S1: Hey , San Diego , it's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's arts and culture show. A new illustrated memoir explores one boy's dreams that go far beyond the strawberry fields of Monterey Bay. I'm Andrew Bracken with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. The 2013 film Begin Again is now a musical and getting its world premiere here in San Diego. All that , plus a look at what's happening in the arts in our weekend preview. That's All ahead on KPBS Midday Edition. A new illustrated memoir takes us to the strawberry fields of California's Central Coast. In Mexican Dreams , author Pedro Martin draws on his own experiences growing up in a sharecropping family with a dream of a life in the arts. It's the follow up to his book Mexican , which won the prestigious Newbery Award back in 2024. And Pedro joins me now to talk about Mexican dreams. Pedro , welcome to Midday Edition. Hi.
S2: Hi. Thank you for having me.
S1: Great to have you here. So this book , just like your first one , Mexican , is described as a graphic memoir frame that for me. How would you describe what a graphic memoir is?
S2: Well , a little different from a graphic novel. This is kind of just a really like this one is like a year long snippet of my life where I kind of transition from being one kind of kid to another kind of kid. And so you kind of track a very personal growth , uh , of my life for that one year , so I think so. It's a more memoir ish , less autobiographical. Interesting.
S1: Interesting. And how would you kind of define that distinction between memoir and , and , you know , autobiography?
S2: Well , I think I think the memoir has a lot more personal growth involved in it , where it's it's it's self-reflective , it's introspective , and it's trying to kind of see the wrestling of , you know , someone's mind to kind of find new ways of thinking. And so , so , yeah. So this book is really just a real personal story , but it's also a really personal story about my father and his journey and me trying to kind of understand where I come from and where I'm going based on what he had already done.
S1: And what were you like at the age this book takes place? As you mentioned , it's like a really important transition point in your life.
S2: Oh , I was the laziest kid. I was the worst kid I was. Well , we all we were we were sharecroppers. You know , we picked strawberries for a living , which meant we had to work , you know , all summer long before school , after school , weekends , all weekends long. And I wanted to have none of it. I'm like , I was I really all I wanted to do was just watch cartoons all day and draw. That was my entire dream. You know , I didn't know anything further than that. And so. But of course , that that will not stand in a sharecropper family , like you had to be out in the fields with everybody else or else , you know , our finances would collapse. So I was a reluctant field worker. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you mentioned how that kind of plays a role in your childhood , even games you'd play around strawberries , right? Yes.
S2: Yes. Well , you know , being out in the field for anybody , if you didn't have , like , some kind of entertainment going on in your head or around you , you just go mad. It's just it's a flat plane. It's work. It's sun. You know , if you didn't have something going on in your head. And so we were all an imaginative group , but we were also brothers and sisters. So we were also , like , very angry with each other all the time. And so strawberry fights were the key to releasing all kinds of tension. And those strawberries , especially the ones we used for for cannery , were always rotten and really , really juicy and really exploded beautifully when you hit one on somebody's side of their head. Oh , it's just a masterpiece of explosions.
S1: Kind of reminds me of snowball fights in my childhood , right?
S2: Yes , exactly. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. So , you know , you touched on this like just your love of pop culture. And it just kind of dawned on me. You mentioned cartoons and I think , you know , Saturday morning cartoons and what they meant to you as a kid is something that I think , you know , they don't really exist in the same way today. No. You know , what did you love so much about those cartoons and just kind of what it you know , how it shaped your , your childhood and what it meant to you?
S2: Well , I was I the way I kind of learned how to read and draw when I was a little kid because we were kind of really poor family. We didn't have book books in the house , and it wasn't until my other older brothers and sisters started bringing in comic books and Mad magazine and stuff like that , where I started getting really interested in reading because I saw the pictures and I got like super excited. I was like , what are these about? And like my , my brothers and sisters would kind of like explain what the words were. And so I just kind of got really fascinated. And then when I started seeing the same cartoon characters on TV , I'm like same same and same like reading. Nah , it's not , but it was just one of the things I just became fixated with. And so , um , I just wanted to kind of consume everything I was I could get and picking strawberries , you know , during , during the prime time of , of cartoons was kind of a real bummer.
