🎨 Visual art
Rebecca Webb: 'Uncanny Cacti' and 'Hado Southwest'
Photographer Tina Krohn is opening a new gallery space in La Jolla, with an exhibition of work by local photographer Rebecca Webb. I love how Webb's work calls attention to the way we perceive, comprehend and coexist with nature. The show will feature Webb's "Uncanny Cacti" series and pieces from her powerful "Hado Southwest" project, setting wisp-like textiles against expansive regional landscapes.
5-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19; through Nov. 20 | Tina Krohn Photo Gallery, 1110 Torrey Pines Road Unit B, La Jolla | Free | MORE INFO
'Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art'
To kick off a new exhibition, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will hold a free public opening on Saturday. The exhibit is about LGBTQ+ dance clubs, dive bars and other safe spaces and their use and appearance in contemporary art — especially along the U.S.-Mexico border. Curated by MCASD's Amy Crum, it centers on the immersive photographic research work of Andres Payan Estrada, and will include a new addition to the project documenting queer nightlife in San Diego.
"I think of nightlife as a living archive. I'm interested in how places shape us long after we've left them," Estrada said in a statement. "Every dance floor and nightlife space carry stories of friendship, desire, movement, grief, resistance and joy. These are spaces where communities create and transmit forms of belonging that extend well beyond the night itself."
In addition, artists include Guadalupe Rosales, Joey Terrill, Vani Aguilar, Jesús Hilario-Reyes, Xandra Ibarra and many more, with sculpture, textile, video, photography, collage, painting and performance pieces.
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19; on view through Jan. 17, 2027 | MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla | Free-$25 | MORE INFO
Christine Lee: 'By Hand'
Local artist Christine Lee works with a variety of materials and processes in her interdisciplinary work, like woodworking, drawing, digital modeling, watercolor, weaving, textile work and metalwork. A new solo exhibition at Quint Gallery showcases three distinct series of Lee's work. I love her monochromatic weavings, and the play of light and texture on the canvas.
Reception: 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Gallery hours 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; through Oct. 10 | Quint Gallery, 7722 Girard Ave., La Jolla | Free | MORE INFO
🎵 Music
José González: 'Against the Dying of the Light'
Argentinian-Swedish indie folk sensation José González returns to San Diego on the heels of a gorgeous, wistful new album, "Against the Dying of the Light." González blends a lyricism that's both mournful and achingly hopeful with his distinct and intricate lo-fi guitar style.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 | Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, UC San Diego | $40-$75 | MORE INFO
SACRA/PROFANA: 'Un Diálogo, Dos Conversaciones'
Local choral ensemble SACRA/PROFANA launches their 18th season with a performance of music inspired by conversation and communication of the written word, both dialogue and monologue. The performance is conducted by artistic director Juan Acosta.
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 | San Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas | $15-$40 | MORE INFO
💃 Dance
Ballet Collective San Diego: 'REVEL'
Dancers Jenny Asseff and Emily Miller lead Ballet Collective San Diego, a platform and network for local professional ballet dancers to train, develop work and help build a sustainable profession with offseason performances. For its "REVEL" program, talented local dancers will perform with live chamber music. Choreographers include Katie Spagnoletti, Holly Curran, Tylor Bradshaw, Emily Miller and more.
5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 | The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla | $50-$95 | MORE INFO
🎭 Theater
'Come From Away'
The La Jolla Playhouse-born musical "Come From Away" returns to the region after a run on Broadway. The musical centers on a small town in Newfoundland where thousands of travelers were rerouted and stranded on Sept. 11, 2001. As we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, "Come From Away" is a thoughtful and hopeful reflection on how human connection can shine even in the darkest periods of trauma and crisis. The production is presented by Moonlight Stage Productions and performed in the outdoor amphitheater in Vista.
Through Sept. 26 | Moonlight Amphitheatre, 1250 Valle Terrace Drive, Vista | $51-$71 |MORE INFO
📚 Books
In the Park Till Dark and Book Swap
Bring your books and blankets to Bird Park in North Park on Thursday to get an hour of quiet reading surrounded by fellow book lovers and an amazing sunset view of downtown. This month's iteration of the Verbatim Books-hosted park hang also includes a book swap. Bring at least one book, add it to the Verbatim tent, then choose a new selection. The event kicks off with mingling at 5:30 p.m., then includes a silent reading time from 6-7 p.m.
5:30 p.m. to sunset, Thursday, Sept. 17 | Bird Park, 28th St. and Thorn St., North Park | Free | MORE INFO
Adalyn Grace: 'The Wretched Divine'
I interviewed local fantasy author Adalyn Grace at Comic-Con last year about the astonishing rise of the romantasy genre. "I write fantasy, and the fantasy I write has romance in it, just like a lot of books by male authors," Grace said in 2025. "Now that women have infiltrated the categories, we have to create this whole new word for what we're doing, and it's the exact same thing that people have been doing forever. My actual dream is that we are just acknowledged for writing fantasy and that we get equal footing in that space."
Grace celebrates her new adult debut book, "The Wretched Divine," which is about knights, angels, demons and an ancient war. She'll be in conversation with "Wicked Games" author Kaylie Smith, who also appeared on The Finest podcast. Renaissance costumes are encouraged. Tickets are required and include a copy of "The Wretched Divine."
6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 | Mysterious Galaxy Books, 3555 Rosecrans St., Ste. 107A, Midway/Sports Arena | $40 | MORE INFO
🎉 Bonus: Free Design
San Diego Design Week 2026
This year's San Diego Design Week theme is "Design for Everyone." A packed slate of panels, exhibitions, interactive events, workshops, tours and more explores how design pops up in health and wellness, architecture, fashion, digital spaces and media. Many, but not all, events are free. Check out my list of 15 free picks here.
Sept. 15-20 | Multiple locations | Free+ | MORE INFO
For more arts events and ongoing happenings, visit our community calendar.
