Visual art
Delana Delgado: "Around the Way Girl"
Puerto Rican-American photographer Delana Delgado works with the analog aesthetics of film photography to capture images of femininity in Latina and Black communities.
Delgado's work feels intimate while also possessing a documentary edge — part archive, part invitation to witness and understand. The exhibit, at the Gallery 201 space in Liberty Station, is curated by Dinah Poellnitz of The Hill Street Country Club.
Details: "Around The Way Girl." First Friday preview: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3; Opening exhibition 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. On view Nov. 4, 2023 through Mar. 31, 2024. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Gallery 201, 2820 Roosevelt Rd., #204, Liberty Station. Free.
'Over/Under: Woven Craft at Mingei'
In a new exhibit, Mingei International Museum has gathered 75 works of art that all nod to weaving in some way: textiles, basketry, jewelry and other works from around the world — even fish traps from the Philippines.
San Diego muralist Yomar Augusto has also a painted a site-specific mural, bringing the "over and under" concepts of weaving to a wall at massive scale.
Details: "Over/Under: Woven Craft at Mingei." On view Nov. 4, 2023 through Mar. 10, 2024. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. $0-$15
Dance
"PORT": Disco Riot and Fact/SF
In a bi-city contemporary dance collaboration, San Diego's Disco Riot and San Francisco's FACT/SF have put together a program of two distinct works, performed by each company.
Disco Riot founder Zaquia Mahler Salinas said it's part of Fact/SF's approach to building sustainable models for smaller companies. Touring troupes tap into a regional troupe's audience in that city, then share their own home audience when the other troupe reciprocates a visit.
For more arts events, or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
"It's really a tool for companies — small organizations — to self-produce touring opportunities. Because touring is so challenging and really not made available for most regional companies, you have to have a lot of resources, and a lot of exposure in order to receive sufficient resources to tour works," Salinas said.
Along with Fact/SF's performance, Disco Riot will perform a long-form work by Salinas with original music by Jonny Tarr.
Details: "PORT: DISCO RIOT + FACT/SF." 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 2-4. Black Box @ Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 1100 Kettner Blvd, downtown. $15-$25.
City Ballet: "Balanchine Extravaganza"
Local ballet company City Ballet of San Diego will present a program of three works by legendary American ballet choreographer George Balanchine: "Serenade," "Donizetti Variations" and "The Four Temperaments."
Details: "Balanchine Extravaganza." 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $39-$99.
Music
California Festival Family and Community Day
Overwhelmed by all the California Festival choices? Start here at this free, family-friendly sampler on Sunday afternoon at the Rady Shell. At noon, the San Diego Symphony will perform works by Carlos Simon, Jessie Montgomery and William Starr alongside Leopold Mozart's "Toy Symphony" and Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." San Diego Youth Symphony, San Diego Master Chorale and Art of Elan will also perform throughout the afternoon.
Check out my feature on the California Festival here for more information and a look at all of the regional concert offerings. The festival runs Nov. 3-19.
Details: California Festival Family & Community Day. 12-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. Free (RSVP required).
La Jolla Symphony and Chorus: "This Soil"
The La Jolla Symphony and Chorus' new music director, Arian Khaefi, will lead the symphony in a performance of works by Kristen Kuster, Samuel Barber, Gabriela Lena Frank, Gala Flagello, Florence Price and Leonard Bernstein. Each work is conceptually tethered to the theme of "This Soil," exploring the land, boundaries and earthly journeys.
Details: La Jolla Symphony & Chorus: "This Soil." 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. Mandeville Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Dr., UC San Diego. $20+.
Books
One Book, One San Diego: Antwan Eady and Gracey Zhang
"Nigel and the Moon" is our KPBS One Book, One San Diego kids selection for 2023, by writer Antwan Eady and illustrator Gracey Zhang. Eady and Zhang will be in town to read and discuss the book in two special events designed for young children and their families. In the morning, they'll hold a virtual event, and in the afternoon they'll be on-site at the San Diego Air and Space Museum … perfect for anyone dreaming of becoming an astronaut.
Details: One Book, One San Diego: Antwan Eady and Gracey Zhang. Livestream: 9-10 a.m.; In-person: 3-4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3. San Diego Air and Space Museum, 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park. Free; RSVP recommended.