S1: The setting of this book is really unique. I mean , you grew up in Watsonville , near the coast of Central California. I don't know , it always reminds me of , I don't know , the work of John Steinbeck , right? I mean , it's a very beautiful part of the country. How would you describe that region to someone who hasn't visited?
S2: Oh , it is especially like Watsonville specifically , and Salinas , like we're really close to the ocean. Just. I mean , close enough to smell it all day long. You could smell the ocean , but you were never connected to the ocean like the rest of the communities , like Santa Cruz and Monterey , which were , you know , heavy. I mean , that was their their existence was that beach. But we were just like five miles inland. And we it was felt very rural. Um , lots of lots of laborers , lots of fruits. When I was there , it was it was a big apple industry , but now it's a big strawberry industry kind of thing. So , yeah , lots of farm labor , but just just moments away from all the tourist attractions. Right.
S1: So take this real. It's a real pretty strong dichotomy there between those communities. Right. Um , you know , talk to me more about the experience of just , you know , being an immigrant farm kid and how that kind of differs from others because that's something you really kind of get into in this book. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. I think one of the things that especially on reflection of it is It's like I always felt really a heavy kind of , uh , bird burden to help the family. Like it was like you had to be working. And then it was always a weird thing to see your friends , you know , tan from head to toe , riding skateboards. They seemed all so light , like they were not bogged down with , with , you know , life. Because we were on the , you know , the edge of , of of , uh , poverty. And so and it was just very , very weird to , to kind of experience that , that dichotomy of those two things all at the same time. And so , yeah , we always felt like just part of the machine and we didn't feel like there was a future for us. Like there wasn't like an immediate future in front of us. It was just like , this is what we have to do , whereas everybody else gets to do whatever they want to do.
S1: And part of this book , you go into immigration patrols , and right now we're in obviously a time of of ramped up immigration enforcement. Um , that's , you know , a reality. A lot of kids here in our region are facing today. How did you want to explore that theme in this book?
S2: I was kind of doing it with a little bit of kid gloves , because I didn't want to just make it about that , but it was it was part of our lives. I mean , we would be out in the field and you would just happen to look up and you would see a little dust cloud in the distance , and then it would just be fear. You know , we were all legal. Like , especially the younger ones , we were born in the United States , and then the older ones were , you know , already naturalized citizens. But the people who were around us , who were working with us felt the fear , like they would see that , and they would just be like , oh my gosh , this is the end of what we're doing. And they would either , you know , freeze and or they would run in panic. And so it was always in the back of our minds , like this could happen at any moment because it would happen at any moment. They would just show up. There was no announcement or anything like that. So I think it was one of those things that , you know , again , that waited us down , that like at any moment , chaos could erupt. And the people that we work with and the people we've established , relationships could be just swept away. And you may never see them again. And a lot of times that was the case. Like they would just go away and new people would show up and you'd be like , okay , new , you're the new guy. I guess I hope I get to see you for , you know , the rest of the season. We'll see. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Um , and we should note , you know , this book is for , for younger readers. Right. And I imagine that it kind of shapes how you approach this and what you write about here. I mean , you're writing about your very real experience in this part of the country. You know , in this family , you know , navigating , uh , you know , the economic realities. Um , but , you know , the experience you're capturing here is something really all kids go through , right? Figuring out what they want to do , finding out ways to break free from their family's expectations and all the challenges that come with that. How did you approach writing about this turning point in your life?
S2: Well , this is a this is the interesting thing about writing memoir is that you as you start writing it , it changes and you change as you go because it's kind of this self-reflection thing. And so , um , when I looked back and I started to kind of try to understand what I was talking about in the book , I started feeling realizing that there was a lot of guilt involved in kids leaving their parents. You know , if , if , if their parents had worked so , so hard to get them to this point and then be able to go like , okay , I'm going to go and you're going to stay behind and work and then try to , you know , enjoy the rest of your life outside of that , that field , uh , you feel a lot of guilt. And I started to kind of understand , like there was a lot of guilt all across the board. Guilt for my father , you know , seemingly taking our childhood away and then guilt for us leaving him behind when , you know , we finally escaped the fields. So that , by the way , it's a comedy I forgot to mention.
