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 West has a long history of black cowboys , and a new documentary called High Horse Highlights that will break down the docu series and talk with someone featured in the show who's been sharing the culture. Then we reflect on the 128 year history of Warwick's bookstore. Plus , your weekend preview. That's it on midday edition.
S2: Day to.
S1: Documentaries expose us to slices of history that may be overlooked by traditional media. Jordan Peele's High Horse docu series explores the real history of black cowboys in the American West. In three episodes , the series underscores the defining influence of black cowboys and black people , from the rodeo to fashion and music. Here's a sneak peek.
S3: If there were no black cowboys , then America would not exist.
S4: My dog , King Jesus.
S5: What ? You want proof ? No.
S4: Man in.
S6: The black cowboy was intentionally removed from the story. So that we can create the myth of the American white cowboy.
S7: As soon as cowboy became a cool thing was exactly when they took that from us.
S5: You know , white people really got some nerve.
S1: Well , joining me to talk about the significance of the series is Professor Tomio Aberdaron. She's an assistant professor of history and africana studies at the University of San Diego. Professor , welcome to midday edition.
S8: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here.
S1: So glad to have you. So we just heard that clip from the trailer , and it speaks to one of the central questions in this series , which is who arranged the history of the black cowboy ? How is that question addressed in the series ? Yeah.
S8: First of all , I loved the series. It was so well done , so well put together. But the series actually addressed two different myths here. First , that there was only the white cowboy. And secondly , it really questions what the lived experiences of African Americans were after the Civil War. We are Hollywood , rather. Would have you believe that African Americans were mainly in servant like roles like the maid and the butler , maybe sharecropping. However , we learned through the documentary and through the history that that was not their only lived experiences. In fact , many of them moved to the West and became cowboys. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , tell me more about Hollywood's role here in the portrayal of the American cowboy we typically see , and the exclusion of black people from that portrayal. Yes.
S8: Yes. So the cowboy has been whitewashed. Whitewashed in two ways , literally whitewashed , where we only are seeing white cowboys , but also in the narratives that we are seeing about the cowboy. In Westerns , we are taught that the white cowboy , the American cowboy is the hero , the victor , the good guy , the winner. And oftentimes indigenous people are depicted as the enemy , the aggressor , the villain that needs to be defeated. We can't even have this conversation about black cowboys without acknowledging the indigenous history and native history of those who were forced out of their lands , those who were killed , um , those who were dislocated with this history and during this time period. But Hollywood and even prior to Hollywood , there were novels , dime novels that were cheap , novels that were put together mainly by white men from the East Coast who wanted to fictionalize what the West looked like. And that's really where we first get this image of the cowboy. The white cowboy. Um , for some more history , even before that , white men weren't called cowboys. They were called cow hands. In fact , cowboys that term was specifically only for black men. Right. They wanted to reinforce this dynamic of inferiority between black men and black black men and white men specifically. Yeah. Not until the late 19th century and the early 20th century , with literature and with radio shows and with television and film. Do we start to see the shift of this term , cowboy now put on the white man. So it's really fascinating.
S1: It is. You know , how in the series you have all of these these voices , you know , that that we see in popular culture who really explain this history.
S8: They had such a great group on there to speak to this history. We had a mix of scholars , we had musicians , artists , we had farmers on there. Episode two really spends a lot of time on land and land ownership and broken promises , not only for the black community , but for indigenous communities as well , and the USDA's involvement with some of those broken promises. But you had a mix of social media influencers on there. Lonnie Bennett is one of kind of the host that helps guide us through this. We have journalists like Bria Baker who , um , honestly , I feel she really led us through every single episode. Her voice was prominent in every episode , and she did such a great job of really connecting this history for us , and especially connecting it to land and power. So they all did such a great job. I think for me , I was so surprised and excited to see Pam Grier on there. Yes.
S1: Yes.
S8: As someone who loves black film and television , we just finished up. We're about to wrap up my black film class , and we talked about the blaxploitation era and Pam Grier specifically , and her contributions to the blaxploitation era , but I had no idea that she.
S1: Was working like. This.
S9: This. I had no idea her.
