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Ukraine calculates the agony of war in many ways. Lives lost, homes destroyed, families turned into refugees. There's also trauma that's harder to measure — the collective mental health crisis.

“Gifted with a gorgeous voice and a flair for composing resonant Hawaiian songs, [Kalani Pe’a] is a major, innovative figure in contemporary Hawaiian music.” – Maui News With his distinctive vocal range and a gift for composing soulful Hawaiian songs, Kalani Pe'a is one of Hawai'i’s brightest stars. His 2017 debut album, E Walea, won the Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album, making Kalani the first Hawaiian recording artist to ever win in the category. Kalani Pe’a’s third and most recent release, Kau Ka Pe’a, garnered him his 3rd Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album, as well as two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”), including the coveted Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year. Influenced from an early age by classical and R&B music, Kalani blends his soothing melodies and powerful ballads with hauntingly gorgeous harmonies and resonant lyrics—creating a musical style all his own, delivered with the passion, poetry and soul of Hawai'i. For more information visit: artcenter.org Stay Connected on Facebook

Local writers present their work on the theme of where we came from and where we are going as a society in this dramatic reading with opportunities for audience feedback. Learning to Fly looks at works that touch on the societal expectations of our youth, our struggles to overcome challenges and find ourselves, and the process of becoming who we are. Tales of O’side is an opportunity for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in mainstage performances, such as LGBTQ+ folks, people of color, and those who experience mental health struggles, to share their own work and perspectives. Our goal is to build a literary and theater arts community fostering interactions between artists and audiences to discuss their works. Pay what you can!

BEST PRACTICE is proud to present Belly, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Los Angeles-based artist Aaron Douglas Estrada. Belly examines the metaphorical expression “belly of the beast,” a phrase used throughout history for being in the heart of a challenging situation. The work explores identity, the dynamics of commodities, and navigating through life’s everyday struggles. Each artwork becomes a repository for acts of decolonization and a testament to self-preservation rituals. It serves as an archive for memories, with the intent to both honor and question. This exhibition contains a diverse array of materials, sounds, and paintings. These include chandelier webs crafted from chains, hand-painted subwoofer music boxes that serve as veladoras (candles) filled with bouncing beans accompanied by audio clips. The sculptural works incorporate salvaged materials from random encounters and gifts from loved ones. The paintings are transformed from drop cloth canvas into serged tapestries that reference Indigenous textiles and cobijas. These materials allude to the intricate nature of identity and its challenges within a consumption-driven economy. This intricacy forms a web of socioeconomic factors that ultimately shape the very essence of our being. What does it mean to confront adversity, honor heritage, and exist in a world both challenging and beautiful? Aaron Douglas Estrada is an artist whose work explores the relationship between the body and its surroundings, moments of play, and the process of decolonization. As a first-generation Salvadorian native of Los Angeles, he draws inspiration from his upbringing in the city and his interactions with diverse cultures and lifestyles. Through his artistic practice, he documents the materials he encounters and captures the energy embedded within them, reflecting on collective memories and everyday life. His work serves as an archive for these memories, incorporating songs, sayings, and cultural symbols that carry multi-layered histories into his sculptures, paintings, murals, public artworks, and installations. Related links: Best Practice: website | Instagram Aaron Estrada: website | Instagram

R.B. Stevenson Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition "Seen & Forgotten" featuring new paintings by San Diego artist Stephen P. Curry. How to visit: The exhibition opens with a reception for the artist: 5-8 p.m. Saturday October 21. Gallery will be open at 1 pm. for early viewing. On view through November 22, 2023. Gallery Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday Contact: Phone: 858.459.3917 rbstevensongallery@sbcglobal.net "Still life painting is a questioning of beauty in light of our immediate reality. These paintings begin with imagery of current events that are depictions of destruction, violence, and death in the initial underpainting process as a way to influence, contradict and subvert the act of observation and the painting process as well as the final opposing representation of the beauty of nature. These contradictory images exist simultaneously to engage in a conversation in the seen and the unseen or forgotten. At the same time challenging, yet playful compositional choices are meant to break with traditional still life and illusionistic representational effects are intentionally brought up short by the physical nature of the paint itself. Drips and splatters, dabs and smears, paint does what paint does." -Stephen P. Curry Related links: R.B. Stevenson Gallery website | Instagram | Facebook

