In our January arts and culture preview for San Diego, explore our picks for visual art, dance, theater, film, literature and music, spanning jazz, classical, experimental and popular genres.
Visual art
Marcel Eichner: 'On a knife's edge'
Oolong Gallery presents this annex exhibition at Southwestern College Art Gallery, featuring Berlin-based artist Marcel Eichner's vivid, complicated and often grotesque abstract paintings. An artist talk is planned during the closing weekend.
More info: On view through Jan. 12. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 10-12. Southwestern College Art Gallery, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista. Free.
Yasumasa Yoshida: 'Setten/Connection'
Japanese artist Yasumasa Yoshida works exclusively with oil pastels on wooden panels, and his work includes text or kanji — he developed this practice during health struggles as a way to form a connection, or setten, with society. The aesthetic is imperfect yet thoughtful.
More info: On view through April 27. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Japanese Friendship Garden, 2215 Pan American Road East, Balboa Park. $14-$16.
Robert Ginder: 'Miniatures'
Artist Robert Ginder's house paintings are distinctly grand — with gold leaf gilding in the sky — but depict humble, often mundane domestic subjects, featuring Southern California homes. His new exhibition will display a collection of new works and also coincide with the release of an art book about his work.
More info: On view Jan. 4-25. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closing reception and book signing: 6 p.m. Jan. 24. Quint Gallery, 7722 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free.
Deixis Gallery: 'Everything Unorthodox'
Celebrate the inaugural exhibition in the new North Park art space Deixis Gallery, with work on view by Avia Rose Ramm, Lucas V. Almássy, Matthew Bacher, Mahki Jones, Muse, Philip Brun del Re, Thomas Macie and TL3.
More info: Opens with a reception from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4. On view through Jan. 31. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday; and 3-7 p.m. Friday. 4129 30th St., North Park. Free.
Wood: A Furniture Show
This 15th iteration of the annual juried woodworking showcase at Escondido Arts Partnership will display some of the best furniture, art furniture, woodturning and more from artists and woodworkers in Southern California.
More info: Opening 4-6 p.m. on Jan. 11. On view through Feb. 21. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday. Escondido Arts Partnership, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. Free.
Ana María Herrera: 'Layered Memories'
Artist Ana María Herrera will open a solo exhibit of assemblage art that explores time, identity, history and memory. The exhibit will open at the Athenaeum Art Center (inside Bread & Salt) during the second Saturday Barrio Art Crawl.
More info: Opening reception is 5-8 p.m. on Jan. 11. On view through March 14. Athenaeum Art Center, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
Gosia Herc: 'In Formation'
Sculptor Gosia Herc opens her debut San Diego solo exhibit at Best Practice (inside Bread & Salt) this month during Barrio Art Crawl.
More info: Opening reception is 5-8 p.m. on Jan. 11. On view through Feb. 15. Best Practice, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
Free Second Sunday at MCASD
This is your last chance to check out the special exhibit "For Dear Life: Art, Medicine, and Disability" on a free Sunday and "Play Day" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there's special kid-friendly programming, including a poster-making project inspired by Emory Douglas' "The Black Panther Newspaper." Local contemporary dance troupe Disco Riot will host simple movement classes throughout the day, and you can also find music, story time and tours.
More info: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 12. MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free.
Julian Tan: 'End Trances'
Opening at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is a series of works by Julian Tan about "a blinding, mysterious light in the sky" and the way humans interact with it — and all forms of mystique and wonder, including AI.
More info: Opening 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 17. On view through April 19. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Free.
Literature and poetry
Small Press Nite Vol. 8
Portland-based writer Kevin Maloney will join a group of local writers for the eighth installment of Small Press Nite. Maloney, author of the hilariously tender book "The Red-Headed Pilgrim," has a new novel out, "Horse Girl Fever." Also reading is short story writer Anna Vangala Jones, Cora Lee and poet Adam Deutsch.
More info: 7 p.m. on Jan. 11. The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. Free.
Alliance San Diego: All People's Celebration
Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement with a festival of music, spoken word, dance, art, history and community. The 37th annual All People's Celebration coincides with Inauguration Day, and this year’s theme is "Protect Dignity." The keynote speaker is Catalyst California's John Kim.
More info: 9 a.m. on Jan. 20. Balboa Park Activity Center, 2145 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. $75+.
An Evening with Fran Lebowitz
ArtPower presents essayist and journalist Fran Lebowitz for a talk at Balboa Theatre. Lebowitz is known for her unapologetic and wry dissection of modern lifestyles, and was the subject of a 2021 Netflix series, "Pretend It's a City," directed by Martin Scorsese.