S8: Significance on ranches and just , oh my goodness , I was so blown away. So happy to see that. We also saw Miss Tina Knowles on the series , and I was so happy to see them speak to country music and discrimination there , and she did such a great job of really breaking down for us. What happened with Beyonce and Cowboy Carter and oh , it's just such a diverse group of voices , but intentionally picked in a way where you were constantly engaged throughout the series , but you also were able to have multiple perspectives.
S1: Well , as a film scholar , I'm sure you have some critiques of this series. Anything come to mind ? Yeah.
S9: So I want.
S8: To start off by saying I genuinely enjoyed this series. I am a tough critic. I'm very picky , especially when it comes to history and how we're depicting the history , how we're telling that story. My only critique would be , I believe they should have spent a little more time fleshing out the history of Buffalo Soldiers. While that history is complicated and very controversial , I don't think we can brush past that , and I would have loved to see that fleshed out more. And for anyone who doesn't know who the Buffalo Soldiers were , these were formerly enslaved and also freed black men specifically , who were eventually allowed to be a part of the US Army. Segregated , right. But they specifically worked to expand the West , expand American territory. I also would be remiss if I didn't mention manifest Destiny during this time period , right ? This idea that America was divinely ordained to expand to the West and not only to expand , but to spread capitalism. And what that did to the people who were already existing there. Right. We could spend a whole day talking about the Mexican vaqueros , right. And the indigenous people who were displaced from this land with that expansion that we had no right to do. But I would have loved to see that fleshed out more in the docu series. But maybe Jordan Peele is working on something else.
S1: Anything he touches is great , it seems. I agree , and you mentioned that very complicated history of the Buffalo Soldiers , and I know that there's an actual connection here in San Diego because Camp Lockett , located in Campo in southeastern San Diego County , was the last U.S. Army horse cavalry post and home to the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th cavalry. So that's a big part of San Diego history and the history of black cowboys. I do want to move on and talk about episode two , because in episode two they explore , you know , stolen land and also generational wealth , particularly among black farmers. Talk a bit about those themes.
S8: Yeah , I think the. Hardest.
S9: Hardest.
S8: Part while watching this was just to see the testimonies of discrimination amongst black farmers , not only black farmers , but those just living in the Midwest. Specifically , they had done a couple of interviews with families and they spoke to owning land , owning homes and cops still being called on them because people were wondering why they were there. Uh , there was a story also about the Hatley family and how they named a horse Black Lives Matter , because they wanted to hear that every single time they called out the horse's name , every time that horse won. And I'm not going to give any spoilers for anyone who plans to watch the docu series. But that story. I was in tears hearing what happened and how they were treated , how they were still treated to this day. So many testimonies of land being stolen from these black people under eminent domain , right ? So many disruptions to generations and generations of lines of family and heritage there that was disrupted under America. So it was really difficult watching and hearing the testimonies of discrimination. But I think it's so important as we celebrate this history and reclaim this history , that we don't wash away the difficult parts as well. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And , you know , I and I remember seeing in that docuseries that , you know , right after the Civil War , you had the promise of 40 acres and a mule , and it was to be given out by the Freedmen's Bureau , which was quickly folded into the USDA. And that promise was broken. And so the land theft then started right there at that point. Right.
S8: Absolutely , absolutely. Yeah. I mean , actually , we can go back to Africa. Right. We can go back to the continent. We see this pattern of land being taken. I think the documentary , the docu series , rather. Did such a great job of explaining the relationship between land and power , land ownership and power , and how even when we do have that land , even when we do have that ownership , it's not a guarantee that we get to keep it. They highlighted Tulsa and the Tulsa massacre in that docu series as well. And what we see as a pattern , not just for the black community too , unfortunately for the indigenous and natives. Right. So it's a very , very sad truth that we have to contend with. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. It really talked about I think it raises like who gets to be seen and perceived as American and who doesn't. The show also explores how black culture influenced cowboy culture. Um , the music , the the fashion , all of that. And how a lot of black creators are reclaiming that legacy after so many years of erasure.