Artonic Quartet is thrilled to partner with Soprano Tasha Koontz, FF Collective, and the University of San Diego to present a program premiering music from The Schemes and Scandals of "Fat Leonard" Francis. Experience modern sonic storytelling with this dramatic ensemble composed of Artonic Quartet, made up of San Diego Symphony members, joined by soprano Tasha Koontz, featuring music by Caroline Shaw, John Adams, Phillip Glass, and San Diego's own Tommy Dougherty. Each piece on the program has its own tale to tell, including the world premiere of music from Dougherty's Schemes and Scandals of Fat Leonard, based on a true story of epic bribery and blackmail aimed at the U.S. Navy, and selections from Evergreen, the newest classical album from Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw where the singer improvises fresh melodies. In 2013, Malaysian military contractor Leonard Glenn Francis (known as “Fat Leonard”) was arrested in San Diego in an NCIS raid after years of maintaining control of the U.S. Navy’s massive Seventh Fleet by subording Navy officers with lavish parties and extravagant gifts which included luxury goods and prostitutes. At his hands, the Navy—a pillar of the American understanding of honor— had fallen prey to unthinkable corruption and the largest military security breach since the Cold War. Schemes and Scandals unearths the unheard female voices buried in the rubble of the far-reaching but largely under-publicized scandal to ask what is left when “honor,” patriotism, and the men who cling to them crumble. The program will also include a pre-concert informational session with Robert Gonzales, the world's leading "Fat Leonard" scholar. Related links: Artonic Quartet website FF Collective website | Instagram California Festival website | Instagram

Four-time Newberry Honoree, three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, MacArthur Fellow, and National Book Award-winning bestselling author Jacqueline Woodson visits the San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common to present her latest Young Adult novel, Remember Us. An audience Q&A and book signing will follow the presentation.

Demure Productions is back with a brand-new residency at Queen Bee's Cultural Arts Center in North Park featuring San Diego's newest burlesque troupe, the Music Box Burlesque Revue. Music Box Burlesque Revue was founded in 2018 by Lola Demure and features some of San Diego's newest stars with a broad range of talents from dance, singing, comedy and more. Each show will feature guest artists from around the country making this show a one-of-a-kind event. Hosted by: Fanny Hypnaughty Stage Kitten: Cucci Americano Our cast includes performances by: Lola Demure Milky Bunnz Gabrielle Lavie Nayna La Santa Jojo Deveaux Pinkie Valentine Chica Cabra Special guest performer: Jessabelle Thunder (Los Angeles) ADMISSION: $30-$200 Diamond VIP $200 includes seating for 4 with one bottle of champagne for the table Ruby VIP $150 includes seating for 3 with one bottle of champagne for the table Sapphire VIP includes seating for 2 with one bottle of champagne for the table Premium Seating $40 first two rows of seats, first come serve seating GA $30 open seating Stay Connected on Social Media! Facebook & Instagram

Choreo & _______ is a performance plus an activity that allows for people to engage in something physical between short dance performances. This intersection of performance and participation creates a unique embodiment opportunity for dancers and audiences-participants alike. Choreo & _______ is about engaging with meaningful opportunities to move our bodies, play, enjoy physical expression, and build community through movement. Under the direction of Lead Artist Martin Anthony Dorado, Choreo & SCARYaoke will include dance performance + karaoke, spooky style. Between performances by Meesh Herd & Giovanna Francisco, The Tchotchkes, Tina Carreras, Erin Kracht, and Brianna Pilkinton (Accipiter Dance), the audience will have the opportunity to perform karaoke featuring '80s, '90s, and early '00s jams, and mingle in a festive costume party environment. Tickets are $15 for all participants. Related links: Disco Riot website | Instagram | Facebook

If you're looking for things to do in San Diego with the whole family, we've got you covered. Just don't forget the sunscreen.