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Join us on Saturday night, December 13, from 6–10 p.m. at Distinction Gallery in Escondido, California, for the opening reception of “Besties and Beasties,” a solo exhibit of new works by celebrated sculptor Valency Genis. Genis’ whimsical sculptures of creatures continue to delight art lovers, her strange and endearing works are sought by collectors all over the world. For more than 20 years, Distinction Gallery has been a beacon of the Southern California art scene, specializing in representational painting—ranging from surrealism and realism to figurative works. Guests aged 21 and over can also enjoy drinks available for purchase from Last Spot Bar during the event. Last Spot Bar has a curated selection of wine, beer, sake, cider and non-alcoholic options. The rest of the gallery will be open for view during the reception and guests are welcome to explore exhibits. Distinction Gallery, 317 E Grand Ave, Escondido, CA 92025 Valency Genis on Facebook / Instagram Distinction Gallery on Facebook

When a young boy decides to run away from home with his beloved pet duck Mr. Quack Quack, the two find themselves lost in a strange world filled with singing anthropomorphic blue apes and cannibal crocodiles, deadly booby traps, and psychedelic hellscapes. Shot in Malaysia by veteran sexploitation filmmaker Donn Greer (101 ACTS OF LOVE), THE RARE BLUE APES OF CANNIBAL ISLE is a singularly bizarre “kid’s film” that’s ready to inspire nightmares yet again after being lost for nearly 50 years. Digital Gym Cinema on Facebook / Instagram

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form that breathes life into each composition, harmonizing the elements of nature and humanity. Learn to create these stunning pieces of art that intertwine Japanese culture and the changing of the seasons. By end of the semester, you will have learned to design beautiful and professional looking arrangements for both everyday and special occasions. This class is free and open to the public. Contact Prof. Takeya at mtakeya@sdccd.edu for more information and to register. Audience: Adults, Seniors Location: Community Room Visit: https://sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/ikebana-floral-design-468767

Presented as part of AMONG FRIENDS – UNTER FREUNDEN, a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship. Summer 1990, Halberstadt, East Germany: The Berlin Wall has fallen, and the country is filled with uncertainty over what lies ahead. In a major step toward reunification, East German Marks can be exchanged for West German ones at a rate of two to one, giving citizens mere days to exchange their currency before the old bank notes become worthless. When three friends, Maren (Sandra Hüller), Robert (Max Riemelt), and Volker (Ronald Zehrfeld), stumble upon the vault near Halberstadt, where the old notes are being stored, they stuff their backpacks full of cash and hatch an intricate plan to put the soon-to-be worthless money into circulation. The group’s plan seems fool-proof until notes that never existed in the GDR begin to circulate. Writer-director Natja Brunckhorst spins the real events behind the “treasure of Halberstadt” into a crowd-pleasing tragicomedy adventure blending comedy, reflections on friendship, societal resilience, and community. Digital Gym Cinema on Facebook / Instagram

Need a last-minute holiday gift? Paint a portrait of your furry friend and deck it out with pom poms, collage paper, foam stickers, and festive flair! All proceeds directly support ArtReach Studio Programs, bringing free and low-cost art opportunities to kids across San Diego. Make art, celebrate your furry friends, and help spark creativity in our community! $75 (drinks included) 6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.: Doors open 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: Workshop Visit: https://www.hisawyer.com/artreach/schedules/activity-set/1693156?day=2025-12-19&view=cal&source=activity-schedule ArtReach San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

Celebrate the season with "Swinging in the Holidays"! Jazz at the Ballroom brings this fresh, hip take on holiday favorites reimagined in the style of Broadway, jazz, and Old Hollywood greats. Featuring rising stars from Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC's famed Birdland Club, and NBC’s "The Voice", the concert offers an unforgettable night of swinging music and holiday cheer. Visit: https://artcenter.org/event/swingingintheholidays/ California Center for the Arts on Instagram and Facebook

In China, a new industry has emerged devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity. Wang Zhenxi is part of this growing profession and is hired to go undercover and break up affairs by any means necessary; a “mistress dispeller.” Offering strikingly intimate access to a real, unfolding love triangle, "Mistress Dispeller" documents all sides of what is usually kept behind closed doors. As Teacher Wang attempts to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis, sympathies shift between husband, wife and mistress while emotion, pragmatism and cultural norms collide in this spellbinding look at modern love. Visit: 'Mistress Dispeller' Digital Gym CINEMA on Instagram and Facebook