S8: Everything from the instruments that are used specifically thinking of the banjo , which the docu series. It's such a great job of tracing that history to Africa , an instrument that was literally brought over to America when enslaved people were brought here. We see dance highlighted as well. We see music , we see the cultural appropriation that often takes place as well. And what's so fascinating here is we also see the exclusion from these areas. Um , we saw Lil NAS X and his story of first being on the country charts and then switched to the hip hop charts because they didn't fully believe that his music fit the country genre. And we know Beyonce also had a very similar journey with not being accepted within this genre , even though she traces her roots in the South , right ? Generations and generations of families in the South. I listened to American Requiem before coming to this interview , and I think it's just a testament to what we saw in that docu series , right ? Um , the depth to what we believed America was and the rebirth of what it can be and what it really was. Right. So I am so happy to see and witness so many people happy to celebrate cowboy culture now , and cowboy fashion and all of the things it's really , truly beautiful to see because it's our history. Indeed.
S1: Indeed. And if you want to check out High Horse The Black Cowboy , the docu series is streaming now on Peacock. I've been speaking with Professor Tomio Aberdare , and she's an assistant professor of history and africana studies at University of San Diego. Professor , thank you so much.
S8: Thank you for having me. This was fun.
S1: We talked about the vast influence of black cowboys in the American West. Here in Southern California , a group of writers known as the Compton Cowboys are continuing to reclaim the culture and keep that legacy alive. In fact , they're featured in the High Horse docu series , and I'm joined now by its founder and CEO , Randy Savage. Randy , it's an honor and pleasure to have you on the show.
S10: Hey , Dave , good morning , and thank you for having me , I appreciate it. Honored to be here. Great.
S1: Great. Great to have you. So listen , take me back to the origins of Compton Cowboys.
S10: All of her young life , she used to watch Westerns with my grandpa and became super obsessed with horses. And as she got older , into her adult life , she found this little small farming town in Compton called Richland Farms. And , um , was a place where people had horses. And she felt like that was just like her divine calling of like , oh , this is my life. Here we go. Like , here's my dream. And so she moved to here , got a got a place , which is Richland Farms happens to be the ground zero of Compton. People don't know that. So once my aunt got here in 88 it was still the same way. You know , we have residential homes , but we have farm yards. And so when she got here , she thought that was like , you know , going to be her dream and she was going to be a cowgirl , and here we go. But she really quickly realized that , you know , late 80s , early 90s Compton , like we were immediately subject to all of the social issues that surround the neighborhood. Everything from crime , violence , gang warfare , a police brutality , corrupt local government like it was a perfect social issue storm. And that immediately started to impact our family. And so we had to figure out what to do , what to do to make a difference or even leave , and quickly settled on the idea that these horses were such a magical force for herself and for her own kids were my cousins. And so she figured , why don't we just like , you know , extend this , this , these horses and the the ranch and the backyard to little local community , to my friends and family and our extended , you know , networks. So this is 30 years plus 35 years plus of that snowball effect of that of that mission , of that , of that vision. Right. And so when I got when she was going to retire in 2018 , I stepped into the fold and I said , well , if I'm going to run the family ranch. I happen to have a passion for entertainment. You know , all things music , film , all the media. And so I figured , how do I blend the concept of the family ranch with my passions ? And so I figured , hey , why don't we just brand the ranch ? Call it Compton Cowboys and put that cool stamp on it , and then just put it all on social media to make it like the visually stunning. Do some storytelling. In that way , we could raise awareness and raise funding at a at a rapid , you know , expansive level. And so that's where we are. And it's been we've been working for seven plus years now as the Compton Cowboys. And it's been wonderful. We've been able to continue to drive our our non-profit kids organization in Compton. Junior equestrians and the horses are still continuing to keep us out of trouble and keep us on the right track. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , you know , the documentary shows how how riding is like a refuge from trauma and so many other things. What's something the cameras captured that that people rarely understand about the emotional side of the work that you do.
S10: I think that once you if you notice that , uh , one , uh , when , when people are around horses , there's just this really radiant joy that comes from the spirit. And , uh , I think that the cameras did a great job of showing that with our group and with other individuals and groups that were highlighted. Uh , horses are very special creatures. They have done so much for our society and our civilization and so much for our human experience since the beginning of their time and ours. And so , uh , we're doing everything we can to keep pushing that narrative , to keep pushing that agenda forward , especially here in Compton , where we need that spirit. Right. Uh , our city has had some challenges , uh , and I think that the horses can be the future to the next era , which is wellness , togetherness , you know , love and community.
S1: Talk a little bit about who gets to be part of Compton Cowboys.
