San Diego weekend arts events: Bones, zines and fries

Top picks | More art and culture weekend events

Top picks

San Diego Natural History Museum's Big Birthday Block Party

History, Family, Film, Food, Science | The San Diego Natural History Museum has been celebrating its 150th birthday all year, but this weekend, they're inviting the public to join in on the festivities. Their block party-style event will offer family-friendly activities for all ages (even the very young), plus a 21+ rooftop bar, their new café and a sneak peek of the new 8,000-square-foot Paleontology Center — which Paleontology Lab Manager Christopher Plouffe says is essential to their commitment to sharing their work with the public. And he means so much more than just dinosaur bones.

"This new space downstairs will encourage the public to take a look at the work that we do, our collections — that we are a museum of collections, that this data is vital to creating hypotheses," Plouffe said. "Visibility is power. And so when people come into this space, they will be able to see how deep … how many specimens we have. Not only that, but how much room we have for growth, for additional specimens to collect."

Bryan Tipton

San Diego Zine Fest

Books, Visual art, Music | The 12th San Diego Zine Fest takes over Bread & Salt this weekend, bringing together artists, small presses, zine-makers, authors, makers and organizations to share their DIY creations. While the festival revolves around the humble "zine" — usually a photocopied, handmade art booklet — a wide range of items in the self-made spirit will be available, from prints to jewelry and accessories and of course, plenty of books. Vendors include Books Through Bars, Radical History Club, Bryan Tipton, Burn All Books, Three One G, Project Paint: The Prison Arts Initiative and many more. Check out the vendor list here.

Alejandro Arreguin Villegas

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MCASD

MCASD Free Third Thursday: 'Gentrifries'

Visual art, Storytelling, Food | This Far South/Border North project is a partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, The Hill Street Country Club and artist Alejandro Arreguin Villegas. "Gentrifries," a portmanteau of "gentrification" and "french fries," turns stories about families, archives, community and neighborhoods into an actual vessel for food.

The event features a photo and audio archiving booth, where visitors can contribute their own family stories and photos to the living project.

This is part of the MCASD's Free Third Thursday. The museum is free to all visitors and open late, until 8 p.m.

Courtesy of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library

Carlos Castro Arias: 'The Splinter in the Eye'

Visual art | Artist Carlos Castro Arias lives and works in San Diego, Tijuana and Bogotá, Colombia. His work is embroiled in myth and histories, with an insightful and piercing glance at the intersection of myth and modern society or popular culture. His materials and formats range widely, including stained glass, tapestry, found objects, sculpture, painting, drawing, installation, mixed media, video, sound and even actual fire.

In a new exhibit at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, Arias' "The Splinter in the Eye" explores trauma, memory and identity through painting, sculpture and installation. Seeing art in the Athenaeum's La Jolla space often adds a hint of antiquity — the dark wood of the old building and the faint fragrance of old books — and I am especially curious to see the interplay of Arias' memory- and time-defying work with that environment.

Melissa Walter

Melissa Walter: 'Plexus' discussion at C You Saturday!

Visual art, Science, Music, Family | The Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego's monthly C You Saturday! event will be held at their Encinitas campus this month, spotlighting concurrent exhibits by Melissa Walter and Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez-Delgado. Rodríguez-Delgado's "Futuros Itinerantes" consists of installation pieces built as self-contained survival systems using found electronics and materials, drawing inspiration from “Star Trek,” the U.S. Space Program and Puerto Rico's late-1980s bid to host the 2004 Olympics.

Walter's work is always fascinating and science-informed. For this show she debuted experimental animation and ceramic sculptures. "Plexus" is informed by her study of DNA-based identification processes in the criminal justice system, as well as the evolution from early technology to AI-based systems. Her art is often paper-based, and the striking visual imagery represents abstractions of the science and data she studies. At the C You Saturday! event, she has assembled a panel of DNA forensics experts, including Innocence Project lawyers and advocates.

The event kicks off with a family-friendly, DNA-inspired clay pot-making activity, plus music, snacks and drinks.

Stacy Keck

SoulKiss Theater: '2 Rappers 2 Plays'

Theater, Black Culture | The Old Globe collaborated with SoulKiss Theater to bring two one-act plays to the stage, written by local hip-hop artists and playwrights Miki Vale and Queen Kandi Cole. Vale's play "And We Danced" is the story of 1940s LGBTQ+ activist Ruth Ellis. Cole's "Game Night" is a story of friendship and differences during a board game night. Both plays are directed by Kimberly King.

'The Gathering'

Dance, Contemporary | Interested in checking out a bunch of San Diego-based dance companies and their choreography in one evening? Ballet Counterpointe and West Coast Dance Complex are presenting a showcase of pieces by emerging and established dancers and choreographers from around the region. Proceeds benefit the Orion Choreographic Fellowship.

'Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet'

Music, Classical, Theater | This multi-format visual, musical and theatrical production is a collaboration between the San Diego Symphony and The Old Globe, featuring a Barry Edelstein-directed cast of voiceover and video actors performing Shakespeare's texts alongside Prokofiev's iconic "Romeo and Juliet." Actor Robert Sean Leonard will make a special appearance. Pianist Emanuel Ax will perform with the symphony for Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major."

Courtesy of the artist

Joy Guidry: 'Amen'

Bonus Monday event: As part of The Hill Street Country Club's Sound & Liberation series, bassoonist and composer Joy Guidry returns to perform their album "Amen," inspired by the evolution of Black American music.

Guidry's sound artfully blends jazz, gospel, electronic, spoken word and singing. At the heart of it is the bassoon's mesmerizing (and often misunderstood) tone.

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