Visual art
'Alex Katz: Theater and Dance'
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego opens a special exhibit this week celebrating the work of artist Alex Katz. The exhibit features massive, bold and colorful works and installations inspired and informed by Katz's decades of work in set design and with dancers and avant-garde theater companies since the 1960s. The public opening coincides with MCASD's free Third Thursday.
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21. On view through Jan. 4, 2026 | MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla | Free-$25 | MORE INFO
Helena Westra: 'Lying Fallow'
Local sculptor and installation artist Helena Westra has hand-gathered a collection of native California grasses to explore the agricultural practice of "lying fallow," or resting soil for a season — something worth taking notes on. The grasses form a room-sized maze, filling the Athenaeum Art Center's indoor space at Bread & Salt with an immersive, meditative meadow.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through Oct. 25 | Athenaeum Art Center, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights | Free | MORE INFO
Ivan David Ng and Sergio Suárez: 'Sky written, cosmic draw'
Artists Ivan David Ng and Sergio Suárez make their West Coast debuts at Oolong Gallery. Singapore-born Ng draws on his Hakka ancestry to create works of drawing, collage, assemblage, photography and painting. Suárez uses printing, woodblock carving, sculpture, installation and painting to explore divinity. Both artists will be on site for the opening reception and will lead an artist walkthrough.
5-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 | Oolong Gallery, 6030 La Flecha, Rancho Santa Fe | Free | MORE INFO
'Painting in Sidro'
The second edition of The Front Arte y Cultura's new drop-in painting club takes place Saturday afternoon in the San Ysidro gallery's patio. Painters of all levels are invited to bring their materials and either a work in progress or a blank canvas to paint in community. Refreshments will be available.
1-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 | Casa Patio, 114 W. Hall Ave., San Ysidro | Free | MORE INFO
Books
KPBS San Diego Book Festival
The inaugural KPBS San Diego Book Festival is a free event for book lovers of all ages. Attendees will enjoy panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment, and exhibitors including local authors and independent booksellers.
If you're interested in books and peeking behind the curtain on what it takes to make a podcast, I’ll also host a live taping of The Finest from 10:40 to 11:25 a.m., interviewing authors Emily Greenberg and Moses Ose Utomi. Though advance tickets are sold out, limited seating may be available before the show.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 | University of San Diego | Free; $5 to reserve spots in select panels | MORE INFO
Compressed
Presented by Burn All Books and Particle FM, Compressed is a zine and music fair with dozens of creative vendors, presses, artists, galleries and zinemakers from the San Diego-Tijuana region. Check out my feature on the project last year here.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23 | Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights | Free | MORE INFO
Music
Resonance Collaborative Open Mic
This free, multidisciplinary open-mic night invites artists to share writing, music, poetry, dance or other performance. The event is a collaboration between St. Brigid's Church and Oceanside Theatre Company.
6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 | OTC Studio 219, 219 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside | Free | MORE INFO
'Jurassic Park in Concert'
The San Diego Symphony will perform a live score to the 1993 film "Jurassic Park," featuring one of modern cinema’s most recognizable orchestral themes. The film will be projected in high definition while the orchestra performs.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown | $78-$130 | MORE INFO
Dance
The Rosin Box Project: 'Debuts'
San Diego's innovative and impressive contemporary ballet company, The Rosin Box Project, returns to the stage with its annual production of brand-new choreography. This year features Garrett Smith, Ching Ching Wong and TRBP artistic director Carly Topazio. You can learn more about the choreographers and the performance in my story here.
7:30 p.m. Aug. 22-23; 5 p.m. Aug. 24 | California Center for the Arts, Escondido | $54-$66 | MORE INFO
Theater
'The Heart'
In La Jolla Playhouse's premiere musical "The Heart," the human heart takes center stage. The play spans a 24-hour period during the process of a heart transplant — as one life depends on another's death. Check out KPBS reporter Beth Accomando's preview here.
Through Sept. 28 | La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., UC San Diego | $30-$109 | MORE INFO
'Shuuluk Wechuwvi'
Mabelle Reynoso's play "Shuuluk Wechuwvi: Where Lightning Was Born" follows a teenager, Lucky, as he discovers his Kumeyaay heritage and its connection to the planet’s fragility. Deeply rooted in local wilderness and the Kumeyaay culture, the play features Kumeyaay actors and crew. Only two performances are scheduled.
1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 | Spark Studio, 8283 Ronson Rd., Kearny Mesa | Free with RSVP | MORE INFO
Film
'To Kill a Wolf'
The San Diego theatrical premiere of "To Kill a Wolf" is co-presented by Pacific Arts Movement. The film, an eerie reframing of "Little Red Riding Hood," is directed and written by Kelsey Taylor, with Adam Lee — an alumnus of Pac Arts' Reel Voices youth filmmaking program — as producer and cinematographer.
Aug. 22-28 | Regal Edwards Mira Mesa, 10733 Westview Pkwy., Mira Mesa | $19.49 | MORE INFO
Cinema at Chicano Park: 'Born in East L.A.'
Cine en el Parque, a free film series from Media Arts Center San Diego, continues Saturday with "Born in East L.A.," written, directed by and starring Cheech Marin — who has also recently become as known for his legacy in the visual arts in Southern California as he is for his movies. His Riverside museum The Cheech celebrates Chicano art. The screening is preceded by food, music and a community gathering.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 (event begins at 6 p.m.) | Chicano Park, 1960 National Ave., Barrio Logan | Free | MORE INFO
