S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's show. The arts and culture shaping San Diego. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. The Encanto Block Party Music Festival is back. We'll tell you all about it. Then hear about the AAPI Emerging Artists Fellowship , plus your weekend preview. That's ahead on Midday Edition. So if you've lived in San Diego for a while , you might remember the Encanto Street Fair of years past , while this Sunday they're bringing it back to Marie Weidman Park. It's called the Encanto Block Party Music Festival , and there's there will actually be lots of food , art and music to see with the whole family. My next two guests are here to talk about what you can expect. Katie Phinney is the executive director of the San Diego African-American Museum of Fine Art , and Kamal Kenyatta is the artistic director behind the music festival and a teaching professor at UC San Diego. Katie Carmel , welcome to the show.
S2: Hey , good to see you again.
S3: It's good to be here. Thank you.
S1: Great to have you both here in studio to talk about this. I mean , because this is it's a revival of the original street fair , which originally started back in 1993. And this is something the community has really wanted to bring back. So what can you tell us about that and what you've heard from people? gaiety.
S2: You know , every time we talk to people or in the black cultural district , they always talk about this Encanto street fair that used to be and is is very important for the museum as the managing entity for the nine blocks to really bring art to the to the community , not just in the museums , but to the community itself. So with the help of , uh , Councilman Henry Foster the third , we're able to put this together. And it's a real gift to bring this back back to the community. Absolutely.
S1: Absolutely. I mean , and as you mentioned , the San Diego Black Arts and Culture district is home to the block party. Um , why is it important to have it in the district and in Marie Weidman Park in particular?
S2: Well , the you know , this this idea of a black cultural district is very important to the city , to the whole community. And so we've done a music festival two years ago , two years already. But because the park wasn't ready , we couldn't put it in the district. But now that it's accessible at Marie Whitman Park , we were able to bring it back. So it's super important to keep as much activity and growth in and just interest in the black cultural district.
S1: And it is in fact Mary Whitman Park.
S2: That is correct.
S1: All right. We got it. We got it now. Thank you for that camo. Speaking of this music festival , you've got another fun lineup of musicians this year. But before we talk about who'll be there , what goes into actually picking the artist? What are you really looking for when you do this?
S3: We're looking for , you know , diversity in style , really to reflect. You know what? What black San Diego has to offer. And it's not limited to San Diego. In the past , we've had people from Northern California , Los Angeles. This year it's an all San Diego festival , all the musicians. So so we have , you know , variety , like like our music is so there's reggae , there's , uh , kind of blues and there's a great singer songwriter , and there's someone who uses music for healing all all these interesting aspects that help to bring the community together.
S1: And we actually have a few clips to play from the artist. This is Lover's Leap by Dub Testament.
S4: To the way.
S1: I love it , it's it's it feels good. You know , when you hear the music. The group has roots in southeastern San Diego , as I understand it. So why was it important to feature talent from within the community?
S3: Uh , because we have it. We have it to show. And actually , the name Encanto actually means enchantment , right? So we're enchanted with our own. The people that are right near us and what they bring. And in fact , the leader of that group , Stephen McKinney , his grandfather , was the legendary Bishop McKinney of Saint Stephen's Church right there on Imperial. So , I mean , there's a there's a soul , there's a depth that comes from being here and giving what they have to give. And that's what I say about that.
S1: Yeah , well , I want to play another because we have another track , um , which is a different vibe. It's a , it's a , it is Gemmell and her song , I am proud.
S5: I just spoke it and walked towards it and now I'm having some good days. God just told me that I am worthy of receiving these good things. Yeah. So I am breathing in and I am proud of who I am. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of who I am.
S1: More music that just feels good. Um. And it's Gimeno.
S3: We're very proud of Jim and L , and , you know , there are affirmations and healing embedded in her sound , and it's going to be. You just have to be there to experience it. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I mean , and she she's got more of that neo soul sound. Um , and she's also got roots obviously here in southeastern San Diego. Talk about , you know , giving younger emerging artists like her a platform.
