While some local businesses and spaces may be getting the all clear to open up this Memorial Day weekend, it feels like the art and music world has finally found its stride with virtual offerings and social-distanced experiences. This holiday weekend, there's plenty to do without having to brave any crowds, with a pop-up festival, drive-up art and a finely curated collection of experimental music.
Seaport Sessions
Music, Art
This month's virtual version of 91X Loundspeaker's monthly popup music and arts festival at Seaport Village features music from local musical heroes The Donkeys and Pall Jenkins, of Three Mile Pilot and The Black Heart Procession. There will also be art work by artists from Bread and Salt, La Bodega and the New Children's Museum, including Max Daily and his "Oslo Sardine Bar," and Jessica Ling Findley.
Details: Tune in Thursday from 6 - 8 p.m. on the Seaport Village Facebook feed. Free.
UPDATE: Even though this happened in the past, you can still watch it online. The full stream is now available to watch on Seaport Village's Vimeo channel here.
Drive-Up Viewing: Michelle Montjoy, "Borrow Pit"
Visual Art
Artist Michelle Montjoy's "Borrow Pit" will close at Lux Art Institute Saturday. Montjoy was installing this site-specific immersive textile installation right when the shelter in place orders took hold. She said she really envisioned people being able to touch the works, smell them, etc., but for the entirety of the exhibition, no audiences have been able to go in. Except a kitten. When I spoke with her in March about ways she could engage audiences with her installations online, she said she really wanted to let a kitten loose in there. And she did (you can check out the kitten's experience embedded below). The gallery has been leaving the lights on in the space at night so that the exhibition can be seen from the massive front windows. It's worth a drive-in style visit (though you probably won't have as much fun as Otis the kitten).
Details: Through Saturday, pull into the Lux Art Institute main parking lot to view. Find directions here.
Bonus drive-up opportunities:
- Mint House Project, features vivid murals on a fence in Barrio Logan on Evans St. just a block up from National.
- The Athenaeum now has a book documenting ten years of murals collection of Murals of La Jolla. They also recently unveiled a new mural by Isaac Julien. You can find a map of the murals of La Jolla online here.
![A video still from Project [Blank]'s Sofa Series: The Experimentalists, featuring cellist Judith Harmann.](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/7b36c67/2147483647/strip/true/crop/882x543+10+0/resize/1760x1084!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fimg%2Fphotos%2F2020%2F05%2F21%2Fimprovisation_by_judith_harmann.jpg)
Project [Blank]'s Sofa Sessions: The Experimentalists
Music, Performance Art
The latest installation of Project [Blank]'s Sofa Sessions — their quarantine offerings — is really well-curated, interesting and gorgeous. Experimental music and performance art can sometimes feel a bit inaccessible, but being able to interact with these video and audio offerings at my own pace was a great way to dabble. This session features acts from around the world, including San Diego, Finland, New York, Iceland, Boulder, LA and more. There's radio opera, poetry, absurdist dance parties, imaginary origin stories, sound meditation and so much more.
Details: Through May 28, on-demand streaming available by donation at Project [Blank].