More info: 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $52.50-$78.90.
Music: classical, jazz and experimental
![Composer and musician Natalia Merlano Gómez of Duo Lingua is shown in an undated photo. She'll perform with Project [BLANK] on Jan. 17, 2025.](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/40a5e25/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1500x924+0+38/resize/1760x1084!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F15%2F40633c884dfd88d85a85f176ad15%2Fnatalia-merlano-gomez-juan-merlano.jpg)
Themattsmithneujazztrio Feat. Leonard Patton
This jazz trio features drummer Matt Smith, pianist Ed Kornhauser and bassist Mackenzie Leighton, and will perform two free sets with vocalist Leonard Patton at Lou Lou's Jungle Room inside the Lafayette Hotel.
More info: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2. Lou Lou's, 2225 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Free.
Le Salon de Musiques: 'Concertmaster Martin Chalifour opens the New Year'
This intimate Sunday afternoon chamber series includes a high tea buffet, champagne toast and an introductory lecture by a musicologist. They'll ring in the new year with works by Mendelssohn, Dohnanyi and a United States premiere from Polish composer Scharwenka, "Four Konzertstücke for Violin and Piano."
More info: 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5. La Jolla Woman's Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $69+.
Future is Color Studio Sessions: Jazz Night
Coinciding with Free Third Thursday at MCASD, Future is Color will host their regular live music series as a pop-up across several spaces in the museum: the Art Park, Sahm Seaview Room and the Strauss Plaza. The museum is open and free until 8 p.m., and the music will continue an hour later.
More info: 6-9 p.m. on Jan. 16. MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free.
Project [BLANK]: Duo Lingua
Composer and musician Natalia Merlano Gómez and trumpet player Davíd Aguila bring their ensemble, Duo Lingua, to Project [BLANK]'s Salty Series. Their work is experimental, with elements of electronic looping and improvisation. They'll perform their own compositions as well as works by composers Akari Komura, Ilana Waniuk and Han Zhang.
More info: 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 17. Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. $5-$50 (sliding scale).
'Fire Shut Up in My Bones': Opera Suite in Concert
Composer Terence Blanchard, The E-Collective, Turtle Island Quartet and visual artist Andrew F. Scott collaborated on this special concert-style performance of excerpts of Blanchard's opera, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones." Baritone Justin Austin and soprano Adrienne Danrich will sing alongside the ensemble, and Scott's visual art will be projected on the stage during the performance.
More info: 7 p.m. on Jan. 19. Baker-Baum Concert Hall at La Jolla Music Society, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $53-$87.
10th Annual Reed Family Concert
UC San Diego presents a three-concert series celebrating the annual Reed Family Concert, with a Jan. 22 performance of their WEDS7 series featuring compositions by Sarah Hennies performed by Hennies and Steven Schick. UC San Diego grad student composers will also have work in the concert. On Jan. 14, composer and filmmaker Chaya Czernowin will present a film, "Heart Chamber.” And on Jan. 15, the long-running experimental percussion ensemble red fish blue fish will perform more of Czernowin's work.
More info: Jan. 14-22. UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. $0-$20.
'Orchestral Evolution': Childs' Premiere and Beethoven's 'Eroica'
The San Diego Symphony will perform a world-premiere commission by Grammy-winning jazz and classical composer Billy Childs, conducted by Rafael Payare. They'll also play Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major" with Alexander Malofeev on piano, and Beethoven's gorgeous and grandiose "Eroica" symphony. Composer and SDSU professor Texu Kim will give a preconcert lecture beginning an hour before each show.
More info: 11 a.m. on Friday Jan. 31 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. Jacobs Music Center, 1245 Seventh Ave., downtown. $39-$120.
Theater
North Coast Rep: 'The Heart Sellers'
Lloyd Suh's script, set in 1973, follows two recent immigrants as they forge a friendship and face an uncertain future in the United States. North Coast Rep's production marks the play's San Diego premiere and is directed by Kat Yen.
More info: Jan. 8 - Feb. 2. North Coast Rep, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $49.50 - $54.50.
The Old Globe: Powers New Voices Festival
Reservations for the annual Powers New Voices Festival open to the public at noon on Jan. 3, and these readings sell out quickly. The festival features three days of staged readings of new plays, including a collection of short plays written by local writers in the Community Voices program (Jan. 10).
The festival spotlights four full-length plays, including Marco Antonio Rodriguez's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," an adaptation of Junot Diaz's Pulitzer-winning novel (Jan. 11). Also featured are "Alien Girls" by Amy Berryman, "Loving Come" by Tony Meneses (a Globe commission) and "Tell Them I’m Still Young" by Julia Doolittle.