S3: This is. It is. And it's vibrant. Yeah. And it feels like these , like the comics.
S1: And the images are amazing. You're right. But you're dealing with really , you know , these are really common experiences , really powerful times of our lives. You touched on , I think you described it as like , you know , escaping the fields. Um , how did you end up , you know , kind of making your way away from where you grew up?
S2: Well , that was a that was kind of a long process , but but eventually , like , at one point , my , my oldest brother Sal , just just quit and we , we weren't aware of , like , we could quit. And , and when we discussed it with my father , he said , well , yeah , your , your , your brother wants to go study architecture and that's , that's a good job to have. So , so then we all said , well , we all want to quit. And he says like , no , you can't because we'll , you know , it'll be catastrophe. He says , but if you come up with a career path that you that I approve of. Then we can. We can talk and you can go. And so everybody kind of like , started to scramble to figure out like , oh , what can I do to get out of this? And , and my dream , my dream job , which was to watch cartoons all day , was not on the list of approved jobs.
S1: I didn't get the okay from dad. Yeah.
S2: Not had was not going to happen. And so the next possible thing that I could do was I was a mid Midland. I say I'm just a low level trombone player at the time in elementary school. And so I thought , hey , you know what if I maybe if I join a mariachi , which is something my dad loves , then my dad would be like , yes , he's he's the mariachi of the family. He can go. Well , it turns out mariachis don't take trombone players. So. So I was kind of scrambling. So. So the scramble lasted for several years or not for several years for for that year. But then my dad understood that he couldn't keep us there in the fields like it was. It was contrary to his. His mission in life was to help us succeed , and if he kept us at the field , we wouldn't succeed. And so he started to like , let us go and say like , okay , we're , we're we're going to figure this out. But one by one , you guys are going to be able to get out of here and go study and stuff. And so yeah , that year kind of started the whole ball rolling where we left. And he he started hiring professional , you know , field workers and , and everybody started to go to school and do their , their new thing. And so my new thing was art. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And that led you to , um , yeah. You went on this kind of artistic journey and you ended up with a job at at hallmark , uh , making cards. Can you talk a little bit about that experience and how that , you know , played a role in your work today?
S2: That was an amazing experience. That was I like to say it was like grad school with pay. It was just all the all the best artists in the world , all in under one roof. When I when I started there , there was about 800 artists there and about 400 writers. And , um , I , I was going to study music in college , and in college , they gently put their hand on my shoulder and said , you are not going to study music here. You're not that good , but you're you're a better artist , like , do the art thing. And so I did the art thing. And luckily hallmark was recruiting at San Jose State where I was going to school , and they saw my work and they're like , this guy , we liked this guy. And so they shipped me out here to Kansas City , and I just started working there. Yeah , I worked there for 27 years as an artist , part of it. Then it became a manager , and then I became , uh , animation director and a bunch of other stuff. Uh , and then I , uh , I ended up retiring.
S1: And then kind of , kind of going on this personal memoir journey. And I want to kind of delve into that , um , before these two books , you started posting comics online , and I'm just curious , was there anything that surprised you about the response when you started to share these stories and how they how they resonated with people.
S2: Oh , 100% I so I yeah , I was doing these little stories called Mexican stories online right after I retired because I just didn't have anything better to do. But I really enjoyed them. And I put a new story out every week. And it was all stories about my family , about growing up in the 70s , being Catholic , being Mexican , and I really thought they were niche. I like I thought , nobody's going to get these , except for the people who grew up in the Central Coast , California. And I started getting , you know , people commenting from India , people writing me notes and saying , like , my family to this is my family. My family did this. There was a there's this thing with in Mexico where you as a little kid , they won't give you a whole full can of soda or a bottle of soda. They give you the soda in a plastic bag with a straw in it. And I did a story about that because I thought it was just the goofiest thing. And yeah , I got letters from India , Indonesia , and they were like , yeah , us too. They wouldn't let us have a full soda. It was always like this ridiculous plastic bag with a straw in it. And I'm like , ah. So it turns out that all this stuff is very universal , even though it's very specific. And , you know , and that kind of buoyed me to do more. I'm like , okay , I could just do any , any story about my family and it's somewhat relatable somewhere. And , um , yeah. And that that I did that for about two years. I still do it now , but not as much. But I did that for two years and then I decided , hey , let me maybe I do something bigger , maybe I can make this into a book. And so that kind of started me on the road.