S3: I mean , I'm surprised anyone doesn't want to do that. My whole life , you know , I teach college , and it's I'm around young people all the time , so I. I depend on the gym and els and , you know , Steve McKinney and Kahlil Khalil. Nash. Nash to keep the music moving forward , you know. And so I don't know. It's shocking to me that anyone else would not foster and not seek out this kind of talent. And again , they keep me young. I can say that.
S1: Well , and there's also this really important conversation , I think , happening right now about music that uplifts , um , the community , the people , the , the spirit , all of that. Um , and so I , you know , it's been all over social media this past week. I won't even repeat the song that everybody's been talking about. India. I re weighed in on it. Um , but if you could speak to the , the importance of of music that uplifts Katy. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. It's just , you know , that's our culture. I mean , we it is goes around the world. Black culture has just been just the thing that the whole world kind of listens to. And we have great music here. So and it's it brings people together. It's like , uh , a thing for your family to show up and just enjoy yourselves and and visit your your friends with music's around. It just makes it for very interesting and wonderful family day with music and food and all of that. And even besides that , just art all over the area. So we'll have we'll have like a , a bookmark that tells other things that are happening outside of Whitman Park. So this also is called Art on the Avenue. So we'll have that as well. But again , but it culminates where the vendors and the music is. And that really brings people , you know , you see these festivals all over. So this one is for the black people. It's for black music. Great time to be with your family. So come out there. It'll be fantastic.
S1: Well , I mean , speaking of art , there's also going to be a virtual exhibit that people can check out while they're there. I saw it on online. What can you tell us about it? It looks really neat.
S2: So the AR exhibit is really is an exhibit that you only see through your phone. And so what we're trying to do on on Sunday don't even is to let people know how to. To view it and to come back with their families , with their church , with their schools. Because it consists of many of our black leaders who have passed away. And there are many there. There are 15 of them throughout the park , but you can only see it through your phone , right? And you have to have it on app. So we're trying to get showing people how to use the app to get to watch it and come back to the Marie Widmann park to see it again. But it's a powerful big exhibit that is permanent. I mean permanent because it comes from the satellite down. You only see it. And the reason for the phone is because we don't. If you want to do metal or eyeglasses , that's not ready. Everybody has a phone so they can view these things with their regular phone. But it really is on Sunday. It's showing you how to do it , but we want you to come back and visit us again. It's permanent. If there's an earthquake that happens , these will still be there. They're permanent forever. So it's like a heritage garden , an ancestral heritage garden that will always be in Marie Whitman Park , courtesy of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art.
S1: That's really neat. That's there. Thank you. Can it can you use medical assets with it , or will that be something in the future?
S2: In the future we might develop it. But again we want everyone to have access. Yeah. And so that's the reason I'm not focusing on that in the future yet as everybody has access to it. There are programs. But for right now , I think it's the best to make it so that everyone can see it on their regular phone. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Talk about , you know , how important it is to highlight , you know , the beauty of southeastern San Diego through events like this , if you could.
S3: Well , San Diego proper is one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived. I've been in. I've been all over the world , you know , and and yet some areas are kind of favored. Everyone talks about Gaslamp , or they talk about the beaches , and all the neighborhoods have a certain beauty. As we say , Encanto means Enchantment and I. When people come , when they came to our last event at MLK Park , they were just shocked at the beauty of the park , how open it was. And you won't know that unless you come. You know , you just have to come and experience and and and be around the people. And I would say that , you know , people may see someone they haven't seen in ten years and they may make a new friend and so on top of presenting art and music , we want to build community. And that's what that's what we're asking. That's why we're asking everyone to come and see. That's why it's so important.
S1: You know , the museum manages the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District. Remind us why you all took on that responsibility.
S2: Well , it's because it expands our reach , if you will , into communities so that we can further the artistic elements of the community as well as the economic. You know , because managing this is not just art , it's economics as well , because we're looking at widening streets and streetlights and things like that. So it's more than just a notion to be mentioned. And I have to think as a committee of people who work on this , you got to give thanks to them who meet every month and make suggestions and go through all the different projects that we might utilize , but we need. We're the managing entity. But again , it's so that we can have a farther , further reach into the community. But to give back. And one of the things we want to give back is Encanto Street Fair and Music Fest. Excellent.
