2022 Art Auction Preview Exhibition
Visual art
Oceanside Museum of Art's (OMA) annual art auction is currently underway, with a correlating online bidding period and in-person exhibition of all the works of art. There's plenty of them: 78 works by 72 artists from the region spanning Los Angeles to Tijuana.
The online exhibition is currently open for bids through Aug. 1, 2022, and you can browse the artworks in the bidding portal. It's no replacement for seeing them at the in-person exhibition, though, which is on view to the public through July 31. Then these artworks will go to their new homes. The selections include plenty of notable artists and even some recognizable works, like "Chiapas Racers" by photographer Don Bartletti; a stunning Kaori Fukuyama work, "Space Between Certainty and the Unknown"; several pieces by Amanda Kachadoorian; three pieces by Julia San Román and many more.
Plus, if you visit OMA at certain times this weekend, you can also find some other treats. On Friday, it's the First Free Friday concert, featuring the Taryn Donath Duo. Free general admission to the museum begins at 5 p.m., and the concert begins at 6 p.m.
From noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, you can experience Shinpei Takeda's phenomenal "Limit of Your Safe Space" exhibition with an avatar version of several of the contributing augmented reality artists in the exhibition — using VR headsets. The 20 minute timeslots for these experiences are quickly selling out
Details: Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. $0-$10.
Good Faith Summer School: Typography and Flyer Design 101
Visual art, Classes
Good Faith Gallery's new summer school program is the perfect antidote for envy over all those fun, creative summer camps that kids get to attend. Just for grown-ups, you can take crash courses in DJing, garment dying, color theory, cinematography and this weekend's offering: typography and flyer design. Andrew Reyes is an artist and graphic designer who has done a lot of the fantastically typeset flyers for previous Good Faith projects. For each of these summer school courses, there's a Sunday morning and evening session.
Details: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, July 3, 2022. Good Faith Gallery, 566 19th St., Sherman Heights. $30.
'Sauced': Intoxicating Dances at Art Produce
Dance
Dancer and choreographer Erica Buechner has put together a special performance at Art Produce, in a series of short, 30-minute showcases that can be viewed while seated inside, with a ticket, or from the sidewalk, as a passerby.
The shows promise to be fun and engaging, featuring choreography by Buechner, Bradley Lundberg and Blythe Barton. Additional dancers include Nikki Dunnan, Robby Johnson, Jessica Rabanzo-Flores, Nick McGhee and David Wornovitzky. Ticketholders can arrive early for pre-show drinks (hence the title?), including specialty cocktails and mocktails.
Warning: Tickets for the indoor seating are selling quickly.
Details: Performances are 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, plus a 9 p.m. show on Friday and Saturday, June 30 through July 2, 2022. Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. $0-$25.
An evening with Lora Mathis and friends
Poetry, Music
Poet, visual artist, writer and zinemaker Lora Mathis creates intense and vulnerable works, whether in their "film stills" series, graphics or books. I recently saw Mathis perform with Matty Terrones at Swish Projects, projecting photography and stills while reading poetry, all set to the ambient noise art of Terrones.
For this program at the inclusive arts and community space the Brown Building, joining Mathis and Terrones will be several Los Angeles-based musicians: Maddi Baird, Leah Levinson and Club Café.
Details: 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, 2022. The Brown Building, 4133 Poplar St., City Heights. $5-$20 sliding scale.
Marvel's 'Black Panther' in concert, live-to-film
Music, Film
Friday night, catch a screening of Marvel's 2018 movie "Black Panther" at The Shell, with the San Diego Symphony performing Ludwig Göransson’s incredible score live. Featured in the performance is the Senegal-based musician Massamba Diop, who performs on the "talking drum," or dùndún, which was used in the soundtrack to underscore the actions of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Diop himself can be heard in the actual soundtrack, and will be joining the San Diego Symphony for this performance.
The instrument, generally a hourglass, tension drum with a head on each side, is known as the talking drum for a reason: it truly can mimic the speech patterns of the Yorùbá language and is used by Yorùbá drummers to share poetry, prayers or announcements.
Here's a segment about Massamba Diop from WBUR's Here & Now program from 2018.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 1, 2022. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $50-$130.
'Leonard Bernstein's New York'
Theater, Music
A two-character tribute-style production, this show from New Village Arts will be performed at the outdoor stage at the Carlsbad Flower Fields throughout July. The play features many of Bernstein's notable songs, and follows the two characters as they explore New York City — a place with an undeniable impact on Bernstein's work. Johnisa Breault and Trevor Rex perform, and the production is directed by Kristianne Kurner.
Details: This weekend's performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday (previews), and the official opening day is 2 p.m. Sunday. On stage through July 31, 2022. The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad. $28-$40.
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