S10: Comic Cowboys actually has a very specific membership. There's five cowboys and one cowgirl , and it was especially designed around our little unit that actually grew up together on the ridge in the backyard. Through my aunt's program , the Compton Junior Posse. And so it wasn't just like a random selection of individuals from the neighborhood. It was literally our cohort that we already had from the beginning of our little young lives , that we stayed together and had a friendship throughout all these years. So I just said , hey , we're already we're already together. We already have this love for horses in our background. We have an opportunity to take it forward and pay it forward to the next generation of kids and to be able to be , you know , build an enterprise , build a block , something black that is loud and proud and that we own and that we're going to be able to pass down to our kids. And it's just such a benefit to the community and to all of our individual lives. And it's just been so , so wonderful. So we're very happy and proud to do it. But our group is is specific. We ain't taking no new members. Um , I'm not recruiting. I'm not recruiting. I'm well , you know , we have a we have a good we have , you know , we'll make some honorary coffee. Okay.
S1: Okay. All right. Yeah.
S6: Yeah.
S10: My goal really is to be able to establish chapters and networks. Right. So , you know , we'll be able to say , go to another city and say , this is the cowboys of that city. You know , there's cowboys all over America. And we've already seen some clubs start to like pop out clubs like the Atlanta Saddle Club Association , the Charlotte Cowboys , the Copper State Cowboys out in Arizona. Um , and it goes on and on.
S1:
S10: California. Is this the the extra stylish aesthetic that we add on top of the on top of the actual lifestyle and the work that goes into it ? Right ? California , especially being in LA , you know , we take our aesthetics and our , our our fashion sense up a notch. Uh , being that , you know , Hollywood is in our backyard and we got this. Cool. But you know what LA is known for as being , like , cool , chill people. So I think that Californian cowboys , um , we're a lot more oriented towards like , a coolness , a style factor and , uh , and a lot more of a lenient , laid back style because we don't get the inclement weather and we don't , you know , there's not a lot of , um , harsher environments to deal with. So our horses are living pretty good. They are basically coastal and , uh , we're coastal , so we try to keep the coastal vibes intact. You know.
S1: I mean , tell me more about that , because one of the things High Horse does is show how black riders really disrupt the mainstream idea of who a cowboy is. So , I mean , tell me about your intentionality here. Um , you know , I mean , is there a little extra swagger , a little extra twang in your step , or when you're you're on top of a horse ? I mean , tell me about that. Yeah.
S10: Yeah. The intentionality for us is to show that cowboys are not just hardcore like southern ranchers. You know , the cowboy ideology is just being about someone who loves the community , loves family , loves the animals , loves the land , and wants to do everything to bring all of that into one great ecosystem and share it with others. And so that's what we're trying to do is show that , make it make the make the idea of the cowboy relatable to everyday new audiences. Because I think a lot of times in our industry , it seems very elitist and closed off. And there's so many barriers to entry , including financial , cultural , racial and otherwise that we think are just not important or just , you know , don't have to be it doesn't have to be true. So we're trying to show that the horses are accessible. Horses are not just exclusive to one background , cultural heritage or creed or whatever. Like they cross all those boundaries and they're here for us. We just want to do everything we can to keep them uplifted and , and , and show people that no matter where you come from , you can come from the hood , come from the projects , or you can come from the middle of , you know , the sticks , you know , not the way in the backwoods. And , um , but horses can make a difference in your life , and they're here for you. And we can be there. Here for them , too.
S1: Hey , they're for everybody. And and so is the culture , it seems. Hey , I've been speaking with Randy Savage , founder and CEO of the Compton Cowboys. Randy. It was really an honor. Thank you so much. And thanks for the work that you do.
S10: Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Have a good day and I'll see you soon.
S1: Coming up next. Nancy Warwick shares memories of growing up in her family's beloved La Jolla bookstore.
S11: We're closed on Sundays , so my parents , in the early years , when they took over the store , my sister and I were just running around the store , and we would sneak out in appropriate books , and which is really fun.
S1: We reflect back on the 128 year history of Warwick's. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back to midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Did you know that San Diego is home to the oldest family owned and operated bookstore in the country ? Well , that honor belongs to Warwick's Bookstore in La Jolla , which is celebrating 128 years. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with its owner , Nancy Warwick , about the beloved indie bookstores long history. Take a listen.