S1: We have a little under two minutes here , and I'm just wondering , as someone you know , who grew up in a world where maybe the dream of being an artist may not have felt , uh , super accessible. What advice would you give to a young artist today like you were?
S2: Oh , man. Um. Stay away from carbs. No. Um , I would say , I would say that the the possibilities are bigger than you. You think? Because when you think of artists , you think of one thing. But being a creative person and an artistic person is giving gives you license to do a whole bunch of things that you don't even understand that are available out there. You know , there's there's everything from , you know , even if you go into photography , there's the people who style the clothes , there's the people who do the backdrops , there's and those are all artists. And so , yeah , artists isn't just one thing. It's , it's , it's , it's a multitude. And , you know , this is the best thing is like , just study all of it and then you'll find a spot that you feel is your best spot. And then you'll kind of discover your people and you'll discover a career , and that'll be just magical. Yeah.
S1: I've been speaking with Pedro Martin. His latest book is called Mexican Dreams. He'll be appearing at San Diego Central Library on Friday , September 18th at 4:30 p.m.. We'll have more details to that on our website. Pedro , thanks so much for being here and congratulations on the new book.
S2: Thanks , Andrew. I appreciate it. Thanks for listening.
S1: Coming up , we hear from the creative team behind the new musical Begin Again , which recently had its world premiere at the Old Globe. Stay tuned. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hyneman. Filmmaker John Carney has reimagined the musical for modern audiences and films like once. Now , the Old Globe Theatre serves up the world premiere stage adaptation of his 2013 film Begin Again. The new musical features music and lyrics by Pat Monahan and the band train. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando goes behind the scenes for a preview of the Broadway bound show.
S4: John Carney's film Begin Again starred Keira Knightley as Greta , a gifted but heartbroken songwriter , and Mark Ruffalo as Dan , a record producer on A Downward Spiral. But then Dan hears Greta perform at a bar.
S5: So you find yourself at the subway with your world in a bag by your side and all at once , but seemed like a good way. You realize is the end of the line. For what it's worth. Here comes the train upon the track. And there goes the pain. It cuts to black. Are you ready for the last act to take a step. You can't take back.
S4: That encounter leads to an unexpected collaboration that reignites their creativity. But that scene also proved inspiring to Lauren Lazzaro , the director of the Globe's new musical based on the film. Well , in the film , there's this one beautiful moment of magic that when Greta and Dan finally meet. Of course , this collaboration.
S6: Is so expansive that it makes the universe change. And , you know , there's these beautiful instruments that are floating , and we're seeing what Dan is imagining in his head , and that's the only time in the movie there's a moment that is sort of extraordinary in that way , and I wanted to expand that and make it theatrical every time Credit and Dan collaborate. So on and hopefully on every song , we have a bit of magic and elevated realism.
S4: There's also magic in Dan's decision to not record any of Greta's songs in a studio record outside.
S7: That's right. Like where? Everywhere.
S8: Every song we do in a different location. Right? All over New York City. And we do it through the summer. And it becomes this tribute to this beautiful , crazy , fractured mess of a city. New York. Okay.
S7: Like under the bridge and the lower East side.
S8: Of the Empire State Building.
S7: Rowing boats in the lake in Central Park. Chinatown.
S8: Chinatown. Cathedral of Saint John the vine. Okay. Okay.
S7: Okay. So what happens if. If it starts raining?
S8: Whatever happens , we record it.
S7: If we get arrested.
S8: Keep rolling. It'll be beautiful.