Small Press Nite Vol. 3
The Book Catapult will host another installment in the Small Press Nite, celebrating authors who are a little outside the realm of the "big five" publishing conglomerate. Smaller presses are where risks are taken, and the resulting literature is beautiful, powerful and always unique. Host Kevin Kearney has pulled together an all-star crew to read this time, including Allie Rowbottom, author of the 2022 novel "Aesthetica" and her 2018 memoir "Jell-O Girls"; Jon Lindsey, author of 2021's "Body High"; Tea Hacic-Vlahovic, author of 2022's "A Cigarette Lit Backwards"; "Violent Candy" author Tex Gresham; Olga Mikolaivna, author of 2023's "cities as fathers"; and Lexi Kent-Monning, author of "The Burden of Joy."
Details: Small Press Nite vol. 3. 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. Free.
YA Author Event: Tracy Badua and Alex Brown
Tracy Badua, author of the YA book "This is Not a Personal Statement," and the middle-grade book "Freddie and the Family Curse," will hold a conversation with Alex Brown, author of the YA comedy novel "Damned if You Do" and a crew member on the shows "Supernatural" and "Resident Evil." The authors will discuss their work, and the importance of drawing on their Filipino-American background and identity in writing.
Details: YA Author Event: Tracy Badua and Alex Brown. 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. North University Community Library, 8820 Judicial Dr., UTC. Free.
Theater
"Little Amal: Washed Ashore"
Little Amal is a 12-foot-tall puppet representing a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, and has been walking across the entire country to raise awareness and money for refugee and displaced children around the world. Amal is finishing her journey of the United States in San Diego, before crossing the border and continuing into Mexico. Created, built and performed by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, Little Amal's visit to San Diego involves several visits in several sites on Saturday. Find her from 11 a.m. to noon in San Ysidro with Casa Familiar; 2-3 p.m. at Balboa Park with La Jolla Playhouse and friends; and then in the evening, Little Amal's visit will culminate with an interactive, site-specific performance at South Mission Beach with Blindspot Collective and ArtPower.
You can picnic with the help of food trucks, then Little Amal will search for objects and memories washed ashore.
Details: "Little Amal: Wasted Ashore." 5:30 p.m. (activation begins at 6 p.m.) on Saturday, Nov. 4. South Mission Beach, 2600 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach. Free (RSVP recommended).
"Tears of War"
To commemorate the visit of Little Amal to San Diego, Vantage Theatre will produce a performance of seven refugee stories from the collection "Tears of War: Stories of Refugee Women," by Anne Hoiberg. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Casa Cornelia, a non-profit immigration law firm.
Details: "Tears of War." 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. La Jolla Riford Branch Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $20. 18+.
Asian Story Theater: "Asian Scary Theater"
This production from theater and storytelling organization Asian Story Theater uses vintage radio-style dramatizations to retell ghost stories from Asia and the Pacific Islands region, with live narration, sound effects, music and more. This is a condensed, hour-long production.
Details: Asian Story Theater: "Asian Scary Theater." 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, North University Community Library, 8820 Judicial Dr., UTC. Free.
Film
24th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival
The 2023 SDAFF runs Nov. 2-11, with most screenings taking place at Regal Edwards Mira Mesa and special events at a variety of museums and event spaces around town. The festival includes 23 premieres and dozens of filmmaker Q&As. Check out KPBS film critic Beth Accomando's preview here.
Details: San Diego Asian Film Festival 2023. Nov. 2-11. Times and locations vary. Opening night is 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the San Diego Natural History Museum. $12-$325.
Live music picks
Thursday: Palehound and alexalone at Casbah (indie); Two Lanes at Soda Bar (electronica); This Wild Life at SOMA (acoustic/pop); Puma Blue at Music Box (indie); Monophonics and Reverend Baron at Belly Up (soul).
Friday: Rain on Fridays, Trestles, Mom Cars and Career Woman at Che Cafe (indie/punk); Sonido Gallo Negro with Tropa Magica and Rogê at Quartyard (cumbia); Moon Walker with Nordista Freeze and JARA at Soda Bar (rock); The English Beat at Belly Up (new wave/punk); Beach Fossils with Turnover and Provoker at SOMA (indie)
Saturday: Dia de los Deftones 2023 at Petco Park; Delicate Steve at Casbah (instrumental indie/rock); The English Beat at Belly Up (second show) (new wave/punk); Berkeley Hart 25 Year Anniversary Shows at Sunshine Brooks Theater (folk); Tracy Lee Nelson at Valley Arts Festival/Heritage Park, Oceanside (blues).
Sunday: La Doña with Danie at Soda Bar (Latin, hip hop); A Wilhelm Scream with Urethane and Deadbed at Casbah (punk/melodic hardcore); Kim Petras with Alex Chapman at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (pop); Doja Cat at Viejas Arena/SDSU (rap/hip-hop); Charlotte Cardin at House of Blues (pop).