S1: Excellent. You know , it reminds me there was a flood back in January 2024 that really hit the district in southeastern San Diego hard. What are some of the challenges of coming back from that , and how is the community continuing to thrive?
S2: Well , you know , there's there's still people upset about it , you know , that. But it it it it caused the Mary Whitman Park that to be usable. So we had to move the festival that we did two years in a row to a different park. And so bringing it back , um , Is a smaller venue , but a very beautiful venue and is within the nine blocks. So it is important that we further the nine blocks as a place to be and promote it. So the museum does help in that respect.
S1: Um , Carmel , what are your thoughts on on the power of festivals like this one to bring people together? Because.
S3: Um , I've seen it , I've experienced the last two here , and I've seen it in my own music career as a musician. And , uh , you know , just good things happen. Good connections happen. This year we have 23 different food venue vendors , imagine. And the other vendors that we have include things for , you know , jewelry , food , art , skin , skincare , eyewear. And maybe when you when you're purchasing a food , you're going to meet someone new. Uh , maybe when you , you go to get a product for your skin , It changes your life. I mean , things happen. Magic happens in these spaces , and I just. I'm very proud to be part of it. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Building communities. You know , it's how you create that sense of belonging. Gaiety. Anything to add there?
S2: No , I just want to give a shout out to the councilman Henry Foster , the third , for his leadership in the area and his help , as well as our superintendent , Monica Montgomery Stepp , who helped start the nine blocks. The area , the black cultural district.
S1: What are your hopes for for future generations and the relationship to the festival since you're bringing since we're bringing it back here?
S2: Well , I hope that this really becomes a regular event for people , because this building of this community really is. They do it in many places , but it really is a place to come together. If you're from the East Coast in school , for instance , you come back for this. If you're somewhere else , you come back to see your family and friends and you all meet. So it's really one of those things that really enhances the idea of community and candles. A beautiful place. But we miss that community. We want to build it. We want to make it something just everyone can enjoy and come year after year after year and make a good memory. It's all about making great memories. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. What's required to ensure that? That we can bring it back?
S2: Quality and money , of course. And we get some of that by foundations and grants and things like that. It's not inexpensive to do this sort of thing , but we have been able to raise it and we'll continue to be able to raise it to keep it going. But it's , you know , it's hard work. And again , I bless the committee. I bless the Henry Foster the Third for his help in fundraising. But it really is it takes a lot. And the committee does a lot to get it back. So more power to them and to us to keep going.
S1: And so I mean , just when people go down to Marie Widmann Park this weekend , say it's their first time in the district or first time in a while at least , what's the first thing you recommend they check out while they're also there at the block party.
S3: Well , I mean , you're not going to be able to avoid the music. We have basically non-stop music , whether it's a live act or very wonderful DJ Deutsch and I don't know. You don't even need a script. Just just go be there and experience. There's. We have a lot to offer.
S2: You know , it's free. Do you know that? That's the thing. I mean , it's it's. You mean you need to understand that. So. Yeah. So the first thing you know , you could just come and enjoy it and bring your family and tell your friends and just promote it as you would when you leave. So they also know to come back. But I think just knowing that it's Marie Whitman and the festival and also the art along the avenue that they're able to see , there'll be a vans and things moving people around. So you have to walk so far. So stuff going on like that And just , you know , here's the thing. Carmel is it doesn't say how. How great he is doing this. And we have the best sound , I'm telling you , the best sound of any concert anywhere. And so that's what you'll notice. First you go. Wait a minute. This is really good. This music is sounding great. And I got to give Carmel a shout out for that because he knows music. And so you don't get this just going anywhere. You're getting a little louder. You're getting a really great , great sounding music all day long.
S3: Thank you so much. And we got to shout out Carlos Morales , who's going to be doing sound for us and who's done it for the last two festivals. Outstanding. All the musicians , all the attendees are like , wait a minute. They just don't expect that for some reason. Yeah , we're bringing quality.
S2: That's the thing. I think that people when when we had our festival board , we used this before and come out before , it's just the quality. We don't do anything that's not quality. That's the museum's calling card is quality and this is another quality event that we're doing well.