S6: In our show , we have these specific places in New York City , and a lot of them happen to be right around the corner from where I live. So it's really fun. It's all downtown New York. Derek McLane created this truly exquisite set. I mean , it is a translucent , sketched version of New York City , and then we can project on top of the building. So we have projection by David Bengali and lighting by Amanda Ziv and the three of them are constantly in collaboration to help create the different images. Washington Square Park Arch , Saint Mark's Hotel , some basketball courts , graffiti. And so these these buildings take on lots of different things so they really can retract or project different places.
S4: Literally embrace the way both the film and the play are very meta in how they approach the creative process.
S6: I mean , it's really about the art of making art. I think there's nothing more important in the world. I think it's there are two ways to save people's lives. One , if you need a doctor and you have to go to the hospital and they'll save your life. And two , if something that moves you and helps you become more resilient or become more thoughtful or introspective or feel big feelings , and I think only art can do that to us as human beings. Only art can help people in that way. So I think that's one big theme about the show that I love.
S9: Hi , I'm Emma Bussey and I play Greta. She is such a resilient woman who is very heartbroken. And but she's able to use her songwriting. And when she meets Dan , she's able to collaborate in a way that creates this explosion of art and music.
S10: I'm Patrick Hughes , singer , and I played Dan , and I think these two people. The fire wasn't extinguished , but it was very small. The flame had gotten very dim and they meet each other. And just like Emma said , there's this. It's like they they somehow pour kerosene on each other and it just erupts into this inspiration for to each other , to themselves and to all of the people around them. I mean , there's a great line in there. What's the what's the purpose of making any art unless it's going to change people's lives and there's something so joyful about this show that while we are meeting these people down and out at the top , that quickly goes away and we get into this place of hope and love and opportunity. We really invest in the concept of having a second chance.
S4: Composer and lyricist Pat Monahan isn't getting a second chance with Begin Again , but more like a second career. After already finding success with the band train , I asked him what attracted him to trying his hand at musical theatre.
S11: Well , I love musical theater. I didn't do much of it as a child because I was pursuing , trying to be the frontman in a band for many , many years. And when this opportunity came , it sounded like a really fun challenge that became only a challenge. And then the fun challenge , because there's such a learning curve. I don't think I was prepared for the amount of work that it really is , but I can see why now that it's on stage , why it takes years to get music right , to get a book right , to get a message. Right. And so it's a very fulfilling process. But it was I wish I would have been more prepared for what it was , because then I would have understood , if I do this again , I will understand so much more now that I've been , you know , a part of something special.
S4: Well , in another challenge for this is it's based on a film which had music in it. So how did you approach this in terms of coming up with the music for the show?
S11: Watching the movie , you know , John Carney is a really beautiful writer. And , you know , I know Adam Levine , who is in the movie , and I told him , and you got to come to the Old Globe and check out. He was like , no.
S12: Way , man , is that for real?
S11: And so I enjoyed the movie a lot , but I thought musically I could really help this a lot. We approached it as though if whatever songs they wanted to keep from the movie , we would figure out a way to make them make sense. And there were a couple and now there are none. And it's just because I think the writing continued to get better and better and better , and they were beating the songs that we were leaving in. And so I think we , we have eclipsed those , those songs that were remaining for a while. And I'm really proud of that. I think that we've written some beautiful stuff.
S13: It hardens my heart , won't let me go , keeps I know it up my soul. I lost myself inside this radio. Like a song I used to love.
S4: And I was speaking with your director , Lauren , and she talked about how the songs kind of function in two different ways , that sometimes it's about the thoughts of the character , and then sometimes it's about an actual song being recorded. So how did you tackle kind of the the differences in the styles or the types of songs that were needed?
S11: Lauren is really , really good at this. This is her directing debut , and you would never know it because she's worked on so many musicals over the years in New York as a choreographer , and the choreography is such a big , massive part of how to deliver a story. And so her movements and what she has wanted to move on stage has really helped us with the songwriting , because then we understand there's a song called Right Away , which is right. And she had a vision for how it would go. Like papers falling out of the ceiling like frustration. And I totally understand that. And so knowing the vision helped us write that song. And , uh , so yeah , she's she's very visual. And that helps me with how to write lyrics and movement and , uh , and tempo.
