Search results for

San Diego Black Arts & Culture District Music Festival Saturday, June 28, 2025 Gates Open: noon – 8 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Park 6401 Skyline Drive, San Diego, CA 92114 (Festival takes place on the 65th Street side of the park) Free and open to the public | Family-friendly | All ages welcome The San Diego Black Arts & Culture District Music Festival returns on Saturday, June 28, 2025, for a full day of live music, cultural exhibits, family activities, and community celebration. Held at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in the heart of Southeast San Diego, this free event honors the depth and diversity of Black artistic expression. Curated by Artistic Director Kamau Kenyatta and hosted by Dominic Malone, the festival features an exciting lineup of live performances. The music begins at noon with an opening set from Miki Vale, followed by performances starting at 1:45 p.m. in the following order: Miki Vale, C.C. Carter, Daneen Wilburn, Lenny “Fuzzy” Rankins, and Ben Williams. All-day activities include a STEAM Tent hosted by the Elementary Institute of Science, an African Artifacts Exhibit presented by San Diego Mesa College, and a sneak peek at “We Stand on Their Shoulders,” an augmented reality exhibit presented by the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. A wide range of food and non-food vendors will also be available throughout the day. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a full day of music, culture, and community connection. This event is a celebration of Black creativity, heritage, and unity. The San Diego Black Arts & Culture District Music Festival is made possible through the generous support of the County of San Diego, the City of San Diego, the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art, and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. We invite you to be a part of this vibrant and meaningful celebration. General Policies and Safety Information are available on our website. San Diego Black Arts & Culture District on Instagram

This Disability Pride Month, join interdisciplinary artist duo Sensory Dimensions (Casey Hall-Landers & Elicia Neo) for the premiere of "My Body's Wake," a FREE multimedia experience at the City Heights Performance Annex. Through a visceral blend of body painting, live improvisational dance and violin, projection, and generative sound, "My Body's Wake" navigates the emotional terrains of grief, isolation, anger, and care - rooted in the artists' experience with chronic pain and dynamic disability. Sensory Dimensions depicts the experiences of disabled people with chronic illness and pain by immersing audiences in multi-sensory environments using a diverse range of artistic modalities to create accessible live art events. Founded by interdisciplinary dancer Casey Hall-Landers and multimedia violinist Elicia Neo through the Berklee NYC Masters program in Creative Media and Technology, the duo is fueled by a passion to create safe and welcoming spaces for all. Sensory Dimensions explores and recontextualizes pain through sensory and artistic pathways, using nature as a mirror to understand our bodies and integrating accessible design into their creative work. Casey and Elicia aim to raise awareness of invisible disabilities and chronic illness. Join us at the City Heights Performance Annex for this FREE performance you don't want to miss! For more information, visit: https://sensorydimensions.godaddysites.com/.

Leaders from two local dance organizations talk about how they are navigating financial challenges and a changing arts landscape. Plus, two plays on stage this week that showcase culture and history.

Media Arts Center San Diego’s 24th Innovative Video in Education (iVIE) Awards Ceremony and Student Film Festival 2025 will take place on Sunday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students from across San Diego County will screen their films showcasing their talents and be celebrated during the awards ceremony at UCSD’s Park and Market in downtown San Diego (1100 Market St). Student filmmakers from schools all across the county, including Central San Diego, El Cajon, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Clairemont, Vista, Fallbrook, and La Mesa are among the participants. The day will begin with the awards ceremony for all grade levels 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.. Following the ceremony, screenings of all the nominated films will take place upstairs at MACSD’s Digital Gym CINEMA from noon to 4 p.m. Past student participants have stated about the annual IVIE event, “It’s like a replica of the Grammy’s. We get awards, get called up,” or “It means a lot to be able to have a space for us to share and be proud of our work.”. Founder and Executive Director, Ethan van Thillo, of MACSD states, "We are so elated that San Diego's youngest filmmakers continue to produce amazing films despite the enduring challenges of the pandemic. They have inspired our team to produce a wonderful film festival to celebrate their cinematic achievements! The quality of work this year is truly remarkable and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of both the students and teachers who have been nominated.” All student nominees and their teachers will walk the red carpet and be spotlighted on stage. Tickets to attend the Awards Ceremony are $5 (plus, $1.28 order fee) and/or $6 (plus, $1 order fee) for screenings of nominee movies. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. the ceremony will start at 10:00 a.m. To purchase tickets or for further information please visit: https://mediaartscenter.org/ivies/ About Media Arts Center San Diego: Media Arts Center San Diego, a 501 c(3) non-profit organization, has been promoting independent cinema and teaching the art of filmmaker for over 32 years in the San Diego - Baja California Region. Its programs and services include the recent 32nd Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival, Digital Gym CINEMA,, Youth Media & Tech Camps, Teen Producers Project, and Community Video Production Services. About iVIE: Since 2001, iVIE has grown into a major San Diego County-wide student video competition. iVIE Student Awards & Film Festival is a local K-12 student video competition and festival conceived to encourage and reward teachers and students who recognize the power of video as a creative and educational tool. Annually, there are more than 500 video submissions from 120 teachers, 73 Schools, 23 Districts, and a handful of private schools, involving approximately 3,500 students. Submitted videos are judged by media professionals and educators curated by Media Arts Center San Diego. Media Arts Center San Diego on Facebook / Instagram