S12: So give us a little history on Warwick's and how it started and how it ended up with you.
S11: My great grandfather opened the first Warwick's in 1895 , in Mankato , Minnesota , and he actually grew up in Iowa , and the day after he graduated from high school , he walked to the local bookstore and asked for a job , and he became a bookseller. We don't have much history on his decision making , but we assume he moved to Mankato because a bookstore went on the market , and at that point he had two young sons. And so he was there for 20 years and ran the store in Mankato. And then they decided to relocate back to Iowa. And then after 20 years , his wife passed , and this was W.T. Warrick. And at that point he'd been a bookseller for well , on the book business for 50 years. And his sister was an artist and lived in La Jolla , and he'd visited her and loved , you know , absolutely loved La Jolla. And a little bookstore called Redding's , located in the same building , was up for sale at the time. So he purchased Redding's , changed the name to Warwick's , had relocated to La Jolla , and a rather short period afterwards , he married the former owner of Redding's , so she was the owner of both Redding's and Warwick's. Over the course of her life.
S12:
S11: My grandfather was a traveling salesman for Rand McNally and raised my father in Berkeley. He took over the business. My my father and mother in 1964. And it was really great because my parents always included us from a young age. They would ask our opinions , they would tell us stories. They would be funny stories. They'd be sad stories. They'd be stories of shoplifters. And they always included us , and they always asked our opinions. But the really great thing they did is they never pressured us to take over the store. I wasn't expecting my parents to retire when they did at that time of my life. My parents retired at right when they turned 65 , and my grandmother had worked till she was 98 years old , and so she was actually still working at the store when they started their retirement process. I love the store. It's just kind of in my blood. It's it's it's so much a part of my life. So I took over the store in 1996 97 , but the store is , um , it's such a great atmosphere. It has a great group of employees. There's employees who've worked here over 30 years , and we have this wonderful customer base. And people who shopped here when they were a child are now bringing in their grown grandchildren. And men love the store. Women love the store. Old , young. So you can oh , whole families can come in here and have a really fun time together because there's so many different things to shop , and they like the culture of the store. And then there's lots of sentimental days where one day there is a woman who was just quietly crying up and gifts and a customer. And , you know , I went up to her to ask her , you know , how she was doing. And she said , this is the anniversary of my mom's passing. And every year we came once a year to Warwick's , and we each got to spend $20. And she goes , it was our special place. And it was such a beautiful story. And what's so surprising is we have so many stories like this. There was a wonderful story of a customer who came in , who he didn't have long to live. And he mentioned to Tammy , a bookseller , how much he wanted to read that book before he passed , and he didn't have much time left. And so she gave him an advance reader's copy , and he had time to finish it. And he died a short time after he finished it. And his wife afterwards came in and said , that meant so much to him. He absolutely loved that book. And for somebody to be going through the dying process and be finding that much joy and comfort in this book , and for us to have been able to be part of that story was very meaningful. It says diverted kind of from the basic history. But it's when I was thinking about this interview today , what I love about the story is the magic of it. Because whether there's the magic of our events program at night , which it's like a whole different entity. And but there's the magic of all these little encounters. And I was straightening cards once , and I heard these two women were giggling away and having such a great time shopping cards together. And one of them says , I just want to be buried here someday. But that was really , you know , a pretty fun thing to hear. And then just a couple days ago , I was up here and I heard a conversation with a customer , and she was telling one of my new employees that she's been coming here for over 50 years and knew my grandmother. So I was kind of listening to them talk , and she said , I'm really hoping that someday my obituary will read. She hoped there's a Warwick's in heaven. There's just all these , like , great stories , and it makes my life so much more special and meaningful to be part of this matrix that has it's like it has a soul.
S12: Do you have any memories ? Like as a kid ? Like , did you hang out here after school ? Did you like. Yeah.
S11: Yeah. So I sat in this office. We had an old fashioned bow machine , and I would make bows. And I'd also like fold boxes. So they were ready for presents and rode the dumbwaiter. I didn't do a lot when I was really little , because we're probably six years old at that point. When I was making little bows and things , we were closed on Sundays. So my parents , in the early years when they took over the store , they'd come in to just work with my grandparents , and my sister and I would just run around the store and , and we would sneak out inappropriate books , and which was really fun.
