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We will be doing small to medium-size loose studies. We will keep the watercolor simple and fresh. We focus on the process more than the finished product, and we encourage play and experimentation. This is a great technique to learn for travel sketchbooks, greeting cards, or adding a little custom painting to your scrapbook, journal, or website. You will be able to finish several paintings. Lori will walk you through each project, and she will demonstrate and show samples, all in a very relaxed atmosphere. We will be drawing from observation of photos and from real life. We may have a guest artist join us for one lesson. This class is set at an intermediate level. You should have some experience with drawing and painting before taking this class. MATERIALS: Pens: I recommend Faber-Castell PITT or Micron waterproof, black. There’s a pack of four Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens that have nib sizes superfine, fine, medium, and brush-pen. If you have a variety of nib sizes in another brand of acid free, waterproof pens, feel free to use them. (Note: Be sure it is not the four-pack that has thick pens used for calligraphy.) Paper: one 9” x 12” watercolor pad. (From 90 lb. to 140 lb. is good. My favorite brand is Arches, cold or hot press, but others are fine.) Watercolor: If you have watercolors, just use what you have. If you want to buy some, you can get the Prang-brand, 16-standard-color set or splurge and buy tubes of Daniel Smith or Winsor & Newton. If you want a set for travel, get a travel Winsor & Newton set, with professional colors. Brushes: The sets usually come with a brush. I recommend that you get additional brushes (round #2, 6, and 8) and a flat, wash brush (½”). Feel free to set up any pens or paper you would like to try. If you would like to get a travel water brush, Niji is the best brand. Misc.: glue stick, scissors, two water containers, spray bottle, water mister, watercolor well palette. (It’s a palette with little cups to hold the paint.) Optional: one Uni-ball, Signo white fine-tip pen or white gel pen, Speedball sketching project set, and black waterproof India ink. Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens, waterproof, sanguine and/or sepia, any thickness of nib. Max students: 12 Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/class/103 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

On the heels of its sold-out debut, Mainly Mozart is thrilled to announce the 2nd Annual Culinary Concerto, the can’t-miss event of the season. Set to take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the stunning, state-of-the-art EVE venue in downtown San Diego, this unique evening will bring together 25 award-winning, international celebrity chefs and 25 celebrated winemakers to deliver an extraordinary four-course dining experience—all while supporting the arts in San Diego. Curated by celebrity chef and best-selling author Chef Claudia Sandoval, this year’s Culinary Concerto, promises an unparalleled fusion of gastronomy, fine wine, and live music. Each table will be transformed into a personal stage for a celebrity chef to craft an exquisite four-course dinner tableside, paired with wines meticulously selected by renowned winemakers and enologists from Valle de Guadalupe to Paso Robles and beyond. Event Highlights: A Star-Studded Culinary Lineup: 25 internationally acclaimed chefs, including Michelin-starred innovators and celebrated culinary visionaries like Drew Deckman, Roberto Alcocer, and Reyna Venegas, will prepare luxurious four-course meals tableside. Exclusive Wine Pairings: Renowned winemakers from Valle de Guadalupe to Paso Robles, including McPrice Meyers, DAOU Vineyards, and Bruma Winery, will be paired with chefs to create a harmonious collaboration at each table. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy expertly curated wine pairings with each course, as the winemakers and chefs interact directly with them, sharing insights, stories, and guiding them through a personalized culinary and vinous journey. Incredible Entertainment: The evening will feature stirring live music performances, complemented by charismatic emcee Casey Webb, host of Man vs. Food. Proceeds from Culinary Concerto will benefit Mainly Mozart’s nationally acclaimed programs, including the All-Star Orchestra Festival, the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra, and cross-border initiatives supporting music education in Baja California. Visit: https://www.mainlymozart.org/culinaryconcerto2025 Mainly Mozart on Instagram and Facebook

Jazz bassist/composer Doug Walker leads his quintet featuring saxophonist David Borgo, guitarist Victor Baker, pianist Tobin Chodos, drummer Justin Joyce, and original music from his recent debut release “Concurrent Lines”, as well as new material. Visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thejazzlounge/1537672

San Diego State University, Arts and Letters 201 – or live stream via Zoom PARKING: Parking Structure 12 (Aztec Bowl, San Diego, CA 92182) DIRECTIONS: https://htm.sdsu.edu/documents/ps12_map.pdf Free to members and the public and available via Zoom. Pre-registration required. About the program: The San Diego World Affairs Council is co-sponsoring the in-person and Zoom presentations by acclaimed author and columnist Peter Beinart. Beinart will discuss his new book, “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza,” with SDSU Professors Jonathan Graubart and Manal Swairjo. The book confronts the dominant “pro-Israel” narrative, which features a recurring Jewish experience of persecution and victimhood that endures even amid Israel’s destruction of Gaza. That narrative, Beinart argues, both warps our understanding of Israel-Palestine and erases the richness of the Jewish experience. He imagines an alternate narrative of what it means to be a Jew and how to reckon with injustices perpetrated in the name of the Jewish people. In this future, Israeli Jews have the right to equality, not supremacy, while Jewish and Palestinian safety and dignity are co-dependent, not mutually exclusive. As Adam Hochschild writes, “At this painful moment, Peter Beinart’s voice is more vital than ever. His reach is broad—from the tragedy of today’s Middle East to the South Africa he knows well to events centuries ago—his scholarship is deep, and his heart is big. This book is not just about being Jewish in the shadow of today’s war, but about being a person who cares for justice.” The other sponsors of this event are: 1) San Diego State University organizations: Political Science Department, ISCOR, Jewish Studies, Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies. 2) UC San Diego organizations: Department of Communication, Center for Study of Religion, and Middle East Studies. 3) San Diego chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 4) San Diego Hinenu Havurah. About the speakers Peter Beinart is a professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He is also editor at large for Jewish Currents, publisher of The Beinart Notebook, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, and an MSNBC analyst. Peter Alexander Beinart was (born February 28, 1971). His parents were Jewish immigrants from South Africa (his maternal grandfather was from Russia, and his maternal grandmother, who was Sephardic, was from Egypt). His father's parents were from Lithuania. Jonathan Graubart is a professor and chair of the SDSU Political Science Department. He is the author of Jewish Self-Determination beyond Zionism: Lessons from Hannah Arendt and other Pariahs (Temple University Press 2023). Graubart is a co-founder of Hinenu Havurah, a progressive Jewish collective in San Diego. Manal Swairjo is a professor of biochemistry at SDSU. Her research focuses on RNA biogenesis processes and their links to human disease. Dr Swairjo was born in Gaza, Palestine. Much of her family in Gaza was killed by Israel’s destructive assault. In San Diego, she co-founded a Jewish-Palestinian dialogue in 2000 after the collapse of Oslo and the outbreak of the second Intifada.