S4: I think I saw you reference the fact that you connected with the story as well , in terms of what's going on with the characters. So what about that story kind of appealed to you?
S11: Well , I could definitely be Dan. I've never been an A&R guy , but I don't. I totally understand A&R guys. You know , the artists relation liaison , who is the actor between the record company and the artist. And I've had some really good ones and I've had some questionable ones , and I know the difference. And you can see that Dan , his character really was good at his work , and it's because you have to care about the person And he really he really shows that. And his life does fall apart because he makes bad choices. But I understand that as well. It's very artistic of him to , you know , have a lapsed moment in his life where he has to figure out how to how to , uh , reassemble everything. And , uh , people like me and people like the character Dan , they sometimes need other people to help them do that.
S4: John Carney , as a filmmaker , has tackled musicals on film repeatedly and always seems to be kind of trying to reinvent the musical for a contemporary audience. What did you kind of take from his film that you wanted to bring to the play , in terms of that sense of kind of freshness or innovation?
S11: Well , that's a good question because we would refer to the film , but I wouldn't like I've seen it several times , but I would never go back to it to find out because I felt like we were making forward progress that I didn't want to question. I've always thought , like when you're an actor or a musician , know the song by heart. Know the script by heart and then make it your own. And I feel like with Begin Again the movie. I didn't know it by heart. And I think that that was probably better for me , because I think that might have done more harm than good and kept me within a certain confinement that wouldn't have been helpful to the writing.
S4: Do you think , in the sense that not knowing it is what made you give it a freshness? Maybe.
S11: Maybe. I would hope so. I mean , that's the goal is that , you know , it's hard in music industry movies because the industry moves so rapidly to figure out a time that this would exist , and that has to be fresh , too. So you can't go so far into the future , but you can't go so far into the past either , because they have to have some relationship. And I think that we've done a good job with that.
S4: And what was this process like of it evolving , like how did it evolve during this rehearsal process?
S11: Well , the rehearsal time that they have had here for seven weeks , I was out with my band on tour. And so by the time we got here , they had dialed in most of what they were working on , and we would get notes as we were on tour to change things , fix things , but then showing up and seeing the set being as beautiful as it is , and all of the choreography and acting as quality as it is , just made me want to take a deeper look into the music to make sure that they were Given the right music with how great they are at what they're doing.
S4: And what kind of different creative muscles do you feel you use going from what you normally do to being on stage creating music?
S11: Well , with my band , I write songs about me because I think that the more you can relate to yourself , the more people can relate to it. Because we are human. In musical theatre , I am trying to become the character that I'm writing for , but then approach it from my perspective of that character and that's , you know , that's the challenge really is , you know , the main character , Greta , I've never been a woman , but I feel like I have a very strong feminine side to me as like my wife says that she's the man in the relationship and I'm the woman , and I totally understand that. So I think that I'm able to capture , you know , all the sides of everything. And but that's way more challenging than writing an album. Like , and then when I write an album , I really am not trying to please 25 people. I'm trying to please 2 or 3. And this is this is more about really trying making sure that 25 people relate to it.
S4: So have you enjoyed the process?
S11: For the most part. I mean , you know , Jerry Becker and Matt Musty and I have worked on this for a really long time and there have been moments of frustration , but that's life. And and then seeing it on stage , it's all worth it. And it's been very fulfilling.
S4: And how have you enjoyed the process working here at the globe?
S11: I love the old globe. I think the people who work here and run this establishment know a lot about musical theatre , and they're helping me every day , I think , helping all of us. And maybe the old globe is the first step to , you know , being a show that can go to other places. Um , I think if anyone can help us do that , it's the old globe.
S4: All right. I want to thank you very much for talking about begin Again. Yeah.
S11: Yeah. Thank you.
S1: That was Beth Accomando speaking with Pat Monahan , the lyricist and composer of Begin Again. She also spoke with director Lauren Lazzaro and actors Emma Bussey and Patrick Holsinger. The world premiere musical , Begin Again runs through October 18th at the Old Globe Theatre. Up next , we get caught up on the arts events you don't want to miss in our weekend preview. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Stay tuned. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hindman. It's a big weekend for arts and culture here in San Diego , and we'll take a look at some of the options. From an iconic skate park to local indigenous contemporary art. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Hey , Julia. Welcome.
