This weekend in the arts: Jamie Franks at ICE Gallery; Sons of Kemet and Melanie Charles at Belly Up; Hausmann Quartet performs Haydn's "Seven Last Words of Christ"; Melissa Chadburn in conversation with Jac Jemc; and The Globe celebrates Shakespeare's birthday.
Jamie Franks: 'Hurry'
Visual art
Jamie Franks' new site-specific, ephemeral installation, “Hurry” at ICE Gallery, covers the entire gallery space with isomalt (sugar substitute), steel wire and resin. The isomalt takes on an appearance of fractured sheets of crystalline material or ice cracking and crumbling throughout the entire gallery — with pieces of varying size threaded with fine wire and woven across each wall. Even the space's windows are coated with a fluid-like blob pattern formed by resin. Left to its own devices (and the natural humidity of the space), the isomalt would eventually break down.
San Diego-based artist Jamie Franks' interdisciplinary work has been shown at Art Produce and Bread and Salt before — including her recent, memorable evolving chairs installations, "Cacophony" and "Liability."
Details: Open gallery hours are Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or by appointment, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m, Tuesday through Saturday (make a reservation here). ICE Gallery (inside Bread and Salt), 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
Sons of Kemet
Music, Jazz
British jazz group Sons of Kemet play a high-octane and powerful blend of jazz, Caribbean and African folk and rock music. Led by saxophonist and clarinetist Shabaka Hutchings, the group recently released a new full-length album, "Black to the Future."
Sons of Kemet will perform at the Belly Up, and opening will be the incredible Melanie Charles. Charles recorded a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert last year with a gorgeous, Sun Ra/Afrofuturism-inspired arrangement of "Deep River," and you can watch that below.
Details: Saturday, April 16 at 9 p.m. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $20-$35.
Hausmann Quartet: 'Haydn's Seven Last Words'
Music
Haydn's iconic "The Seven Last Words of Christ" was originally composed for a Good Friday service in the late 1780s in Cádiz, Spain, then later adapted for a string quartet. It contains seven pensive sonatas, each inspired by the seven phrases attributed to Christ during the crucifixion story. An introduction movement and a closing "Earthquake" piece round out the work, and the final movement is as violent, fast and loud as the title suggests.
Hausmann Quartet have performed this work during Holy Week in prior years, and this year they're pairing up with a vocal quartet (led by Tasha Koontz) to perform chorales between each movement. Tickets are donation-based, with guests choosing one of three organizations working in Ukraine.
Details: Friday, April 15, 2022 at 8 p.m. St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 334 14th St., Del Mar. Donation-based (minumum $1).
Melissa Chadburn: 'A Tiny Upward Shove' (with Jac Jemc)
Books
"A Tiny Upward Shove" is the debut novel from Los Angeles-based writer Melissa Chadburn, and it feels like a must-read. The story is inspired by Chadburn's own Filipino heritage and background in the foster care system, and one of the characters is the real-life serial killer Willie Pickton.
The story promises supernatural magic, grisly crime and artfully crafted writing just from the first page. Chadburn will be in conversation with San Diego-based writer Jac Jemc (author of "The Grip of It," "False Bingo") at The Book Catapult.
Details: Friday, April 15 at 7 p.m. The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. Free.
'Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare'
Theater, Family, Dance, Literature, Poetry, Music
Shakespeare truly has it all (as evidenced by all the arts categories this event checks off the list) and The Old Globe is ready to celebrate the 458th birthday of William Shakespeare with activities and performances in as many ways as they can.
There's a fight choreography workshop, sonnet performances with Ric Scales and more, a puppet show, an Elizabethan dance workshop, music and a chance to check out the winners of the sonnet competition (though it's now too late to enter).
This is a free AXIS event in the outdoor Copley Plaza, and it's also the launch of the Globe's new, ambitious "Henry 6" project — which you can read about in KPBS reporter Beth Accomando's feature here.
Details: Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Free.
For more arts events and Editor's Picks, or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts calendar.