S1: I mean , it's definitely going to be a good treat for everybody who can make it out. I've been speaking with Katie Phinney , executive director of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art , along with Carmel Kenyatta , artistic director behind the music festival and a teaching professor at UC San Diego. The Encanto Block Party music Festival will take place at Marie Whitman Park. Doors open at noon. It'll run through 7:30 p.m. , and we'll include more details on our show notes at KPBS. Katie Comeaux , thank you.
S3: Very well. Thank you. Jade.
S1: Still to come here about the AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. This weekend , the Asian American Pacific Islander Emerging Artist Fellowship is launching its third exhibit. It's called erotic. Founded by the nonprofit It voices , the goal of the fellowship is to support AAPI artists in the contemporary art space. I'm joined now by one artist in this latest cohort. Arman Mumtaz. Arman , welcome to the show. Hi.
S6: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here. So how would you describe your art and the medium you work in?
S6: I would say the crux of my practice is definitely drawing. Drawing was the most instinctive approach to my work that emerged in like really early life. And more recently , I think drawing has been situated in more experimental installation contexts. I think after years and years of more traditional sort of framed , rectangular works on walls and these notions of like ways to exhibit work , I've been more curious about how to retain that , like really innate kind of feeling of drawing and mark making on paper , while still creating more interesting spaces and more opportunities for immersion for the viewer. Interesting.
S1: Interesting. Something you look at is the intersection between Catholicism and Islam and your mixed heritage. How do you explore that in your art? Yeah.
S6: Yeah. You know , I think that that like in-between space is , you know , one of the things that interests me most , I think in general , my work is interested in the compounding overlap of in-betweens and how we can maximize the tension in those limbo spaces. I think the tension can be a beautiful thing , and that's kind of my mission with the work , is to find a way to transmute this feeling of tension into something really beautiful and into something that has this feeling of harmony and knowingness.
S1: And you're actually from San Diego? Uh , born in National City , raised in Chula Vista. What led you down this path to become an artist?
S6: You know , it was an interesting path. I think it just was the hobby. You know , I think most kids think of art as a hobby. And luckily , you know , my family was so supportive of me , like , honing that craft and investing in that interest. And that was really solidified when I went to an arts high school at CPA , shadow CPA. Um , and so after that , I just knew I wanted to go into , you know , a university track with an art degree. And from there , I never really questioned it. You know , in life there are so many questions. And luckily , I've always found comfort in the fact that I've known that I wanted to pursue this path. Yeah. Wow.
S1: Wow. And CPA is San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. Shout out , shout out. How has your upbringing in San Diego inspired you artistically?
S6: I think in so many ways. I think largely culturally , through my family and through the community I live around. I'm half Mexican , half Pakistani , and so I live in such close proximity , you know , namely to my Mexican family. And I think seeing the way that my family approaches culture , religion , faith , superstition , intuition , matriarchal sort of structure , like all these things that like maybe are not named or addressed in my family , but are kind of innate to the way that it operates , like have really unspeakably impacted me in my work. And I think what I've become as an artist who is trying to render fantasy and imagery from that , like more mundane feeling source material , like how do I look back on my family memories and my sense of community with this fantastical lens mythologizing my own origins in a way to kind of afford myself the the authority and the right to say , like , what if I spoke about my experiences with the gravity of , you know , like faith based language or with religious imagery? Like , what would it mean to give myself that platform? And so that's kind of been a growing exercise with my practice that's been in tandem with my personhood.
S1: That's great. How did you first find out about the fellowship? How does this whole thing work?
S6: Interestingly , through social media and increasingly so , I find that so many artistic opportunities , open calls for shows or fellowships and so on are on social media. And so I saw a post and it was really piqued. And when I saw that it was based out of San Diego , I was like , so fascinated because , you know , I applied these things all the time. And so seldom do you see something like this is offering such a robust support package and offering so much mentorship coming out of San Diego. And so I knew I really wanted to apply it because I was like , well , what a wonderful opportunity that could be for like full circling , you know , just like coming back and doing something that has to do with the furthering of my practice and ideally my career. But coming home also , and those two things usually in the past felt kind of disparate. And so to see these things overlapping right now is actually really fascinating for me.