S14: Hey , Andrea. Thanks for having me.
S1: Great to see you. So first , let's talk some skateboarding. It's the 10th anniversary of the Chicano skate park. How can we commemorate it this weekend? Yeah.
S14: Yeah. So this is the skate park that was built in 2016 , and they're having a free community event on Saturday to celebrate it. It's from noon to five. And really , it's not just a celebration of the park , but also the culture of skateboarding , skate culture , specifically in Chicano Park , where you're surrounded by all that history and the art. They're going to have an art show. There's hands on activities , there's going to be DJ's , live music and then a bunch of free stuff. They're going to have free food and then free t shirts , which are apparently highly anticipated every year. And they're also giving out free skateboards to youth. This is all while supplies last. And yeah , while you're in the park , um , there's also a brand new exhibit that's opening up at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. Like right next to the skate park. Um , it's called Chrome and Candy dreams. A rite of passage. And this is like a collection of photography and archives that are about lowrider bike culture. And they're going to have some display bikes on view also. And that reception starts at one on Saturday. So yeah , if you're into wheel related sports , Chicano Park is the place for you this week. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Very cool. And then not far at all from there , just around the corner , really. There's also a lot going on at Bread and Salt and Logan Heights on Saturday. Right.
S14: Right. I mean , bread and salt is always really great. On the second Saturday it's popping off. There's , um , this month it's probably the biggest I've ever seen. They have a bunch of openings. Um , they're open late. They stay open 5 to 8 p.m.. Um , but this time they're also having , uh , I think about four different opening receptions. There's going to be artists and residents and a giant zine and music fair. So just like a quick rundown of some of the stuff that's opening in the main gallery , painter Brian Ali Sanchez is opening up a new exhibit that's inspired by life on a ranch like active working ranches. His paintings are really fascinating , like sort of these abstract brushstrokes , really bold mark making. But then you can see , like these clear representations of of cattle culture , ranch culture. That exhibit opens up at 11 on Saturday , and then we'll stay on view through November 21st. But but yeah , the reception is 5 to 8 p.m.. We also have a new solo exhibition exhibition. This is by a sculptor and multidisciplinary artist , Noah Olivas. That's the best practice gallery. His works inspired by labor and and memory and inheritance along the US-Mexico border. Yeah , there's also going to be new art at Quint one. Um , the tiny , not an exit gallery. There's also still on view s white Lees listening materials. That's the sound art installation at the Athenaeum Art center. And then the Impact Artist in residence , Eva Aviva Arneson will host Open Studios. And at these like second Saturday things , they often have reception , refreshments and all the crowds. And the festivities kind of spill out into the center courtyard , the shared spaces. It's just like a really great night out. You're surrounded by culture and it's all free.
S1: Yeah , and lots of folks. There's lots of activity there and there's so many spaces there. Yeah , really cool stuff , you know. Tell us more about the zine and music fair you mentioned. Because that that lasts all weekend. Right. Right.
S14: Right. So this is compressed. It's a collaboration between particle FM. They're an independent internet radio station. And burn all books , a local press and collective and yeah , compressed. It's all ages. It's free. Um , there's zines , music , art and food. There's probably almost like a hundred different artists and makers and vendors that'll be represented. They'll be set up in the brick room and bread and salt. That's 10 to 6 on Saturday and Sunday. And it's just a really great way to find local art , to buy local art or like creative goods , but also a good place to , like , learn a new skill. And some of them are extremely niche. They have these hands on workshops throughout the weekend. There's stuff like diary comics. There's one on electronics repair , collage for resilience , and my favorite , the workshop has the title I'm quoting. Break up with your boyfriend and buy a drum kit. So sounds perfect.
S1: As a drummer. I totally am bored with that. Um , that sounds really cool. Um , also happening downtown this weekend. The exhibit at the San Diego's Central Library , their art gallery there will have its artist reception. What do you know about becoming heirlooms? Right.
