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San Diego artists reflect on the 2025 songs that moved, inspired and stayed with them.

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

The San Diego Asian Film Festival showcases 150 films from 30 countries over the next 10 days.

Up-Cycling + Sustainable Fashion // Ideal for ages 8-12 Over the course of 6 weeks, young creators dive into the world of sustainable fashion and learn how to design with the planet in mind! This course introduces kids to the basics of eco-friendly fashion, showing them how to transform old or outgrown clothing into fresh, original pieces through up-cycling and thoughtful design. Each week brings a new theme—such as sketching and planning, simple stitching skills, creative mending, embellishment techniques, and building a final wearable project. Students will practice customizing a tote bag, refreshing denim, creating patches from scrap fabrics, and reimagining garments through their own personal style. Along the way, kids learn why sustainability matters in fashion, gaining awareness of waste, reuse, and conscious creativity. The class encourages problem-solving, confidence, and self-expression while giving students real design experience in a fun, supportive environment. By the end of the six weeks, every young designer will have a mini portfolio, several up-cycled creations, and a final wearable piece they’ve re-imagined and made themselves. No previous sewing or design experience required—just curiosity, creativity, and clothes ready for a second life! Parents are welcome to drop off their child for class or stay in our space during the class while students create. Feel free to choose what works best for you! Sample Class Format Week 1: Intro to Sustainable Fashion & Design Basics Week 2: Fabric Exploration & Simple Sewing Skills Week 3: T-Shirt Transformation Project Week 4: Denim Revival: Reinventing Jeans & Jackets Week 5: Final Project Design & Creation Week 6: Finishing Touches & Fashion Showcase! ArtReach San Diego 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

Join us for Winter MKT, a daytime vendor market in partnership with Part Time Lover, In Sheep's Clothing, and We Share Records. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is thrilled to announce the return of Winter MKT, a vibrant fusion of music and merchandise taking place on Sunday, December 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This curated selection of vendors from Southern California and the bi-national region will showcase the best in gifting for the winter season. All attendees will also receive free admission to the museum as it takes place on their Free Second Sunday. In addition to Japanese-themed records, food, drinks and goods, the event will feature a book signing with local artist Perry Vasquez from 2-3 p.m. According to Vasquez, “'25 Palm Trees in Paradise,' is a book that is not a book about a tree that is not a tree.” Its pages offer the viewer a survey of Vásquez’s “burning palm tree” paintings, created over the last ten years, that explore the palm’s many moods and manifestations. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego on Facebook / Instagram

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

The exhibition "Race: Power, Resistance & Change" shares stories of how the construction of race has shaped laws, institutions, and daily life in San Diego and the broader multinational region. Presented in English and Spanish, the exhibition highlights key moments in this region’s complex history of race. Experienced through mixed media, artworks, and accounts from regional archives, the exhibition brings forward important stories and voices often left out of mainstream narratives. Created in collaboration with local artists, researchers, and community leaders, this experience highlights stories, past and present, of how communities have resisted oppression and worked for change. "Race: Power, Resistance & Change" is an invitation and a call to action. It is a space to reflect, connect personal experiences, and take part in ongoing conversations about racial justice and building a more equitable future together. La exposición "Raza: Poder, Resistencia y Cambio" comparte historias sobre cómo la construcción social de la raza ha moldeado las leyes, las instituciones y la vida cotidiana en San Diego y en la región multinacional más amplia. Presentada en Inglés y Español, la exposición destaca momentos clave en la compleja historia racial de esta región. Experimentada a través de medios mixtos, obras de arte y testimonios de archivos regionales, la exposición da voz a historias y perspectivas importantes que a menudo han sido excluidas de las narrativas dominantes. Creada en colaboración con artistas locales, investigadores y líderes comunitarios, esta experiencia resalta historias–pasadas y presentes–de cómo las comunidades han resistido la opresión y han trabajado por el cambio. "Raza: Poder, Resistencia y Cambio" es una invitación y un llamado a la acción. Es un espacio para reflexionar, conectar experiencias personales y participar en conversaciones continuas sobre la justicia racial y la construcción conjunta de un futuro más equitativo, juntos. Museum of Us on Facebook / Instagram

The La Jolla Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival is a cherished annual celebration that brings the community together for a full day of festive entertainment, family-friendly activities, and holiday spirit. The event features the beloved La Jolla Christmas Parade, showcasing marching bands, creative floats, equestrian units, vintage vehicles, canine groups, community leaders, and local schools and service organizations. The Holiday Festival surrounds the parade with activities offered in two locations. Santa’s Workshop on Wall Street (1008 Wall Street in front of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library) provides hands-on arts and crafts, educational exhibits including robotics and coding demonstrations, and pre-parade visits with Santa. Santa’s Village at the La Jolla Recreation Center (615 Prospect Street) continues the celebration with games, live music, inflatable attractions, pony rides, face painting, and post-parade Santa visits. Admission is free, and families may reserve complimentary Santa visit time slots in advance on our website: www.ljparade.com We invite the entire community to join us for a joyful and memorable holiday tradition in the heart of La Jolla. La Jolla Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival on Instagram

iris yirei hu will share the work she's created as the 2025 Longenecker-Roth Artist in Residence at the Department of Visual Arts, UC San Diego. iris is a multidisciplinary journey-based artist from Los Angeles who works across paintings, installations, intercultural collaborations, writing, and public art. She roots her art practice in processes of material and spiritual transformation, as evidenced in labor intensive pieces and installations that explore the subterranean realms of grief and loss, cycles of life and death, the earthly and the otherworldly, and the infinitely evolving self. Central to her practice is working across territories and peoples, through which she investigates how geography, kinship, and the sacred are reflected in cultural technologies and ecological practices. A lifelong learner, she has undertaken rigorous study of ceramics, weaving, and papermaking by being in community with culture bearers and experts, and proposes that the preservation of craft is integral to bridging cultural, geographic, and generational divides. In 2022, LA Metro commissioned iris to design a large-scale mosaic artwork for the future UCLA/Westwood Purple Line Metro Station slated to open for the 2028 Summer Olympics. She has exhibited at the Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena, CA); Center for Arts, Research, and Alliances (New York, NY); Museum of Contemporary Art (Tucson, AZ); Plug In Institute for Contemporary Art (Winnipeg, MB, Canada); John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI); Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; among many other venues. Notable awards and residencies include: John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Artist-in-Residence in Pottery (2025), Meztli Projects Cultural Worker Fellowship (2024), California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists (2022), Headlands Center for the Arts Artist-in-Residence (2022), California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship (2021), and Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2020 & 2018). iris yirei hu on Instagram