S1: And you're working with , like , minds. Tell me about the beauty of that. You feel like you found your tribe here?
S6: Yeah , totally. I mean , I think that happens so often. And it's happened again here. Um , there are three other incredible artists in the show Kelsey , Lucy and X , and we've all been kind of under the guidance of our incredible curator Hamza , who I know you've spoken to before , and it's just been an incredible space of support and a lot of like , comfort , like I think in the process of making there's so many questions. You'll have a plan , it falls apart , you'll have questions you don't have answers to. And sometimes you'll get worried that there's like this kind of looming curatorial force that you don't know will be understanding or not. But like , it's been nothing but understanding and it's allowed for a really free sense of making. And it's , I think , been helpful for my work. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. So let's talk more about the exhibit itself. I mean , what can you tell us about this year's theme? Yeah.
S6: Yeah. So the show is titled Erotic Expanded Technologies for Reclaiming Aliveness , and it's based largely off of Audrey Lorde's text uses of the erotic. And mainly it's , I think , on the in general , trying to unpack the term erotic or eroticism in the way that we colloquially understand it , which is to do with sensuality , the body , flesh or spectacle , and trying to consider it more as like this life giving essence , joy , creativity , impulse , instinct , and like , how do we tap into that? And I think each of us in the show are for sort of installations , are trying to investigate , like the different technologies we can access , the different spiritual or visual or personal technologies we can access to tap into that eroticism in the most pure kind of human sense.
S1: So tell me more about what you'll be showing. And if you could describe some of the details for those tuning in on the radio?
S6: Yeah , I'll be showing a diptych installation of two large drawings that are nearly life size. They're colored pencil on paper , and they'll be installed flush against the wall. And all that's kind of standing between the viewer and these drawings is these hanging kind of sheer curtains that are also in pink. So the whole installation is a confluence of shades of pink , and it's kind of this interesting remix of a typically mundane vignette , which is like a curtain , but it's being problematic with these different curious factors , like there's no window behind the curtain , there's this strange figure emerging from the wall behind the curtain. The curtain is pink and 100% polyester , you know? So there's all these things that , like , are trying to juxtapose , like the sanctified and the synthetic and also the unseen with the scene in the work. It's trying to propose , like the curtain as this kind of personal technology for viewing. So the sensation that you get from looking at it is that , like these figures you're seeing in the wall can only be seen through the curtains. And this was born of a personal anecdote for me , like where growing up I was really fixated on curtains for whatever reason. And so I think I loved fabric , I loved fashion , I loved clothes , and so it was just the most mundane , readily accessible iteration of like fabric and excess that my eye could sort of reach on average. And so I was able to tap into that and render out of this kind of really simple , personal anecdote , a large mythology. And so that's kind of the crux of the practice is like , this was a strange kind of offshoot thing that I used to do as a kid. And what happens when I look back on it , treat it as with the same gravity of like a creation myth or kind of a prophet messenger tale that would be found in some scripture and like , then make the imagery out of it. And so I think it's kind of this exercise of like , again , maximizing the tension in these in-between spaces , like the personal and the religious , the sanctified and the synthetic and also the unseen and what we can see , you know , I think that's a large part of what's happening. And so it's kind of this presupposed visitation from these angels or these figures that are in the wall and the curtain is kind of this rudimentary technology for being able to see them.
S1: That's a very interesting , interesting. What informs that aspect of your art , that sort of religious aspect?