S14: Right. I saw this one right after it opened , and it's pretty remarkable. Like , there's really thoughtful sculptures. It's all inspired by the idea of heirlooms and how something could become an heirloom , become something that's passed down , and how something like an heirloom or an inheritance could also be a burden. And this exhibits part of craft in America's nationwide handwork. 2026 series. It's curated by Craft Desert , a local collective of Carry On , Quick and Adam John Manley. There's ten regional artists. All of these pieces are incredible. My favorites are a wooden chest like the kind that , you know , traditionally comes with a dowry , but it has text branded into the inside of the lid that says , don't embarrass the family. And then there's another series by Anna Mayer where she made sculptures out of clay and then buried them in wildfire prone areas in Los Angeles , and then waited. And when wildfire did come through , it served as like the kiln and and fired the ceramics. So the reception is 4 to 6 on Friday , and this is on the ninth floor gallery in the Central Library downtown. And it's free.
S1: And then for those in North County , there's also an exhibit of of local indigenous art happening at California Center for the Arts in Escondido. What can you tell us about blood memory?
S14: Yeah , this opens on Saturday. It's a pretty diverse collection of art by regional indigenous artists. There's fashion , there's sculpture , photography and video art. Some of the artists are names that you might recognize. There's Fox , Maxy , Johnny Bear Contreras , Gerald Clark , Matthew Valdivia and a ton more. And there's this really interesting participatory project. Also , there's a digital mural that's linked to a similar installation at the downtown library library. And when someone in Escondido contributes to the mural up here , that contribution shows up on the downtown mural and vice versa. So that's pretty cool. The exhibit opens on Saturday , and it's going to be up through the end of February.
S1: Okay , so now moving on to some music. We also have classical music on a boat this weekend. Right.
S14: Right. So this is local chamber ensemble , the Housman Quartet. They're long running Haydn Voyages series. Um , they pair works with one of Haydn's contemporaries and a modern composition , and they do it on the deck of the Berkeley , which is docked at the Maritime Museum. So this Sunday they're also going to play this piece from 1983. It's Alfred Schnittke String Quartet number three. It's just this really lovely piece , kind of like Renaissance. And this performance is Sunday afternoon.
S1: And finally , before we go , there's an LGBTQ+ friendly event happening at Verbatim Books. And this pairs literature with something I don't always hear about a dance party. Right.
S14: Right. So this event is called Desire Calling. It starts with a reading with four queer identifying writers , and then they push the chairs and the bookshelves aside and turn verbatim books into a dance floor. I talked to one of the organizers last year , its poet Carly Marie Demento , about why they started the project.
S15: I think right now , with everything that's going on , people are really seeking just a little bit beyond normal. Small talk and hearing poetry and prose is really a way of doing that.
S6: And then with.
S15: This , it's an all ages event. Anybody can come , it's early , you can be in bed by 10 p.m.. Um , so it's a great way to come out and have fun , but not necessarily be out clubbing all night.
S14: And Carly also said that they're also motivated by building not just a community , but like an environment.
S15: I think we want people to walk home feeling a sense of being moved by the words that they heard , a sense that they can come out into the world and there's good people , kind people waiting for them there , and just a sense of joy. That joy can live alongside really hard times right now.
S14: So this is Desire calling. It's Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Verbatim Books in North Park.
S1: All right. A lot of great stuff. You can find the details on these and more arts events on our website at pbs.org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , thanks.
S14: Thank you , Andrew.
S1: And thank you so much for joining us today. If you missed anything , you can always download KPBS Midday Edition. Wherever you listen , you have feedback for us. We can. You can always email us at midday at pbs.org , or leave us a message at (619) 452-0228. And don't forget to listen to All Things Considered on your drive home to get news and breaking updates around San Diego. Before we go , I want to thank the rest of the Midday Edition team producers Ashley Rush and Juliana Domingo , senior producer Brooke Ruth , arts contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans , our technical producers Brandon Truffaut Midday Edition theme music is by Surefire soul Ensemble. I'm Andrew Bracken. Join me tomorrow at noon for the roundtable. Till then , have a great day.
