San Diego's Top Weekend Events: Spaces And Places

>>> This is KPBS Midday Edition and I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. The Coachella Festival enters its final weekend today with the same lineup as last week and of course the event billed as the worlds largest free environmental fair and Earth Day celebration takes place this Sunday in Balboa Park. On our weekend preview we are focusing on three events honoring historic spaces and places around town. Joining me is the art calendar editor Nina Garin. >> Chicano Park Day is a favorite San Diego tradition. How long has it been going on? >> This is the 48th annual Chicano Park Day it's a day to celebrate the park and its political history and community spirit. >> Remind us about that, how did it originate? >> It was a neighborhood park in the 1970 the community rose up because there were plans to build a CHP parking lots and they said No they just got the Coronado Bridge and they said we are not having this and they rose up and got the park and it became a space and a symbol for Mexican-American culture and history. >> The history is depicted in the parks famous murals. >> Yes. If you've driven by you've seen the gorgeous murals there are dozens of them from small-scale to very large and they depict stories of immigration. Also feminism and identity. >> There's a new mural completed this month. >> It shows the Virgin of Guadalupe a caring water to immigrants in the desert kind of like how border angels does that. It shows important activists including border angels Hugo Castro.It was painted by Sal Barajas , one of the original artist who painted one of the oldest murals in 1973. >> What happens on Chicano Park Day? >> It's full of music, into gentleness dance -- indigenous dance, low rider cars, speakers from various groups. >> Chicano Park Day happens all day Saturday at Chicano Park there's another space being celebrated at the Museum of contemporary Art San Diego the former Sherwood Auditorium. Tell us about the venue. >> It was a small theater next to the La Jolla Museum and it got torn down because the Museum is expanding. >> You spent a lot of time there and it was a popular spot especially in the 1990s. >> It was really popular around the 80s and 90s especially with people may be between the ages of 18 and 21 before you could do anything. There was a festival of animation. A lot of people spent their time in line at the midnight showing. There used to be a big writers conference. When it started to die down there was a lot of classical music and community performance by dance and theater groups. >> How is the Museum honoring the space that no longer exists? >> There working with an artist named Yve Laris Cohen who grew up in San Diego with the background and performance art and sculpture his work is about moving from one space into another. Kind of the feeling of being in between spaces. He is a transgender artist so his work speaks to that theme >> What exactly will people see? >> He re-created the inside of Sherwood and that's what you will see. It's not really art like traditional art exhibition, it's more about a feeling. He's more of a light and space artist. You feel the transition but every Saturday afternoon there will be secret performances they are to honor the community aspect and all the things that used to happen there. >> Tell us a bit more about the artist, you say he's from San Diego. >> He was raised as a girl studying classical ballet. There's a lot of dance also as part of his art. You can't really classify is he a dancer or sculptor or architect. He doesn't really like labels. You just go and experience what he presents. >> Yve Laris Cohen, meeting ground is one of four new exhibitions that opens at the Museum of contemporary Art San Diego downtown location. And we will be talking now about Jean-Michael Jarre , how does he fit? >> Is a world renowned French composer and lock Tronic music composer. -- Electronic music composer. He's made music for supermarkets, performed at the great pyramids in Egypt. >> These are just regular outdoor concerts. A broken records for attendance several times. >> He's made the Guinness book several times. Performed in Houston for 1.2 million people pick that's one concert. In Paris for 2 million and the latest in Moscow for 3.5 million in one show. >> Is also returning to Coachella. Let's listen to what the musical events sound like. This is Stardust a sound he did with electronic artist. >> [ MUSIC ] >> How does this translate to the indoor sprinkles theater? >> It's like playing in a living room. His latest tour was designed to be able to be done in spaces of all sizes. One cool thing he has is the laser harp which is laser beams that he plays with his hands and they can move him around at the cool thing that can be done anywhere. Jean-Michael Jarre closes out his first-ever North American to work here in San Diego on Saturday night. And before you go, what's happening this weekend for Earth Day? >> Earth Day is one of San Diego's biggest events. If the data celebrate fear. It has hundreds of exhibitors, vegan food, a great kids parade where they march and wear beautiful bright clothes. There are galleries, art shows, anything related to the earth. >> The annual Earth Fare takes place Sunday in Balboa Park from 10:00 until 5:00. Thank you. >>> >>>