Arts & Culture

San Diego weekend arts events: 'Picturing Health,' 'Dracula' and family-friendly art

By Julia Dixon Evans / Arts Reporter/Podcast Host

Published November 7, 2024 at 12:38 PM PST

A collage style mixed media artwork shows 5 distinct images against a blurry backdrop of green foliage and purple flowers. One image features an illustrated rendering that suggests biological tissue and organs pinned with dissecting pins against a white backdrop. Another shows an X-ray of a torso with unique vertical lines. Another shows a drawing of a floral embellished female reproductive system. Another looks like an ancient medical textbook illustration of the female reproductive system. — "Search 3 (2024)" by Elizabeth Rooklidge is part of "Picturing Health" at Best Practice Gallery.

Top picks

'Picturing Health' and Barrio Art Crawl

Visual art | Best Practice opens "Picturing Health," a long-awaited local artist exhibition echoing the major historical survey of disability in art at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). Curated by Elizabeth Rooklidge, who served on the advisory board for "For Dear Life," "Picturing Health" includes works by local artists Philip Brun Del Re, Maria Mathioudakis, Bhavna Mehta, Tatiana Ortiz-Rubio, Rooklidge, Akiko Surai and Christina Valenzuela. Many of these artists also advised MCASD on the exhibit, and it's significant that these living, local artists now have a space to showcase their own work on disability, illness and impairment. On view Nov. 9 through Dec. 14.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Also opening at Bread and Salt during Barrio Art Crawl: "INSITE: Commonplaces" in the main gallery; "Winter Faculty & Staff Exhibition" at Athenaeum Art Center;

Adam Belt at ICE Gallery and Marcos Ramirez ERRE's "Whites Always Move First" at Quint ONE.

Details: 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.

Composer Sarah Hennies' 2017 audio-visual work "Contralto" will be presented in a livestream by Project [BLANK] on Friday Mar. 26 and Sunday Mar. 28, 2021. — Composer Sarah Hennies is shown in an undated photo.

Sarah Hennies: 'Reservoir 2'

Music, Visual art | Groundbreaking American composer Sarah Hennies collaborates again with Project [BLANK] for a West Coast premiere of "Reservoir 2." Exploring memory and the unconscious mind, the piece is written for voice and flute, performed by members of the San Diego New Verbal Workshop. The concert also features an immersive light and video installation by local artist Allison O. Evans.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 7-9. St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave., Banker's Hill. $15-$25.

'Primal Instincts': Kaori Fukuyama, Eva Struble, Irén Tété, John Brinton Hogan and more

"Umlus (Elm)" is a sculptural work of oil paint on canvas by Kaori Fukuyama, on view Nov. 9-Dec. 14 at Techne Art Center in Oceanside, CA.

Visual art | Techne Art Center in Oceanside opens its next group exhibition, with a crew of exciting artists, including Kaori Fukuyama, Eva Struble, Irén Tété, Michael Hernandez, John Brinton Hogan, Hannah Pierce, Jesse Ring and Kelly Witmer. Known for his glittery-acrylic human silhouettes on striking landscape photography, Hogan is a local artist who hasn’t shown work in the area for a while. Each artist was tasked with exhibiting work that dealt with "the most fundamental aspects of human nature."

Related: Fukuyama's latest public art installation, "Garden of Transformation," was completed last month and is on view at Liberty Station near the Stone Brewing patio.

Details: 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Gallery hours are 1-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through Dec. 14. On view by appointment through March 1, 2025. Techne Art Center, 1609 Ord Way, Oceanside. Free.

City Ballet: 'Dracula'

Dance, Ballet | City Ballet of San Diego choreographer Geoff Gonzalez will debut a new ballet adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," set to music by Franz Liszt and centering on the Countess Dracula and the women she preys upon. Also on stage in this performance are works by George Balanchine and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. In addition to this weekend's shows downtown, the ballet will repeat the program Saturday, Nov. 16 at the California Center for the Arts Escondido.

City Ballet of San Diego dancer Ariana Gonzalez is shown as Dracula in an undated photo. She is wearing pointe shoes, but her feet are in silhouette. She's holding a stemmed glass full of red liquid, and a top hat. Her eyes and lips are bright red. — City Ballet of San Diego dancer Ariana Gonzalez is shown as Dracula in an undated photo.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9-10. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $39-$99.