Experience San Diego Made: LIVE – an unforgettable evening of art, music, and hands-on creativity. Join us Saturday, June 14 from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the San Diego Made Factory near downtown San Diego for a one-night celebration of local artists, makers, and community culture. What to expect: • Live art demos and open studios • Live music and spoken word performances • A fashion show featuring local designers • Interactive creative workshops • Kid-friendly art activities and crafts • Food and drinks available for purchase • Raffles, giveaways, and prizes all night long This free, family-friendly San Diego event is a can't-miss celebration of the city's creative scene—perfect for art lovers, families, and anyone looking to connect with local culture. Bring your friends and come support San Diego’s vibrant arts community. Visit: https://www.sandiegomade.org/factoryevents/san-diego-made-live San Diego Made on Instagram and Facebook

Leucadia-based mixed media artist Roy Jenuine hosts an exhibit – "Roy Jenuine: Modern Folk Art" – in Solana Beach, showcasing a lifetime of work from 1978 through today. Jenuine has spent his life’s work blending wood, photography and found materials to create artful masterpieces spanning functional furniture to mixed-media assemblage. Following the opening party, which is open to the public, the gallery will be open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jenuine’s work explores materials, finishes, and craftsmanship, as well as observations about his surroundings. He finds humor in the everyday, captures nostalgia, pushes the boundaries of function and form. He aligns himself with folk art and architecture, addressing both complex modernist aesthetics and found elements from the salvage yard. Drawing from his childhood in Los Angeles, early 1970s residency at the radical architectural project "Arcosanti", and formal training at San Diego State University, Jenuine has developed a distinctive visual vocabulary that is rigorous, fun, meditative and truly original. To learn more about Jenuine’s work, visit www.royjenuinestudio.com.

We’re thrilled to announce a new initiative this summer: Sonidos Del Barrio – a free, family-friendly, three-part concert series at Cesar Chavez Park celebrating music, wellness, and community connection. This vibrant event will feature live entertainment in the park, a DJ set at the end of the pier overlooking the bay, local art and vendors, wellness activities like yoga and sound bowl healing, and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for families to enjoy together. Most importantly, we are working to make this event as accessible and inclusive as possible. Event Details: Dates: Sundays – June 15, July 20, and August 17 Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Wellness activities from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Entertainment and music from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.) Location: Cesar Chavez Park – 1449 Cesar Chavez Parkway, San Diego, CA 92113 San Diego Foundation on Facebook / Instagram

Join us for a free afternoon of creativity, community, and pizza! A Slice of History: Pizza & Prints is a hands-on program where participants will learn about craftivism—the use of crafting as a tool for activism—and explore how people throughout history have used handmade art to spark change. Enjoy free pizza (generously provided by Pizza to the Polls) while screen printing your own designs inspired by local history and civic identity. You’ll be able to put your prints on a tote bag or pencil case to take home! This event is part of Civic Season, a nationwide initiative led by Made By Us that connects history to civic action between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. Free and open to ages 16–30. Space is limited. RSVP Today! San Diego History Center on Facebook / Instagram

Comic-Con is for everyone — this guide breaks down what disabled attendees need to know, from service animal policies to wheelchair seating and quiet rooms.

Kumeyaay historian Ethan Banegas Luiseño-Kumeyaay (SDSU-American Indian Studies) discusses the process to develop a community-engaged comic that speaks from the perspective of the Kumeyaay people. This comic is a way to tell stories of Kumeyaay people from past to present and engage with their own communities, schools, and beyond. Hear more about how tribal historians are driving the work of this visual storytelling project as a creative team brings it to life. About Ethan Ethan grew up on the Barona Reservation in San Diego County. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History, Religious Studies, and Political Science in 2009 and his Master of Arts degree in History in 2017 from the University of San Diego (USD). Banegas is owner of Kumeyaay.com and Historian for the San Diego History Center, which operates the Junípero Serra Museum. He was first published in 2017 (Indian Gaming in the Kumeyaay Nation). In 2020, he published the Kumeyaay Oral History Project, a community-based research project, after collecting thirty-three personal interviews, video-taped oral histories, and photographs from San Diego’s First People. In 2024, he published two comics—“Beyond Gaming” and “Our Past, Present, and Future”—and served as project director and author of the Kumeyaay Visual Storytelling Project. Through these community-based projects, Professor Banegas collected the voice of the Kumeyaay people, giving a voice to the voiceless. Mingei International Museum on Facebook / Instagram