On Friday, Dec. 5, Songwriter Sanctuary will ring in the holidays with a season closer featuring original music from some of San Diego’s folkiest and funniest troubadours. Don your gay apparel and join Cara Cormier, Peggy Watson and Dave Beldock, and JT Moring as they swap songs and stories in a Nashville-style round. The event is hosted by the legendary Jeff Berkley in partnership with Normal Heights United. (4650 Mansfield St. Suggested Donation $10. All ages. Doors 6:30 p.m., Music 7 p.m.) All donations collected go directly to artists, and no one is turned away for lack of funds. Community Care: Normal Heights United has a big community fridge and pantry just steps from the venue. Please consider bringing unopened/unexpired items for under-resourced neighbors! If our Songwriter Sanctuary audience can stock it once a month, that would be an incredible gift to the community and support for our venue partners at NHU who actually church like churches should church! (No frozen items please.) About the Artists Cara Cormier flings lyrical spaghetti into the universe to keep herself sane, help people laugh, and create a more just and compassionate society. Drawing from her rural Kansas Mennonite upbringing, Cara uses her love of folk and Americana styles to craft cheeky, heartfelt story-songs using acoustic guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, and spoons. From hysterical dating accounts to mischievous protest songs to tender confessionals, Cara writes the songs you never expected to hear. David Beldock and Peggy Watson started their collaboration as unlikely music partners. While David spent years performing with various bands, honing his rock and blues guitar playing, Peggy was rooted in contemporary folk traditions with occasional detours into jazz and pop. But when they joined forces, they discovered that writing songs together was a fun challenge that they couldn’t resist. The result has been a collection of melodic, thoughtful, funny, and emotional songs that appeal to a wide range of listeners. Their styles span everything from folk to jazz to blues to show tunes. JT Moring is a dynamic entertainer known for incisive songs/stories and audience engagement. He performs solo on guitar or banjo, and in collaboration with a collection of San Diego County’s top musicians. 2024 was a year of recording, performances with Storytellers of San Diego (where they let me sing as long as I tell a story to go with it!), house concerts, backyard parties, Adams Avenue Unplugged, and recording and releasing a new album LINES. Get on the email list for notifications. 2025 has seen a lot of new songs and lots of performances, many of them with Richie Strell (harmonicas and other noisemakers), and Terry Wardell (bass). Event Details Location: Normal Heights United Church: 4650 Mansfield St, San Diego, CA 92116. Thank you to our generous venue partner for sharing this beautiful space with the local music community! Time: Doors 6:30 p.m., Show 7-9 p.m. ish. Suggested Donation: $10 (all ages) but please be generous in your support of these top tier talents whose creative work is their livelihood. 100% donations go to artists. No one turned away for lack of funds. All Ages: Bear in mind we do not censor our artists so please make sure to check out the lineup and make the best decision for your family. Parking: Street parking. Food/Drink: Beverages for small purchase, thanks to our sponsors Babe Beverages and Duck Foot Brewing Company. Guests are welcome to bring their own food into the venue (please eat and dispose of waste respectfully). There are so many delicious restaurants within walking distance - feel free to grab something take-out and bring it in! Accessibility: Normal Heights United is a 120+ year-old building with a non-traditional seating arrangement, but we want every guest to feel safe and supported. Please send any accommodation requests to Molly at mollyrose@nhunited.org at least five (5) business days prior to the event. Entrances & Seating: The venue has an ADA ramp entrance and two rows of reserved seating for guests who use wheelchairs and/or need additional space. Balcony seating (stair access only) is available for those who prefer less noise or stimulation. Our online RSVP form also includes a space to share accessibility preferences. Sensory & Safety: A sensory/safety station in the foyer offers single-use masks, ear plugs, and hand sanitizer. Two Corsi-Rosenthal box fan filters run during the event. Notepads are available at entry and concession for anyone who prefers to communicate in writing. If you’re feeling unwell, please plan to join us another time to help keep our community healthy. Event Enhancements: Whenever possible, we post a QR code with lyrics to featured artists’ songs for enhanced accessibility. Future Goals: We are actively seeking funding partners to provide ASL services for the 2026 season and have long-term goals of offering a livestream ticketing option. Please stay tuned and continue supporting us as we work toward these and other accessibility goals. Photo/Video Consent: Unless artists give blanket consent, please ask for consent before posting the faces and/or prominent features of folks online. While we've previously operated under the assumption that public events imply consent, a thoughtful call-in reminded us that consent must always come first, especially in a time when people’s images can be weaponized. Songwriter Sanctuary is committed to prioritizing consent and will continue to model and encourage this practice in our community. For inquiries, media comps, or further information, please contact: Lindsay White lindsaywhite.music@gmail.com Songwriter Sanctuary San Diego on Instagram

You're Invited! Bach to Rock Music School Opening in Carlsbad – Join the Celebration! Get ready to rock! Bach to Rock, America’s modern music school for students of all ages, is bringing the beat to Carlsbad, and you’re invited to our Grand Opening Celebration! Join us for a FREE open house on Saturday, November 15 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 1820 Marron Road, Suite 112, Carlsbad, CA 92008. • Jam-packed fun for the whole family! • Explore our state-of-the-art music studios • Try out instruments & jump into mini jam sessions • Enjoy live performances & meet our awesome instructors Come see why Bach to Rock is the ultimate place to learn, play, and perform! Whether your child is a budding rock star or just discovering their love for music, we make learning fun. No experience needed - just bring your love of music! Don’t miss out—come rock out with us! Visit: Grand Opening, 'Bach to Rock' Music School - Carlsbad Bach to Rock Carlsbad on Instagram and Facebook

The photographer Peter Hujar, whose images exist in an important lineage and dialogue with the work of groundbreaking gay artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and David Wojnarowicz, forms the center of the latest movie by fearless independent American filmmaker Ira Sachs ("Passages"). Based on rediscovered transcripts from an unused 1974 interview by nonfiction writer Linda Rosenkrantz (played by Rebecca Hall), in which she asked Hujar (Ben Whishaw) to narrate the events of the previous day in minute detail, Sachs’s film is a mesmerizing time warp, an illustration of the life of the creative mind, the quotidian and the imaginative at once, fully and lovingly inhabited by its two brilliant actors. With this engrossing and wholly unexpected film, Sachs shuttles us back to a specific moment in New York queer cultural history and a still-influential art scene that lives on in words as much as images. Digital Gym Cinema on Facebook / Instagram