S6: I think I grew up thinking about religion a lot. It's funny because I wouldn't say that I grew up incredibly religious , but religion was nevertheless a large topic for me. I think , you know , growing up with Islam and Catholicism in one sort of family structure , it was really interesting and from the jump kind of informed my seemingly innate but later came to learn was kind of controversial , feeling that , like , I could exist between these two things. Like it was later. I was very , like sternly told , like , you can't really , you know , just be in the limbo. You have to pick one. And I was like , well , no , I live in the limbo. And so like trying to set up make a home in that , in that like liminal space , it's sort of what I'm doing with my practice. And namely , I think seeing the ways in which specifically Catholicism or other religious practices can be implemented into like diasporic structures like I think , namely the way Catholicism manifests in Latino communities or in my case , like what I've observed , Mexican communities where it takes on different qualities than its traditional origin , where it's like it becomes infused with different cultural superstitions , with different beliefs that existed in a pre-colonial context. And so I think seeing my own family , whether they were intending to or not , make a grandiose thing out of it , like I was seeing them kind of remix and recontextualize these elements of religion that resonated with them and adopt them into a structure that felt more resonant with their origins , whether they knew it or not. And seeing that liberty around like the implementation of religious practice , I think , laid the groundwork for what would later become a creative practice for me. Interesting.
S1: Interesting. Now , the exhibit will also be showing in National City. And you mentioned that this really is a full circle moment for you being from there. Can you talk more about how you're feeling coming into this showing. What's that emotional journey been like?
S6: It's been really wild. You know , I had been told and told like it's such a full circle homecoming. And I was like , yeah , yeah , yeah. And then , you know , when I got here , I was like , driving to install the other day because we were preparing for the show and I was like , whoa , these are familiar streets. I'm currently driving to this exhibition space where I'm going to be showing my work , and I'm doing so by driving through streets I've been on my whole life , and that wasn't it really clicked for me in this really literal psychosomatic sense where I was like , I'm coming home to pursue , like a furthering of my artistic practice , which was not something I ever thought I was going to do. And so it's been really special. I mean , the space that the show is in a Reason to survive , which is the acronym is Arts , is this incredible youth art space in National City , situated on the perimeter of Kimball Park. And that's been really interesting because Kimball Park was the place I would go so much , you know , as a kid. And so I was like looking out the window of the gallery yesterday , and I was like , wow , it's really happening.
S1: Yeah , yeah. I mean , um , what are your thoughts on on San Diego as a hub for the arts? I know you said earlier you were surprised at the fellowship was was going to be based here. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. You know , I think this fellowship and this whole experience has really challenged what I now can see were kind of like limited notions of , like how the arts can exist and flourish in San Diego. I think growing up here , I kind of tended to have this like hometown syndrome with where I was from , where I was like , I needed to get out of here , you know , like , and so I , you know , went to the Bay area and that's been incredible. But I think in so many ways I might have , without even knowing it , been discounting San Diego County as like its own artistic force in its own right. And and so this program has been really eye opening and has caused me to like , little by little , be like , oh , well , this is also happening. And there's also this gallery that's doing incredible programming and so on. And so I've been understanding a lot more about , like , there's optimism to be had here about like where the arts are headed. And I think it's important to find like community iterations of that optimism , especially when there are so many like budget related and kind of like administrative challenges that are being superimposed , you know , upon the the arts kind of ecosystem. And I think looking to community and community spaces is kind of kind of the main respite I can imagine for these pitfalls in kind of larger corporate or governmental funding.
S1: You mentioned some of those those , you know , financial roadblocks and funding cuts. What are the challenges of trying to make it as an artist and with that landscape?
S6: You know , I think there's just kind of not very often there isn't like a place carved out for the artist in the economy and a lot of social structures. Um , it's kind of seen as a choice to do something super radical or to defect from the norm to choose to pursue the arts. I and many of my friends actually find power in that perception. And like , you know , I find it kind of cool that a lot of people think it's me. Kind of like breaking the mold. I'm like in my head , I'm just doing me. I'm just kind of pursuing what's always been inside and like to some people , that kind of reads as this really daring , kind of controversial choice. But like , I think it's really important to continue to like , just pursue interests even when they're not , like lucrative , like even in like an undergraduate space in my , in my education. Like , you know , there's this way in which like people who are studying more lucrative like degrees would be like , oh , you're studying art. That's so cool. Like , you know , like there's just this way , like there's this tone that's always taken. And I'm like , you know what? Power to you for doing what you do and power to me , you know. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Exactly. Well , what do you want people to take away from the erotic exhibit.