S12:
S11: I mean , It's the sense of connectedness between book lovers that shared love of a great read , and just wanting to hold it afterward and smile about it together. So there's the book. Discussions are my favorite discussions of all discussions that I could possibly have at the store , and seeing what excites people and and the find , you know , looking for that book , trying to match a person to the right book.
S12: And what are the challenges of being an independent bookstore ? So we've seen big bookstores like borders Go Away and a lot of buying go online. So what are you facing right now is the difficulties.
S11: Well , I think it's really important to keep in mind that we're a bookstore , but we're also office supplies , art supplies , gifts , stationery. So like 50% of our sales are books , but that represents also 50% of the size of the sales floor. But it's very important to our identity and our success and well-being over the years is our non book side two. And it's really about the product , you know , in terms of making sure people are finding things they're excited by that they don't find easily online , or they understand better when they find it in person. I like to carry a lot of fair trade and handmade things from around the world , so it's eclectic and we have customers that come in every day of the week. It's it's a morning routine. Or we have customers that bring their dog in every day of the week for their cookie , and the dogs literally drag people in. It's it's so smart to have dog biscuits in any kind of store , but also being very respectful of history and tradition. And so creating a balance between what's new and what's important to keep and what's valued. Really good customer service is critical. And then we have a really great price range too. So part of our success is definitely that we're in an affluent neighborhood where a lot of people , you know , can easily afford hardbacks and a lot of people like to read hardbacks and things like that , where we're just lucky that we have that demographic. But it's also true that you can come in here and find lots of funky , weird little things that are , you know , less than $5. It's understanding our community and supporting the community , whether it's support , you know , helping with local fundraisers , supporting local authors.
S12:
S11: I don't know how it happened , but somehow the environment of the store makes people feel warm and safe. I think part of that is intrinsic to books , you know , but also it's about having so many long term staffers who really like the customer. I mean , it's a nice it's a warm atmosphere and there's a lot of sharing of stories.
S12:
S11: I'm up usually on the front tables with the , you know , scanning the literary fiction. I love historical fiction , and I am particularly drawn to stories that deal with women's rights issues. Civil War , World War I tend to like it could be historical or contemporary , but really understanding what people are experiencing in their lives in different parts of the world that are cultural or political or social issues. My favorite book , one of my favorite books in my all my reading life has been there rivers in the Sky. I don't know if you read Alicia Fox book , and after I read that , I read every single book she'd written and loved ocean von Emperor of Gladness. So a lot of what I read , honestly , is sad , but I'm very attached to these different authors that I'm reading.
S12: What do you see for the future of Warwick's.
S11: I would like to work as long as I can work. So I don't have I don't have an exit plan , which I'm just turned 63 and I'm really healthy. I don't have a I'm not going anywhere for a long time , I hope , but I , I will have to start thinking about what will happen next so that we continue the store.
S12: Do you have kids ? You might take it over. Yeah.
S11: Yeah. No , he's I he's he's into artificial intelligence and he's just this is not his personality at all. So yeah. And unfortunately , we have a really tiny family. So they're the store. There isn't anybody. There's not another war. Rick left to take it over. So. So that's an odd one to figure out.
S1: That was Nancy Warwick , the fourth generation owner of Warwick's bookstore , speaking with KPBS , Beth Accomando. Still to come , a look at 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 have new visual art , gift markets and mutual aid. Plus a few festive holiday options. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.
S13: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: Always great to have you in studio. So first there is a unique dance performance to see. And you characterize the performance as an evening of movement and sound.
S13: So this is dancer and choreographer Giovanna Francisco , and she has put together this project called All the Big and Little Things. And it's a collaboration between movement artists and sound artists. So like dancers and musicians that are kind of pushing the boundaries of their genres. And Francisco said that the idea was to look at how the lived experience inside and outside the body sometimes seems different , whether for the big things or the little things.
S14: I think I was thinking about how , like with all the crazy things going on in the world , sometimes it's a lot to take on internally and we don't necessarily show that all of the time is it might not be socially acceptable or just doesn't feel right. And sometimes that healthy separation is nice and it feels good , but at the same time , it can take a lot of weight. And I think as a dancer , I'm very aware of how I feel all the time in my physical body. So I was noticing how taking on the weight of things with things in my family , or things just in the world , and the chaos of everything all the time , and how it would make me feel heavy and it would translate into my movement. And I started to think about how this is something that we all experience , whether we're aware of it or not , how what we feel deeply shows up in everything all the time , and we might not necessarily be aware of it. And that's okay too.