Biss Plays Beethoven

Music, Classical | Pianist Jonathan Biss joins the San Diego Symphony for Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major," which is a gorgeous symphonic piece where the piano feels more a part of the whole fabric than some virtuosic solo (but you'll be sure to see virtuosic piano playing). The symphony will also perform two works by Mozart (including the beloved "Magic Flute" overture) and Haydn's "Paukenwirbel" symphony, known for its striking drumroll opening.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9-10. Jacobs Music Center, 1245 Seventh Ave., downtown. $39-$82.

Camarada: 'Reflexión y Ritual'

Music, Visual art | Local chamber ensemble Camarada pairs music with a newly commissioned visual piece by crossborder artist Hugo Crosthwaite. The performance includes two works by local composer Andrés Martín alongside Gabriela Ortiz, José Rolón and Leonardo Coral. The concert kicks off with a pre-show interview with Rafael Fernández de Castro and Crosthwaite.

Artist Hugo Crosthwaite is shown in an undated photo working on his installation, "The Rupture of the White Cube," at Mesa College Art Gallery.

Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. UC San Diego Park & Market, 1100 Market St., downtown. $25-$55.

Broadway's 'Hadestown'

Theater, Music | Broadway San Diego brings the Grammy- and Tony-winning musical "Hadestown" for a special weekend run. Anaïs Mitchell's "Hadestown" is a spin on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice interwoven with that of Hades and Persephone.

Megan Colton (Eurydice) and Bryan Munar (Orpheus) from the "Hadestown" North American tour are shown on stage in an undated production photo.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8-10. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $56+.

San Diego Asian Film Festival

Film, Teens | The San Diego Asian Film Festival is underway, and this year, they've unveiled a new project: Screening passes are free for all youth. Highlights this weekend include the Reel Voices Shorts program (noon on Sunday) and local young filmmaker Ivan Leung's "Extremely Unique Dynamic" (12:30 p.m. on Sunday). Both films screen at Regal Edwards Mira Mesa.

Reel Voices is Pacific Arts Movement's high school documentary filmmaking program, and it's celebrating its 10th festival screening. Leung’s comedic feature, "Extremely Unique Dynamic," brings a little film-within-a-film action as we follow two childhood friends attempting to make a movie together. The film isn't rated, but note that it features drug use.

A still is shown from the film "Extremely Unique Dynamic," which is part of the 2024 San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Looking for something universally wholesome? "The Cats of Gokogu Shrine" documentary screens at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at MOPA@SDMA in Balboa Park.

Details: Nov. 7-14. Regal Edwards Mira Mesa (and other locations), 10733 Westview Pkwy, Mira Mesa. Free for youth; general admission is $15.

Family picks

MCASD Play Day: Well-Wishes Card Project

Visual art, Kids | The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Free Second Sunday program invites kids to create personalized greeting cards with polaroid photos. Other family-centered offerings include an 11 a.m. kid-friendly tour of the current special exhibit: "For Dear Life: Art, Medicine and Disability" and music, storytimes and free play.

Details: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, with kid-friendly activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free.

'Meet the Strings'

Music, Kids | The San Diego Symphony’s "Meet the Strings" concert is designed for very young kids, with interactive elements including singalongs, dancing and games as they learn about string instruments from the symphony musicians themselves. The sensory-friendly event also provides kits and quiet rooms for those who may need them.

Some pieces of music the performers will sample include: Benjamin Britten's "Frolicsome Finale," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," Pharrell Williams' "Happy" and more.

Details: Two 30-minute performances at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Jacobs Music Center, 1100 Seventh Ave., downtown. $22.

Train Song Festival

Music, Storytelling, Kids | This family-friendly event at Old Poway Park is exactly what it suggests: trains and songs about trains. The Poway-Midland railroad will run their engines along the nearby tracks, and there's a full slate of live music and storytelling.

Details: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. Free.

'The Addams Family'

Theater, Kids | Talented youth actors from Oceanside Theatre Company's intensive program will perform "The Addams Family" for the next two weekends. The musical follows the notoriously goth family as they attempt to embrace an outsider.

Details: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8-10. On stage through Nov. 17. Oceanside Theatre Company at The Brooks, 217 North Coast Highway, Oceanside. $18-$25.

A Step Beyond: 'El Alebrije/The Nutcracker'

Dance, Ballet, Holidays | This annual production from A Step Beyond sets the traditional "Nutcracker" story at a Quinceañera for María. Dancers in the show range from age 8-17 years, and the production features giant puppets from San Diego Guild of Puppetry. Mariachi Champaña Nevin will perform a live musical accompaniment.

Details: 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8-9. California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $15-$25.