S6: I think I want them to understand. And I think this is also the intention of our curator and the rest of the cohort that these really like intellectually rigorous contemporary arts projects can take place here. I think like a lot of folks , especially like outside of the San Diego County might not always count on that or expect that , and especially in a community , space and national city in Kimball Park. Like why not? You know , why wouldn't there be this , like , contemporary art show for all ages with work that is like really personal , really resonant , and really kind of like smart and are my fellows are doing such incredible work in this show , and I'm really excited for people to come check it out.
S1: And I mean , in the last minute that we have here , how can people continue to support the arts and Asian American and Pacific Islander in the space?
S6: Well , you can come to the show on Saturday. And also , I think just continuing to show up to events. You know , jokes aside , I think continuing to be active in arts community is continuing to show interest. And whether that's monetary or otherwise , I think just like showing other larger forces , whether they be organizations , businesses , administrations that like the arts are a thing of interest and the arts can spark fascination in communities that can be very life giving , which again , is the core of the show that's being held on Saturday.
S1: I've been speaking with artist Ahmad Mumtaz. The AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship will have its opening reception and exhibit this Saturday , July 11th at A Reason to Survive in National City. More details can be found on our website at pbs.org. Arman , thank you so much.
S6: Of course. Thank you for having me.
S1: Up next , your weekend preview. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman for our weekend preview. We take a look at some pop in Latin fusion , black joy and art about personal archives and something special for podcast fans as well. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.
S7: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here. So let's start things out with this live podcast taping right here at KPBS. Julia , what can you tell us about what the audience can expect with this?
S7: Well , first of all , I really love the sort of thing myself , like seeing a live podcast taping. It's cool to see behind the scenes , and we're going to do three of our KPBS podcasts , including Midday Edition. The Port of entry and then my team , the finest. And each show kind of covers culture in San Diego in a different way. And we're all coming together to have this , like , broad conversation , um , this time about the history and the art of protest , politics and resistance. Um , and we're going to talk on the finest. We're going to talk with sign painter and content creator Koy Sun. He got his start painting a sign for his family's restaurant , and has done some really interesting stuff since then , and also has a lot of great things to say about art and design in politics. Like he can break down like the branding and the typography of the Mamdani campaign , for example. Um , and also talks really well about analog art as this form of resistance , like reclaiming this imperfect , slow , very handmade technique or trade. Port of entry. They're talking to Lorde's Iron Cross border comedian. She'll talk about her upbringing and being what she refers to as a border girl , and how she's balancing being an energy lobbyist with her work as a comedian. I'm kind of where she draws the line and even still like this , her work creeps into her creative work , even though she's pretty cautious about , like , mixing politics into her comedy. So yeah , that should be really interesting. And Jade , what about you? Who are we talking to?
S1: You know , all of that sounds so interesting. I can't wait to to hear those conversations. On the midday side , we'll be talking to two local activists , Henry Wallace , the fifth , who's one of the founding members of the San Diego Original Black Panther Party. And Josephine Talbot has she's a founding member of Chicano Park and the Chicano Park steering Committee. So we'll be talking to them about their own journey and social justice. Work and activism. The art of strategy and coalition building , and what we can all learn from , from the past and what they do now and bring it into the present.
S7: So amazing. It sounds really interesting. And those are two local icons. Exactly.
S1: Exactly. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. And this is Sunday at 2 p.m. , right here at the KPBS studio on the Sdsu campus. We'll have snacks and a little gathering at the end so you can hang out and say hi to us and the guests. Tickets are $20. This includes parking on campus. You can get your tickets online , or you can buy them at the door. But it might sell out , so maybe don't wait.
S1: Yeah , you don't want to wait on that one. The San Diego Black Pride Festival is back for its sixth year this weekend. What can we expect with that?
S7: Yeah , so San Diego Black Pride is a local nonprofit. They support the black LGBTQ plus community year round. They do education support programs , and they also have this festival every summer. And just before last year's festival , KPBS reporter Andrew Bowen talked to Jordan Daniels , the president of San Diego Black Pride , and who stressed that everyone is welcome.
S8: So festival. First , I want to say , if anyone who wants to come , you don't have to be black to come. Everyone's welcome. We want all folks , black folks and allies to come. Black and brown folks. Um , we even want we even want like , like like our assistant hetero allies as well to to come as long as we all can. Central black experience is about joining that.