S13: And Giovanna Francisco worked with musician and composer Zayn Bishnoi to put together the sound , coordinate the sound artists and here's here's Zayn.
S15: Giovanna came to me with this idea of like , perception , right ? Like the way we perceive our own emotional state and like our own bodies. And I guess for that , like how you perceive sound , right ? Or like the sounds , even within your own body , versus how we like are perceived. Right. And like the kind of the tension between those things. And that was like really exciting to me because I , I think art is so much about how we perceive things and how we use our attention creatively.
S13: And that sounds like pretty deep , right ? But it's also really fun , like with these strange and unusual instruments and sounds. There's a harp and then like multiple guitars , all tuned slightly differently. But there's also stuff like a slide whistle , a clarinet , this like string of bells and a ball bouncing on a hand drum , and a harmonica that he actually , like , sings into. And I think that while this is like this really personal and intimate and unique show , it also shows off one of the things that I have been seeing is this total strength of San Diego's art scene , this like collaboration across different disciplines. You see it with musicians that are working with dancers like this , or visual artists and theaters or film festivals or poets , and it's just this rich way of building and exploring community and also reaching or connecting with audiences differently. So performances are Friday and Saturday night at 730 at the City Gallery in San Diego City College. So this will be like in the round rather than a traditional stage setting. It should be really one of a kind , and the tickets are donation based.
S1: Sounds like a very unique show. Okay , that sounds great. Let's take a quick look at what else is going on in San Diego this weekend. A couple of digital art exhibits just opened in Escondido. Tell me how culture really inspired these exhibits.
S13: So these are both at California Center for the Arts Escondido , at their museum. one is a group exhibition with really inventive works from digital culture , from video game designers , video game artists around the world including one from San Diego , Victor Castaneda , H. His Break City VR game. The other is a textile artist who has a solo exhibit. The series of hand-woven textiles that play on internet culture , like memes or browser windows woven into tapestries. One is called Fun Fact , where she is woven digital text that reads , quote , the internet was once a fun place for watching cat videos instead of monitoring the real time collapse of late stage capitalism. And there's this woven cat playing a piano. These exhibits open last week , and they're both on view into the spring , and the museum's open to 11 to 5 Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 Sundays.
S1: I think I want to see that.
S13: First is the winter market. It's a museum of contemporary Art , San Diego in La Jolla , and this has become an annual event. It brings together vinyl deejays and artists , a bunch of vendors , food and drink. So vendors include Folk Arts , Rare Records Society , Brewing Lang Books , futurist color artists , Perry Vasquez , and tons more. And you can also check out the museum's gallery while you're there.
S1: All right.
S13: It's a mutual aid mall where for free , families can go and pick up toys , groceries , hygiene items. The Grinch and Santa will be on hand to meet kids or take photos. This is Sunday morning at the Soap Factory in Logan Heights. Everything's free , and if you're interested in in donating , there's still a couple of chances to drop off things like new unopened toys , hygiene products , or non-perishable groceries , gently used clothing and shoes. You can take all that stuff to either Sweetwater Springs Elementary between 10 and 1 on Saturday , or via Fitness Downtown until 4 p.m. Saturday.
S1: All right , well , before we go , what about something ? Something else free and festive in town this weekend ? I'm on that. I'm on. We're on a roll here.
S13: So Sunday is the first night of Hanukkah , and there's this Hanukkah festival at Liberty Station. At the promenade. There's music , donuts , ice skating. The ice skating part isn't free , but the rest is. And they also have family friendly crafts. This is from 5 to 8 on Sunday. They'll do a lighting of the menorah and it will stay up on view all through through Hanukkah. And then also Sunday evening is the first weekend of the San Diego Bay Parade of lights. So this is the boat parade. The light parade goes past downtown San Diego , kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at Shelter Island. And you can see the boats all along the Embarcadero. And if you you can't make it this weekend. The parade repeats next Sunday , the 21st.
S1: All right. Well , you can find details on these and more arts events on our website , kpbs.org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , thank you so much.
S13: Thank you. Jade.
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.