Self-publishing one’s photographs in an on-demand photobook is more than just a fad. For more than two decades, photographers have embraced the process of creating, designing, and outsourcing their bodies of photographic works into small-edition books using various publishing software. By moving their images from the screen to the page, to an object one can hold in their hand, share with others, and memorialize visual projects into “a thing itself,” the photobook is the new paradigm shift for the photographic medium. This online course will introduce the history of the photobook in the context of early 20th century photography to the 21st century, challenging one to ask, “Why the book?” Within this context, the purpose of one’s book will be explored. Surveying and selecting individual images within a series, then editing images into a cohesive body of photographs, will drive the design, including creating dynamic layouts and prototype mock-ups for review. Using presentation software, such as Keynote or PowerPoint, one’s first look will be to critically examine scale, sequence, the visual space of each page, text, and other construction elements to heighten the experience of one’s photographs within the flow of a book. This is not a course on how to use publishing software. As the course proceeds, various publishing sources will be introduced and scrutinized from simple construction options to complex ones. Students will compare their level of skill with these proprietary software sources, selecting the best in regard to which book format has an acceptable degree and “ease of handling.” Further considerations for a publisher will be the design options needed to communicate the book’s purpose, selection of various papers, binding, and of course what is the final cost and turnaround time to hold the book in one’s hand. Requirements for successful completion of the course: Participants need a body of photographic works to create and design their book. The selection of a book design software is cost-free, but publishing costs for one book usually start at about $25 plus shipping. Turn around times are usually 6–10 business days. The course meets online consecutively for five weeks, taking one week off to outsource to publisher. There will be a final online class meeting (6th week) to review and celebrate one’s completed book! Max students: 12 Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/class/102 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Please join us for a special storytime honoring and celebrating Black History month with fun stories, songs, and crafts! Need disability-related modifications or accommodations? Information and program content can be made available in alternative formats upon request by emailing JFRogers@sandiego.gov. Visit: https://sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/toddler-storytime-421633

Celebrate Valentine's Day weekend by making art with or for someone you love! In this workshop led by artist Natalie M. Godinez, participants will learn the basics of stamp carving, how to create a DIY pattern, and how to use found materials to create your own stamps. You will leave with a hand-carved stamp, a recycled stamp, and a hand-printed bandana. We hope you join us at ArtReach for this artist-led workshop! About the Artist: Natalie M Godinez (she/her/ella) is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and community advocate raised in Tijuana, México. Godinez explores memories, identity, and relationships to places and language through textiles, printmaking, and collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Applied Design degree from San Diego State University and she has been teaching art since 2009 across California. Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nataliemgodinez/ Website: https://www.nataliegodinez.com/ We kindly ask that adults actively participate in this art activity alongside any child under the age of 11.

Come to UC San Diego’s 23rd annual Black History Month celebration “Black Contributions to Labor– Honoring our Legacy, Inspiring the Future" Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/23rd-annual-black-history-month-scholarship-brunch-tickets-1236247612889

Bring the family for a morning of fun and creativity as we celebrate Black History. Participants will participate in a drum circle where they will learn about rhythm, create a craft inspired by the amazing work of Alma Thomas and have an opportunity to have their face painted. Visit: https://sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/black-history-celebration-398330

Yang Jiang (b. 1988, China) is a San Diego–based artist and therapist whose tactile and dreamlike creations embody emotional liberation and spiritual freedom. Shimmering like artifacts from a fairy tale, her pieces use light, texture, and sculptural forms to convey a sense of vulnerability and resilience. A testament to the beauty and complexity of spiritual survival, Jiang’s work offers viewers a poignant reminder of the courage and tenderness of the human heart. Her art has been exhibited at the Athenaeum Art Center, Visual Art + Supply, Revision San Diego, and the Brown Building. Jiang is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of San Diego. I Thought I’d Be Braver, Jiang’s debut solo exhibition, is a decade-long chronicle of her journey toward emotional courage. Her early work, characterized by bold colors and harsh textures, reflects the pain of repressed emotions and a fear of vulnerability. Gradually, this aesthetic softens into one of sheer, vibrant hues and delicate layers, mirroring her internal shift toward nurturance, forgiveness, and compassion. This evolution in her style reflects the brave heart of a wounded healer who has confronted her shadow and embraced self-acceptance, demonstrating that true courage lies in acknowledging and integrating one’s emotions. The exhibition can be viewed in the Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center (1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113) during open gallery hours, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and every second Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., during the Barrio Art Crawl, and by appointment. Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/events/exhibition-2025-jiang Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook