Top picks | Live music picks | More art and culture weekend events
Top picks
'Low VOC'
Visual art | I love a good, extremely specific curatorial theme, and this World Design Capital-designated exhibit at San Diego City College's City Gallery calls on border artists and designers to use engineered wood composite panels, or "naturally bonded" NB boards, originally developed from a collaboration between John F. Hunt, a U.S. Forest Service research engineer, and artist (and curator of the show) Christine Lee. This non-toxic, sustainable material is at the heart of works by Mely Barragan, Matt Hebert, Lael Corbin, Chris Lee, MayLing Martinez, Miki Iwasaki and Adam Manley.
Details: Opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29. On view Aug. 27 through Oct. 3. Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. City Gallery, 1508 C St., AH 314, East Village. Free.
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts Newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
Hugo Crosthwaite: 'The Rupture of the White Cube'
Visual art | Prolific artist Hugo Crosthwaite is having a month. With one solo exhibit already on view at Bread and Salt, he's also just installed another at Mesa College Art Gallery. In "The Rupture of the White Cube," curator Smadar Samson worked with Crosthwaite to design a unique and symbolic structure in the middle of the gallery that disrupts the viewer's gaze within the gallery space. The 12 foot cube also serves as a room-within-a-room where Crosthwaite has installed murals. Work on paper and a projected animation will also be on view.
Crosthwaite and Samson will hold an artist talk at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9.
Details: Gallery reception is 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. On view through Sept. 12. Gallery hours are 12-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday or by appointment. Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Dr., Linda Vista. Free.
Flicks on the Bricks: 'Election (1999)'
Film | Join KPBS film critic Beth Accomando at the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library for the final installment of their outdoor summer film series, featuring 1999's excellent political comedy "Election." Starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, the movie follows a high school class president election.
Free popcorn, and drinks are available to purchase.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. $20-$25.
'Rachmaninoff and the Tsar'
Theater, Music | Actor, musician and playwright Hershey Felder returns with a world premiere of his latest, "Rachmaninoff and the Tsar," which follows the iconic Russian 20th century composer Sergei Rachmaninoff after he relocates to California at the end of his life — and features plenty of his piano works.
Details: Remaining shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29-31. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $76-$116.
Creative Mornings: Gill Sotu | Ritual
Lectures, Poetry, Writing | Poet, playwright and local creativity extraordinaire Gill Sotu leads this month's local chapter Creative Mornings talk, on a global theme of "ritual." Creative Mornings is a "breakfast lecture series," geared towards a broad range of artists, arts workers and creative folk working in any imaginable field.
I'd gladly listen to anyone speak about rituals, routines and creativity for 20 minutes, but to hear it from as inspiring of a speaker as Sotu sounds like a great way to start any day. The free Creative Mornings events have been known to sell out, so RSVP in advance to secure a spot.
Details: 8:15-10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 30. San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., downtown. Free.
Songwriter Sanctuary
Music, Singer-Songwriter | This monthly songwriter showcase features three San Diego musicians, plus snacks, drinks and community in an intimate space. Friday's concert will spotlight Emily Afton, Julianna Zachariou and Veronica May, and the evening will be hosted by San Diego music icon Jeff Berkley. Each performer in this lineup would be worthy of a headline spot, so don't miss this chance to catch all three.
Details: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Normal Heights United Church, 4650 Mansfield St., Normal Heights. $10 suggested donation.
Música en la Plaza: Las Cafeteras
Music, Latin, Rock, Folk | Los Angeles-based, genre-bending cumbia, hip-hop, punk, folk and rock band Las Cafeteras will play at California Center for the Arts, Escondido as part of their free, outdoor concert series in their Lyric Court. Las Cafeteras are lively performers, melding traditional instrumentation and folk backgrounds with multi-lingual lyrics and an energetic stage presence. Local DJ Mafondo will kick things off. Reserved bistro-style seating is available for $30, but otherwise, the show is free and all-ages.
Details: 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30. California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Free-$30.
Nat at Night: Closing Weekend
Museums, Food, Drink | Embrace your inner scientist (or maybe your inner paleontology-obsessed child) in the final Nat at Night event of the year. All summer long, the San Diego Natural History Museum has stayed open late on Friday nights and opened a rooftop bar, with beer, wine and mocktails plus snacks from Wolf in the Woods. The rooftop at the Nat is one of the best views in town — overlooking the main Balboa Park fountain with views of the park and beyond to downtown and the Coronado Bridge. Inside the museum, on the atrium's lower floor, natural history trivia kicks off each Friday at 7 p.m.
Be sure to catch the "Action from the Archives: The Nat at 150" photography and history exhibit on the fourth floor.
Details: 5-10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. Half-price admission after 5 p.m.: $7-$12. Free for members or Explorer Pass holders.
Leila Khalilzadeh Aghdami: 'Invisible Identity' + more
Visual art, Film, Music | Art Produce will celebrate six (!) artists in residence this week, including the main gallery exhibit of Leila Khalilzadeh Aghdami; "Cooler Room" artist Diana Benavidez; Community Room artists Cambria Herrera and Stephen Loftesnes; and storefront window artist Justin McHugh.
Aghdami's work is entrenched in gender and identity, influenced by her upbringing in Iran. The subtitle of "Invisible Identity" is "The Body's Absence Says More Than Its Presence." She uses paint and textiles like crochet in her works. Her portrait paintings are expressive, thoughtful and remarkable.
At the opening reception, musician Zane Shrem-Besnoy will perform, and a garden bar will be set up courtesy of neighbor Botanica. These works will only be on view through mid-September, so don't delay.
Details: 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31. Art Produce, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Free.
'The Golden Hour: Works for the Mini Park'
Music, Experimental | Chamber and experimental music collective Project [BLANK] brings their Salty Series to the North Park Mini Park for a season kickoff. The mini park, which has a notable collection of playground equipment-meets-xylophones, is the perfect setting for this concert featuring a wild selection of instrumentation — think: toys, radios, electronics — as well as those public percussion instruments. Composers include Teresa Díaz de Cossio, Ilana Waniuk, Alvaro Diaz and Joseph Bourdeau.
Details: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. North Park Mini Park, 3812 29th St., North Park. Free.
Live music picks
*Indicates local act
Thursday:
- Ramona* (Tijuana), Los Shadows* and Cinemha* (Tijuana) at Casbah (indie)
- Twen and Enumclaw at Soda Bar (indie, rock)
- The Get Up Kids at Observatory North Park (rock/punk)
- Epik High at SOMA (hip-hop)
- Dress Warm, BluNites* and Cbarrgs at The Che Cafe (indie)
- Valgur at The Front Arte & Cultura (experimental/pop)
- Tab Benoit and Anders Osborne at Belly Up (blues, rock/folk)
Friday:
- Riki and Donzii at Casbah (new wave/pop, post-punk)
- ElectricLouieLand* at Lou Lou's (jazz)
- Santana and Counting Crows at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (rock)
- Alien Ant Farm and Atomic LIfe at Brick by Brick (rock/nu-metal)
- Pleasure Pill*, Nitefire and Intermission at Music Box (pop/indie)
- Def Leppard and Journey at Petco Park (rock)
Saturday:
- We The Commas* and more at Vista Vibes Mini Music Fest at Local Roots Kombucha Brewery (R&B)
- Jack Botts and Cody Sherman* at Soda Bar (pop/singer-songwriter)
- Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (rock)
- Moenia at House of Blues (electronic)
- Dusty Brough*, Miles Jay, Eva Scow and Julien Cantelm* at Lou Lou's (jazz/Latin/folk)
Sunday:
- Under The Rug and Basic Printer at Soda Bar (indie/folk-rock)
- Bilmuri at Observatory North Park (alternative/rock)
- Joshua Bassett and Thomas Day at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (pop)
More weekend arts and culture events
| Event | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Reception - 'no thing at all' | This event is in the past. | level of service not required | |
| 'Best Laid Plans' by Robert Salerno | 9/13/24 | 7:30 PM | 10th Avenue Theatre and Arts Centre |
| Tchaikovsky Spectacular | This event is in the past. | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park | |
| Like a Rolling Stone | This event is in the past. | Oceanside Theatre Company at Brooks Theater | |
| Out of the Blue Opening Reception | This event is in the past. | Ashton Gallery at Art on 30th | |
| Because You're Mine: The Music of June Carter and Johnny Cash | This event is in the past. | Lamb's Players Theatre | |
| San Diego International Children's Film Festival | This event is in the past. | San Diego Public Library - Central Library - Neil Morgan Auditorium | |
