SAN DIEGO A DIVERSE AND UNEXPECTED ART SCENE

or g JANUARY 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SAN DIEGO: A DIVERSE AND UNEXPECTED ART SCENE From major museums highlighting the region’s multicultural visual arts to works by big name artists

Candice Eley (619) 557-2889

celey@sandiego.org Sarah Weinberg (619) 557-2838

sweinberg@sandiego.org Edna Gutierrez (619) 557-2887

egutierrez@sandiego.org Robert Arends (619) 557-2834

rarends@sandiego.org

Tw i t t e r @ Vi s i t S D _ P R

w w w s a n d i e g o or g

JANUARY 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN DIEGO: A DIVERSE AND UNEXPECTED ART SCENE

From major museums highlighting the region’s multicultural visual arts to works by big name artists nestled unassumingly along public streets and parks, San Diego’s vibrant and diverse art scene provide an inspiring and unexpected counterpoint to the world-famous family attractions and sun-kissed setting for which San Diego is best known

In addition to housing the nation’s largest urban cultural park and dozens of museums large and small, San Diego is home to a

network of vibrant neighborhoods where visitors can discover local street art, hidden galleries and cultural events that paint a portrait of a creative city that’s more than just a beautiful beach town

BALBOA PARK

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2915, Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the United States and often referred to as the "Smithsonian of the West" for its impressive collection of cultural institutions Adjacent to downtown San Diego, more than 1,200 acres comprise a number of attractions, including museums, art galleries and the Tony Award®-winning Old Globe theater Especially striking are the museums located along the park's El Prado walkway and housed in beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings, built during the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 www.balboapark.org

Balboa Park’s Museums

 Marston House: Famed architect Irving Gill designed this

historic Craftsman period mansion with an elegant English

garden http://sohosandiego.org

 Mingei International Museum showcases folk art from around

the world, from African quilts to delicate dollhouses and much more www.mingei.org

 Museum of Photographic Arts presents photography from

leaders like Ansel Adams, as well as cutting edge new artists An intimate and elegant, state-of-the-art movie theater screens film classics and cult classics alike www.mopa.org

 San Diego History Center showcases San Diego’s history with

artifacts, costumes, art and one of the largest photograph

collections in the western United States

www.sandiegohistory.org

 Reuben H Fleet Science Center features hands-on science

exhibits, the world's first IMAX theatre and a motion simulator ride www.rhfleet.org

 San Diego Air & Space Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate,

presents aviation history from first flights to space travel

www.sandiegoairandspace.org

 San Diego Automotive Museum displays classic automobiles

and motorcycles from yesteryear, including an annual lowrider display and motorcycles owned by Steve McQueen

www.sdautomuseum.org

 San Diego Hall of Champions boasts three levels and is the

nation’s largest multi-sport museum www.sandiegosports.org

 San Diego Model Railroad Museum showcases the largest

indoor model railroad display in the world

www.sdmodelrailroadm.com

 San Diego Museum of Art hosts prominent national touring

exhibits and displays Old Masters, Asian art, 19th century

European paintings, 20th century paintings and sculpture, and contemporary California art www.sdmart.org

 San Diego Museum of Man, a Smithsonian affiliate, features

anthropology discoveries from around the world, including

Egyptian mummies, a traditional Kumeyaay house and exact replicas of Mayan monuments www.museumofman.org

 San Diego Natural History Museum highlights regional

environments and fossil finds in the San Diego region, and

includes a giant-screen theater “Al,” a full-size allosaurus

skeleton, welcomes visitors in the atrium www.sdnhm.org

 San Diego Art Institute's Museum of the Living Artist

displays works by San Diego artists www.sandiego-art.org

 Timken Museum of Art displays European and American

masterworks, including Russian icons, and admission is free every day www.timkenmuseum.org

 Veteran's Memorial Center Museum honors the men and

women who served in the U.S armed forces www.sdvmc.org

Balboa Park’s Ethnic Diversity:

