Culture Lust Weekend: 'Exuberance Found,' 'Strange Bones,' and 'West Side Story'

ART

This Saturday and Sunday the Oceanside Museum of Art is celebrating "The Photography of Imogen Cunningham" with an opening preview reception and a talk by Arthur Ollman (former director and founder of the MoPA). Famous for her nature photographs and their abstract angles, Cunningham is seen as one of the vanguards in photographic modernism. The exhibition will feature black and white botanical photographs form the ‘20s and ‘30s.

Innovative artists Mike Maxwell, Daryll Peirce and Chris B. Murry are helping Distinction Gallery kick off the new year with their show “Exuberance Found.” In addition to the exhibition, there will be Stone beer, open studios, and live painting throughout the building alongside music and poetry readings. We’re hoping the exhibition’s title is indicative of what’s to come in 2011.

THEATER

Cross off two resolutions in one night this Saturday at the opening of "The Secret Garden." Treat yourself to a Tony-award winning Broadway musical (like you promised you would) and donate to a good cause (part of the revenue is going to the Haitian cholera epidemic). Presented by the California Youth Theatre at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, the show is playing from the 8th-23rd.

Love is explored during Triad’s “heartbreakingly sad, unfairly true and absurdly hilarious” production of "The Maiden’s Prayer." The best man is in love with the groom (who happened to sleep with the bride's sister) and everyone’s friend Alex is determined to find love on cable TV, helping to palliate the pain of unrequited love - and give the audience routine comedic breaks. The show will be playing through January 23, but if you can, go next Wednesday as it’s two tickets for the price of one.

Broadway has brought everyone’s favorite love story and musical back to San Diego. It’s set in New York City, but the underlying themes of "West Side Story" transcend cities and time and the musical that brought us “Maria” and “I Feel Pretty” still manages to strike a chord. With new twists set to the tune of old favorites (Spanish has been introduced into some of the songs, further highlighting the pervasive divide between the two gangs) it's always a musical worth returning to.

MUSIC

Inspired by a coup d’etat that left Guinea without drums or parties (Guinea’s dictator died and the army instituted a period of morning where festivities were not permitted), local percussionist Monette Marino-Keita wrote songs during a visit to the country with GarageBand on her laptop. As if that doesn’t entice, Marino-Keita’s musical forte is mixing the rhythms of West African and Latin American with classic American Funk. She’s playing at Anthology tonight with her husband (Mamady Keita - a world class drummer from Guinea) alongside the Tribal Energy Dance Troupe, ensuring an energetic and invigorating evening of funk and rhythm.

LECTURE SERIES

While we can’t get enough of CSI, Law & Order and other crime scene shows, most likely we are among the many who have been duped into thinking that fancy technology is routinely available for criminal investigations. Tori Randal (Curator of Physical Anthropology at the Museum of Man) and The “Strange Bones” lecture series has set out to debunk crime shows this Saturday. (Listen to our interview with Randall on "These Days") There are no bones about it - this is a series not to miss.