More info: Jan 10-12. The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Free (RSVP required).
Coronado Playhouse: 'Barbeque'
Robert O'Hara's 2015 play "Barbeque" is a satirical, dark comedy about a family's intervention with their sister at a park gathering. The play challenges perceptions of race, class and the American family. Directed by Kimberly King.
More info: Jan. 10 - Feb. 2. Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado. $24 - $27.
New Village Arts: 'The Half-Life of Marie Curie'
Lauren Gunderson's 2019 play "The Half-Life of Marie Curie" will receive its San Diego premiere, directed by Kym Pappas. The play is a two-character study of female friendship between two of the most brilliant scientists in history, Marie Curie and Hertha Ayrton. Shortly after Curie discovered radium and polonium (and subsequently won the Nobel Prize in chemistry), she was accused of having an affair with a married man, and embroiled in scandal and rumor. Curie and Ayrton fled to England's seaside, and the play follows their relationship.
More info: Previews Jan. 24-31. On stage through Feb. 23. New Village Arts, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $35 - $50.
Dance
Little Saigon San Diego: Lunar New Year Festival
Welcome to the Year of the Snake at this three-day festival in City Heights, full of food, traditional and folk performances, giant lotus flower and lantern installations, family-friendly activities and even a soccer tournament. The centerpiece of this festival is the traditional lion dance, with scheduled performances each day. Attendees may also happen upon pop-up lion and dragon dances throughout the park all weekend.
More info: Jan. 24-26. Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park, 4455 Wightman St., City Heights. Free.
Martha Graham Dance Company
The legendary Martha Graham Dance Company returns to San Diego, on their 100th anniversary tour. In this program, they'll perform one of Graham's most notable works of contemporary ballet, her 1944 take on Aaron Copland's iconic composition, "Appalachian Spring." They'll also present some newer works, including a 2024 piece by Jamar Roberts, "We the People" and 2022's "Cave."
More info: 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $70.50-$115.
Film
San Diego International Jewish Film Festival
The 35th annual San Diego International Jewish Film Festival will screen 45 films, events and panel discussions. The festival begins Jan. 27 with a Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration, a screening of a short film "Tracks: Stumbling Stone Amsterdam" and mini-performances by JCompany Youth Theatre.
More info: Jan. 27 - Feb. 8. David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive, UTC. $0-$20.
San Diego Black Film Festival
This four-day festival celebrates Black cinema, opening with the feature "Dichotomy of Hattie McDaniel." Daytime, evening and prime film block screenings take place each day, along with parties and filmmaker breakfasts.
More info: Jan. 29 - Feb. 2. AMC La Jolla 12, 8657 Villa La Jolla Drive #129, La Jolla. Individual tickets: $25. Festival passes: $100.
Live music
Karen y Los Remedios, Jackie Mendoza and DJ Strange Bouquets
Mexican band Karen y Los Remedios blends trip-hop, Afro-Latin percussion, Peruvian music and dream pop. Local Jackie Mendoza will also perform, and DJ Strange Bouquets will do a set.
More info: 9 p.m. on Jan. 16. Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., South Park. $15.
Lee Fields and Monophonics
Soul and R&B performer Lee Fields will play at the Observatory with Monophonics this month. Fields has been putting out music since the late 1960s, and has collaborated with iconic acts like BB King and Kool and the Gang.
More info: 8 p.m. on Jan 17, Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., North Park. $41.75+.
Lady Lamb and Sima Cunningham
Lady Lamb celebrates the 10th anniversary of her album "Ripely Pine" at Lou Lou's, with Sima Cunningham supporting.
More info: 8 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19. Lou Lou's, 2225 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. $22.
Auz Fontaine, Ric Scales, Joe Dreamz and Keon Forbes
Synthpop act Auz Fontaine continues their Soda Bar residency with a special free showcase with locals Ric Scales, Joe Dreamz and Keon Forbes.
More info: 7 p.m. on Jan. 20. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Free.
Haley Heynderickx & The Westerlies
Singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx caught my attention with her haunting and understated 2018 debut, "I Need to Start a Garden." Her latest album, this year's "Seed of a Seed," is just as powerful. She'll perform with The Westerlies in a seated show at Belly Up.
More info: 8 p.m. on Jan 28. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $27.50+.
Blair Gun, Chorduroy and Virginia Crime at Casbah
Local rockers Blair Gun will kick off their residency at the Casbah at the end of this month, joined by other local acts Chorduroy and Virginia Crime. Blair Gun's latest album, "There Are No Rival Clones Here," was released in June.
More info: 8:30 p.m on Jan. 29. Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. $9.