 Centro Cultural de la Raza showcases the art and culture of

Mexicans, Chicanos and Native Americans www.centroraza.com

 House of Pacific Relations represents 30 different nations in

19 cottages, with open houses and lawn programs on Sundays, featuring crafts, costumes, dance, ethnic foods and more

www.sdhpr.org

 Japanese Friendship Garden features tranquil strolling paths,

a koi pond, tea pavilion, zen garden and activity center

www.niwa.org

 Spanish Village Art Center is where more than 50 local artists

create, display and sell their works in a charming and colorful Spanish-style village www.spanishvillageart.com

 WorldBeat Center celebrates cultures of African origins

www.worldbeatcenter.org

UNIQUELY SAN DIEGO MUSEUMS

Beyond the borders of Balboa Park, San Diego's museums explore the everyday and the unexpected

 California Surf Museum in Oceanside preserves the legacy of

pioneering legends of the surfing world www.surfmuseum.org

 Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego displays modern

masterpieces, including multi-media exhibits from

world-renowned contemporary artists, in two locations, downtown San Diego and La Jolla www.mcasd.org

 Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad features more than 450

musical instrument displays and interactive areas to listen to

music, ranging from ragtime to rock 'n' roll

www.museumofmakingmusic.org

 The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego

encourages children to think, play and create with innovative, hands-on art activities and exhibitions designed by emerging and established contemporary artists www.thinkplaycreate.org

 Olaf Wieghorst Museum and Western Heritage Center in

downtown El Cajon pays tribute to artist Olaf Wieghorst with dozens of his paintings portraying the 19th century American West www.wieghorstmuseum.org

 Maritime Museum of San Diego in downtown San Diego along

San Diego Bay offers one of the world's finest collections of

historic ships, including the famous Star of India—the world's

oldest active tall ship www.sdmaritime.com

 Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo in San Diego’s

East County displays railroad history of the Pacific Southwest and features train excursions from its depot www.sdrm.org

 Also in Campo, the Motor Transport Museum is home to more

than 200 antique trucks and other motor transport vehicles, plus

an eclectic collection of industrial equipment and

photos/memorabilia related to the trucking industry and

automotive pioneers www.motortransportmuseum.org

 The Firehouse Museum in downtown San Diego features

antique fire engines, firefighting equipment and memorabilia in

San Diego's oldest firehouse www.sdfirehousemuseum.org

 Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar presents U.S Marine aviation history and aircraft tours

www.flyingleathernecks.org

 San Diego Sheriff's Museum honors local law enforcement

and includes a real jail cell, courtroom, helicopter and

motorcycle www.sheriffmuseum.org

 USS Midway Museum is a decommissioned aircraft carrier

museum along downtown’s San Diego Bay waterfront, featuring aircraft displays and interactive exhibits honoring the U.S

military www.midway.org

GALLERIES AND ART DISTRICTS

Hidden amongst the boulevards and back alleys of San Diego’s diverse neighborhoods are galleries and artists collectives showcasing

a broad spectrum of work, ranging from under-the-radar photographers and street or graphic artists to the big names sought out by the

country’s leading collectors

 Set on a secluded hillside in a bright, modern structure that

resembles a tiny Getty Center, the LUX Art Institute in

Encinitas maintains an artist-in-residence program offering up-close opportunities to view international artists at work

www.luxartinstitute.com

 The SDSU Downtown Gallery is a program of the San Diego

State University College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts Housed on the ground floor of the recently renovated historic San Diego Gas and Electric power plant building, the gallery

showcases works from students in the college’s fine arts

programs

 The posh seaside village of La Jolla is home to some of San

Diego’s hippest galleries Thumbprint highlights the urban art

movement that stems from outsider art, low/new brow art, street art and graffiti The elegant Scott White Contemporary Art

gallery is committed to the promotion of emerging and mid-career artists, as well as showcasing renowned modern and contemporary artists like Willem deKooning, Alexander Calder,

