance is all-ages, held at Music Box, and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test within 72 hours is required. VIP tickets are already sold out.

Details: Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego, Little Italy. $12-25.

More music: North Park's SoNo Fest and Chili Cook-Off is the place to be for a dozen outdoor performances this Sunday from 11 to 5 p.m., including Grampadrew, Chloe Lou and the Liddells, Scary Pierre and Low Volts. It's free to attend, but tasting tickets are $22-25.

Even more music: Baby Buskha returns to the stage Saturday night at the Casbah. You can read my feature on the show here.

'My Fair Lady'

Theater

Broadway San Diego's production of Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" just opened on Tuesday, with shows through Sunday evening. It's the story of Eliza Doolittle and her exceptional Cockney accent, plus the linguistic professor ('Enry 'Iggins) who takes her under his wing. Expect luxurious, intricate sets and costumes, and plenty of recognizable quips ("Women are irrational, that's all there is to that!") and tunes like "I Could Have Danced All Night."

Broadway San Diego hosts "My Fair Lady" at the Civic Theatre with shows through Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021.

Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test within 72 hours is required. Masks are required indoors except while eating or drinking, and note that food and drink consumption is allowed inside the theater.

Details: Show information. Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. (ASL interpreters) and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $25+.

For more arts events, visit the KPBS/Arts calendar, or sign up for the weekly KPBS/Arts newsletter. You can read a recent newsletter here.

San Diego Weekend Arts Events: 'Impermanence,' Denja Harris, Children's Film Festival, Pottery Tour, Voices of Our City Choir, FlowerSong Press, and 'My Fair Lady'

This weekend in the arts: PHES Gallery, Mortis Studio, indie film for kids, pottery studio tours, "Hope for the Holidays" choral concert, poetry at Centro Cultural de la Raza and Broadway's "My Fair Lady."

'Impermanence'

Denja Harris: 'Soft'

FlowerSong Press Reading of California Authors

San Diego Children's Film Festival

San Diego Pottery Tour

'Hope for the Holidays': A Celebration of Song with Voices of Our City Choir

'My Fair Lady'

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