S7: And Jordan Daniels had so much more to say about the importance of black joy in the festival , and their work around.
S8: Joy needs to be accessed. We're at a time where we're experiencing fear and danger and at heightened levels. I'm not saying we need access joy as a lens of like spiritual bypassing because I don't we don't believe in that , but joy in the sense of like , we're here regardless. Whether you try to vote us out , limit our rights , or limit our access to participating in the world or in society. We're here , we're here. We're going to show up and show out. And so it's important to access that joy because that is the core of who we are. I mean , black folks sense , you know , maybe we just came out like this , the beginning of American history , which a country that we've helped built despite being enslaved to do so and hurt and beat and killed to do so. We've still found spaces to find our joy and to share our joy. So , like , what a great testament of our resilience as a community of people. What a great gift to ourselves and to those who came before us to , like , be ten toes down to celebrate ourselves in our joy in any space we're in.
S7: And you know , the festival runs all weekend. But one thing I wanted to point out is there's this event on Sunday afternoon at the Soap Factory in Logan Heights. It's called Sunday Service. It's music , comedy , wellness. They kick off at 1 p.m. with this sound journey , and then there's DJ's and performances throughout the day , and I love the idea of calling it Sunday service. It's kind of a nod to this connection and the ritual of gathering for church or worship or whatever and like reframing it and yeah. Sunday service is 18 and up. It's from 1 to 9 p.m. tickets are $35. But if you are interested in other parts of the festival , you can also pick up a weekend pass.
S1: All right. Well , staying with Logan Heights for for one more. What's new at the galleries in Bread and Salt. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. So there's a new exhibit opening on Saturday at Best Practice. It's a small independent art space. It's kind of tucked in the back of bread and salt. And they're opening a new two person exhibit by Micah Castaneda and Kat Gunn. It's called I Love This Title and Love Dares You to Care For and Nicoletta with San Miguel. They have sculpture , there's cyanotype and collage pieces , and it's all inspired by this idea of like , personal archives and the way that we store these in our bodies , like literally holding or touching things , but also the memory and the trauma and what have you. And this will open with a reception from 5 to 8 on Saturday. It's free. And you can also check out all the other galleries. Um , artist Luis Alonso Sanchez is giving an artist talk in the main gallery for his exhibit , and we talked about it when it opened a couple of weeks ago. It's the one with the sort of like , surreal Easter Bunny art that's at 7 p.m. that artist talk and the new Impact Artist in residence , Eva Aviva Nissan will host an open studio. So Saturday night.
S1: So before we go , what's going on in live music this weekend?
S7: Yeah , I have two shows on my radar. The first is Friday night. Maruja Limon. They're from Barcelona. The Is group that's really dynamic. They have this interesting blend of like flamenco , Latin music , pop , hip hop , electronic sounds , and we're listening to their track Yo no Estoy Pasto and just came out in their 2025 album Tacoma. La la.
S9: La la. La la la la la la la la palabra.
S7: And the show is at UC San Diego's outdoor amphitheater. It's 7 p.m. on Friday. All ages , just steps from the trolley station , and tickets start at $35.
S1: And finally , there's a free record store show that sounds very unique.
S7: Yes , this is at Folk Arts Rare Records in City Heights. And this is three local world music acts. And I what I love about this one is I hadn't heard of any of these bands before seeing this event. So all new new finds for me , cremation studies. And they've been making music for well over a decade. And it's like kind of a multi instrumental project. But on the show flyer they're billed as a dueling no banjos band. There's also Zim Beat , which features the umbra instrument. It's an African thumb piano. And then Calcutta Kid. They're an act that blends like this lo fi indie rock and sitar music. Um , and I think we have one of their tracks that's called The Natural Frequency. It gets kind of like Drone Rocky as you go. So this is all ages. It's in store. So then you get to browse all the records afterwards. It starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Folk Arts.
S1: All right. And you can find details on these and more events on our website at KPBS. Org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , thank you so much.
S7: Thanks , Jade. This is fun.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