Alberto Giacometti and Robert Indiana Quint Contemporary

Art brings in big names like Ryan McGinnis and Manny Farber to

an intimate gallery setting

 Little Italy’s north end is home to the Kettner Art & Design

District, where visitors will find galleries like JDC Fine Arts,

dedicated to the best works from both emerging and established

photographers Noel Baza Fine Arts displays original paintings,

sculpture and prints The gallery’s primary focus is on local

artists of the San Diego bi-national border region and Latin

American Art, but big names like Picasso and Chagall have been known to appear on the walls

 Young urbanites and artists are spurring a creative renaissance in

Barrio Logan, a historic Latino neighborhood just outside of

downtown Opened in 2013, Bread & Salt is an experimental art

space located in a former Weber bakery building that features

exhibitions throughout the year Voz Alta, a grassroots Chicano

arts organization and artists’ collective, presents

multi-disciplinary art exhibitions throughout the year along with

regular open-mic nights and jazz jam sessions at their gallery

and workspace The Roots Factory on Main Street is part artist

collective, part screenprinting shop and part performance art space; innovative visual arts exhibitions are also presented

throughout the year at their onsite gallery

 A revitalized warehouse district in downtown San Diego, the East

Village neighborhood offers unique art-viewing experiences

Composed of three former warehouses, the East Village’s Space

4 Art offers a variety of programing throughout the year at its 32

artist studios, 5 live/work artist studios, two-room exhibition

gallery and outdoor performance stage At Makers Quarter,

pedestrians can view a series of large-scale images by three photographers, or witness how a parking lot became transformed

into a community garden The adjacent Silo space hosts a

variety of arts events throughout the year At the nearby

Warehouse1425, works by more than 30 of San Diego’s most

innovative street artists and photographers adorn the warehouse walls

URBAN AND PUBLIC ART

 Since 2010, more than a dozen artists have transformed the coastal seaside village of La Jolla into an outdoor contemporary

art gallery The Murals of La Jolla feature massive painted and

photographic works by local artists as well as international

contemporary art stars

 In 2010, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

commissioned renowned street artists including Shepard Fairey and Invader to leave their mark on the city with dazzling murals hidden throughout San Diego’s downtown neighborhoods; many

of the murals remain scattered throughout San Diego today

 Started as a community initiative to prevent vandalism, Writerz

Blok in southeast San Diego offers one of the most unexpected

and extraordinary art experiences in San Diego Young San Diego street artists continually make over the park’s 10,000 sq ft., which is covered inch for inch with graffiti art

 In the early 1970s, the Latino community established Chicano

Park (www.chicanoparksandiego.com) beneath the San

Diego-Coronado Bridge overpass, as part of a community

empowerment effort The park is home to a dazzling display of colorful sculptures and political murals painted on the bridge’s pillars

 Stuart Collection on the campus of the University of California,

San Diego in La Jolla offers self-guided walking tours of

site-specific works by leading artists of our time

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu

 More than 150 paintings, drawings and photographs from the

City of San Diego’s own Civic Art Collection have been

permanently installed on all floors of the newly opened San

Diego Central Public Library Standout pieces include a

four-part installation of oversized lenticular prints and stacked

dioramas that can be viewed through glass walls when riding the library elevator and a sculptural installation called “Hiding My Candy,” a 60 x 10 foot wall affixed with approximately 2,000 open books The 8th floor reading room features a collection of 25 unique pieces of reclaimed furniture painted bright blue and interspersed among the library’s dark furnishings, as well as a gallery space featuring rotating exhibitions

 Surrounded by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and citrus

groves, Galleta Meadows features 40 fantastic metal

sculptures of dinosaurs, mammoths, saber-tooth tigers, sloths and other ancient former residents, as well as life-size animals of the non-prehistoric kind: camels, tortoises and wild stallions Created by artist Ricardo Breceda, his “Sky Art” project tells the tale of San Diego’s fascinating and fossilized past one free

standing, steel-welded sculpture at a time

ART AFTER HOURS

 The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents TNT

(Thursday Night Thing), an ongoing, ever-changing

presentation of progressive visual arts and entertainment at the

museum's downtown space on the first Thursday of every month.

