Visual art
San Diego Potters’ Guild: Spring Patio Show
In Balboa Park's Spanish Village Arts Center, the San Diego Potters’ Guild will host its spring pottery show and sale. Part of the Craft in America "Handwork 2026" celebration for America 250, artists will be on-site to discuss their new pieces and the process behind them. Featured artists are Lynn Zimmer and Nancy Barbour, but art by more than 40 potters will be displayed at booths and tables around Spanish Village's colorful stone patio.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14 | 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park | Free | MORE INFO
Luis Alonso Sánchez: Sweet Dreams
Tijuana- and Mexico City-based artist Luis Alonso Sánchez's new solo exhibit is inspired by a nightmarish memory from his childhood: seeing the Easter Bunny slowly remove its head. Sánchez's installations, sculptures and paintings focus on the space between comfort and terror in childhood memories and dreams — looking to the past in a way that feels more complicated and loaded than simple nostalgia. One work involves chain-link fencing ominously installed behind a nightmarish sculpture depicting unsettling black-and-white-painted versions of cartoon characters. The Bread & Salt exhibit opens with a reception coinciding with the monthly Barrio Art Crawl.
Reception: 5-8 p.m Saturday, June 13. Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday | Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights | Free | MORE INFO
Music
Dear Tomorrow: Sounds of Tomorrow Jazz Jam
It feels unfair to bury this event inside the "music" subheading … because pasta. The Oceanside historic home-turned-art-space Dear Tomorrow will host a concert and dance party with a live jazz band, along with a natural wine and homemade pasta pop-up. The venue is a combination of studios and coworking spaces, along with a shop and gallery — plus a calendar of performances and workshops. Friday's jazz-tinged event will launch a communal art exhibit featuring dozens of local artists, with some art-making stations in case inspiration strikes.
7-10 p.m. Friday, June 12 | Dear Tomorrow, 216 S. Tremont Street, Oceanside | $6 in advance, $12 at the door | MORE INFO
Ásgeir and Nathaniel Stewart
Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir's 2026 album, "Julia," is a gorgeous collection of raw, heart-twisting and propulsive indie folk music. I may be biased about my name-twin title track, but the entire album is a delight — chock-full of ballads and bops alike. Local musician Nathaniel Stewart opens.
8 p.m. Saturday, June 13 | Music Box, 1337 India Street, Little Italy | $25-$30 | MORE INFO
Books
Madhushree Ghosh: 'Safar: Finding Home, History, and Culture Through Punjabi Food in the American West'
Local author Madhushree Ghosh explores the intersection of food, home and history in all of her work, and her newest book is no exception. In "Safar," she follows South Asian refugees and immigrants in the United States, particularly four Punjabi women in the American Southwest, and explores their recipes and stories. For her book launch, Ghosh will discuss the book with fellow local writer Huda Al-Marashi.
6 p.m. Thursday, June 11 | Library Shop San Diego, 925 W. Washington Street, Mission Hills | Free | MORE INFO
Theater
'The SpongeBob Musical'
Millennials rejoice: Bikini Bottom is coming to a local stage. This musical from the creative minds of Kyle Jarrow and Tina Landau is based on the Nickelodeon series-slash-cultural force, "SpongeBob SquarePants," by Stephen Hillenburg. The plot follows SpongeBob and his pals as they try to save their home, peppered with songs from David Bowie, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper and more. Cygnet's production is directed by Katie Banville, with Bailey Lee as SpongeBob and Rebecca Murillo as Sandy, among a full cast. Lower-cost previews run June 10-13.
June 10 through July 12 | Cygnet Theatre, 2880 Roosevelt Road, Liberty Station | $22-$83 | MORE INFO
'Measure for Measure'
Summer Shakespeare is here! The Old Globe kicks off its outdoor Shakespearean programming with "Measure for Measure," known as one of Shakespeare’s "problem plays," where comedy exists unexpectedly and sometimes in stark contrast to dramatic and tragic elements. Directed for the Globe by Vivienne Benesch, the play follows Angelo as he tries to rule the land after the mysterious disappearance of the duke. This play is the home of the famous, deliciously dark and profound Claudio line, "Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; To lie in cold obstruction and to rot."
June 14 through July 12 | The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park | $38-$107 | MORE INFO
Dance
Pointeworks: 'Nocturnes'
Summer doesn't often mean ballet, but Pointeworks is trying to change that. The summer-focused company was founded in 2024 by Sophie Williams as a way of providing year-round work for local dancers — that is, in the gap between traditional ballet seasons. "Nocturnes" is an evening-length collection of five pieces, including two world premieres. New work by choreographer Jacquelyn Long will be performed with live piano and violin music, and the company will also unveil a work by Keerati Jinakunwiphat.
2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 13 | The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla | $35+ | MORE INFO
Film
'Trainspotting' 4K Restoration
In honor of its 30th anniversary, Digital Gym Cinema will screen the iconic 1996 Scottish film "Trainspotting," by Danny Boyle, adapted from the Irvine Welsh novel. Starring Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald and Ewen Bremmer, it tells the story of a group of heroin addicts living in poverty in the Leith neighborhood of Edinburgh. It's a dizzying brew of tragedy and grotesque comedy — and has been recently restored in 4K.
June 12-18 | Digital Gym Cinema, 1100 Market Street, downtown | $9-$13 | MORE INFO
Festivals and discussions
'Intersections: Art and Law at the Border'
California Lawyers for the Arts will present their eighth annual community symposium, connecting artists, cultural workers and activists with scholars and legal professionals from San Diego and Tijuana in a discussion of the ways art intersects with immigration and justice, particularly at the border. One session on my radar is "Coding the Borderlands" at 1 p.m., exploring the way art can shape ideas of the border with binational artists Ingrid Hernández, Brett Stalbaum and Hugo Crosthwaite.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 13 | Woo Studios, 2212 Main Street, Barrio Logan | Sliding scale: $10+ | MORE INFO