www.mcasd.org

 During Culture & Cocktails, the San Diego Museum of Art’s

ongoing series premiering new exhibits, guests check out the world-class art and while noshing on appetizers and intoxicating beverages in a lively DJ-spun atmosphere Entertainment,

libations and décor are themed to match the museum’s key exhibitions

 POP Thursdays at the Museum of Photographic Arts offers

an evening event centered around fun and photography Each event features music, drinks, interactive projects and cult films Guests can engross themselves in the film by grabbing a seat in the museum’s theater or take in the vibe and enjoy a drink from the cash bar as the film is projected on the atrium wall, while experiencing the exhibitions on display

 The San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park presents the ongoing Tower After Hours series celebrating San Diego's

unique and vibrant ethnic mix Each month the museum

presents a unique opportunity to make new friends and catch up with old ones, with the vibrant mix of music, dance, food, and drink while taking participants on exciting journeys to far corners

of the world

 Whether hippie or hipster, San Diego's artists, locals and visitors

converge on the second Saturday every month for the Ray at

Night art walk In addition to nearly two-dozen North Park

galleries adjacent to Ray Street that extend their hours late into the night for this free event, Ray at Night often features

performance art ranging from DJs to fire dancers The event is San Diego's biggest monthly art walk, and the people watching can be just as good as anything on display at the participating galleries www.rayatnightartwalk.com

 On the second Friday of every month, the Kettner Art &

Design District in Little Italy hosts Kettner Nights The

progressive exhibition is free and open to the public and offers attendees the opportunity to stroll through all of the district’s newest galleries and stores, where they can purchase art, home décor and gifts while getting the most innovative design tips and ideas for their homes Complimentary beverages and hors

d'oeuvres are served

Film buffs can enjoy classic and independent cinema in two San Diego museums

 Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents ongoing

screenings of film classics and animation at its La Jolla location www.mcasd.org

 Museum of Photographic Arts’ intimate modern theater in

Balboa Park provides a screening space for local and regional film organizations www.mopa.org

 Digital Gym, presented by the Media Arts Center San Diego,

shows underground documentaries, indie projects, workshops and a media lounge for visitors to try out video games, software and more www.digitalgym.org

Each year, new stars shine on the silver screen during San Diego's

diverse annual film festivals

 FILMOUT San Diego highlights the year's best LGBT films with

special appearances by filmmakers and actors

www.filmoutsandiego.com

 San Diego Asian Film Festival celebrates motion pictures,

shorts and animation of Asian artists from around the world

www.sdaff.org

 San Diego International Film Festival in downtown San

Diego showcases the best in American and international

full-length films, documentaries and short films; it also features Q &

A sessions with directors and guest appearances by film artists www.sdff.org

 San Diego Jewish Film Festival showcases American and

international feature films, documentaries and short films that

explore the Jewish experience www.sdcjc.org/sdjff

 San Diego Latino Film Festival features screenings of short

and feature length films from across Latin America and the U.S

by Latinos and about the Latino experience

www.sdlatinofilm.com

EVENTS

 Every November, galleries from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia showcase paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints,

photographs, videos and cutting-edge multimedia artworks during Art

San Diego The contemporary art fair serves as a marketplace for the

world's leading contemporary art galleries

 The Medium Festival of Photography features lectures and

workshops by leading photographers from around the U.S., as

well as opportunities for budding photographers to present their

portfolios to gallery and museum representatives

 Held every April, Mission Federal ArtWalk is a free visual and

performing arts celebration that takes place in downtown San

Diego’s colorful Little Italy neighborhood and is the largest art

event in San Diego

 The largest comics and pop culture event in the United States,

Comic-Con International attracts thousands of artists,

celebrities and fans of comic books, movie memorabilia and all

things related to pop culture to the San Diego Convention Center

in downtown San Diego every July

 Every August, San Diego holds one of the country’s largest

conventions devoted to Tiki-inspired art, Tiki Oasis The art and

lifestyle event features a tiki marketplace, live music, an art

showcase floor, burlesque performers, a custom car show and

more

Happiness is calling in San Diego For more information on San

Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable

coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego

Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org

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“Funded in part by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District with City

of San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment Funds.”