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Join us at Southwestern College Art Gallery for the opening of Movidas Razquaches and Other Cheap Thrills, a collection of new work by artist Perry Vásquez. The exhibition is open from February 4 - March 4, 2025. Regular Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:30 AM -2:30 PM or by appointment. ARTIST STATEMENT“As an artist I try to pay attention to things being created and consumed within my milieu along the San Diego/Tijuana boundary. I find inspiration by reframing and recontextualizing overlooked things I find here and there and on the margins. I chose Movidas Razquaches as the title for my show because I think it captures the spirit and methodology of what I want to accomplish as an artist.” – Perry Vásquez. ABOUT THE LANGUAGEAccording to Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, rasquachismo is a sensibility that gets expressed in Chicano cultural forms and practices. Ybarra-Frausto writes, “It is a sensibility that is not elevated and serious, but playful and elemental. It finds delight and refinement in what many consider banal and projects an alternative aesthetic, a sort of good taste of bad taste.” Like African-American funk, or the improvised inventions of Rube Goldberg, the emphasis is on wit, resourcefulness and working with what is at hand. The add-on word, movida, can be translated as a maneuver, or a play (as in a game). Poet Juan Felipe Herrera interprets movidas rasquaches as “cheap thrills”, linking it to a pleasurable activity open to anyone who cares to partake. While legal scholar Alfredo Mirandé offers the word “hustle,” suggesting an illicit or unethical way to make a living. Sociologist David Spener uses movidas rasquaches to describe the network of the ad hoc work-arounds and tricks employed by migrants to navigate the US/Mexico border. While no single one of these terms perfectly captures the full meaning, taken together they give a reliable framework for interpretation. ABOUT THE WORKOver the last year and a half, Vásquez has created new work that divides into four projects using different media and including collaborative and solo work. Some of the projects are well established while others are being presented to the public for the first time in this exhibition. Blankets Vásquez collects flyers advertising gardening services left on his driveway by workers seeking employment. The no-thrills graphic style and the not-so-subtle way in which they seem to copy each other caught the artist’s eye. The act of weaving the flyers into blanket designs celebrates the DIY approach while reminding us of the workers’ aspirations to provide warmth and shelter for their families. Le Voyage/El Viaje This is an AI imaging project whose goal was to rethink and replace the transactional language used to prompt and generate AI images. “The AI image making process is hyper-focused on the outcome as the only part of the process with artistic merit. The prompt itself is written to be transactional and limiting.” Vásquez turned the process of generating imagery into a Surrealist game by inserting lines from French poet Charles Baudellaire’s poem Le Voyage into the software. The resulting images were used as the basis for a series of oil paintings. Monopalms The presence of cell towers disguised as palm trees (monopalms) has become a common sight in Southern California. This series of paintings implies the link between palm trees and the myth of paradise. The paintings also offer commentary on the telecommunications industry and how it alters our perception of nature and our sense of public and private space. Mexus Nexus Fluxus Inspired by Mexican recording artist Esquivel and the German techno artist Señor Coconut, Vásquez arranged four traditional Mexican songs for the synthesizer. He then worked with visual artists Lianne Mueller-Thompson and Carlos Solorio to create video and animations for the music. The music will be presented as a video installation. RECEPTIONSSaturday February 8, 11 AM -1 PM. (free parking in Lot O for this event) Tuesday, February 11, 11 AM -1 PM.

Music Physics: Impressive vocal forces + colorful orchestral dynamism = sound explosion, generated by our largest ensembles presenting Hanson’s “Sea Symphony” and Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” Visit: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/palomar-performing-arts/66db834a38b0881a114ac08f/tickets#/productions-view Palomar Performing Arts on Instagram and Facebook

San Diego’s community college district finds itself directly in Trump’s crosshairs: Its “pride centers” were the only items called out by name in the administration’s plan to slash more than $10 billion of federal spending on education.

Join us at Artreach HQ for Felt Your Feelings, a wet felting workshop taught by Yasmine K. Kasem. Make your own fabric from scratch! Using the wet felting process, participants will create a piece of fabric from wool roving (unspun wool) and learn to incorporate design and pattern. Visit: Wet Felting ArtReach San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

Los Tigres del Norte has played almost every single place in the country — from armories to rodeos, in big cities and small towns. But they've never played Madison Square Garden.

Rooted in Celtic and American folk and inspired by Indian raga and ethnic idioms, Four Shillings Short offers a diverse and inventive traditional music experience. The husband/wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama, from Cork, Ireland, and Christy Martin, from California, have been performing together since 1995. They tour in the United States and Ireland, are independent folk-artists with thirteen recordings, perform 100 concerts per year, and live as the troubadours of old, traveling from town to town performing at music festivals, theaters, performing arts centers, folk and historical societies, libraries, museums, and schools. Aodg Og O’Tuama: vocals, tin whistles, doumbek, spoons, gemshorn, bowed psaltery, recorders, crumhorn, Native American Flutes, and many others. Born in Cork, Ireland, Aodh Óg (pronounced, ayog) studied Medieval and Renaissance music in college. He received a music fellowship to study at Stanford University in 1983. He played in a group called Drivelling Druids before forming the group Four Shillings Short. Christy Martin: vocals, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, banjo, North Indian sitar, guitar, charango, bowed psaltery, ukulele, and bodhran. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Christy was born into a musical family. She played the sitar for ten years, starting at the age of sixteen. She took up folk music in the 1980s. She has been playing hammered dulcimer since 1993. She was formerly in a band called Your Mother Should Know. Visit: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/four-shillings-short-pilgrim-united-church-of-christ-tickets/14144193

Anxiety and panic attacks crippled pianist Simone Dinnerstein on stage, despite a stellar career. She shares how one common device helped her overcome the fear.

Sundays, 1 p.m.– 4 p.m. January 12–March 2 (8 weeks, 24 total hours of instruction) La Jolla Studio “Fauvism is not everything, but it is the foundation of everything.”—Henri Matisse Henri Matisse, Andre Derain, and Maurice Vlaminck were the creators of this powerful era in art of the early 1900s. The act of painting itself was at the heart of Fauvism. It was the first movement to insist in explicit terms that a painting is the canvas and the pigments—not the subject. This class will explore the Postimpressionist movement that led to the Fauve movement strongly influencing the art of the 20th century. Leaving behind classic color, perspective, and subject matter, moving into exciting, bold, vibrant colors, spontaneous compositions, and highly gestural application of paint techniques is what we will explore painting in session. A pink sky? Why not! Come join the fun, freedom, and excitement of expressive Fauve painting. This class is for all levels of painters, both beginning and experienced artists. You are also welcome to do your own work. This is a good place to be with other talented painters and enjoy the creative atmosphere here at the Athenaeum. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am happy to help. sharoncaroldemery@gmail.com Materials: Paints: Your preference of paints: oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache … you name it! Please include Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light (cool yellow), Cadmium Yellow (warm yellow), Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Viridian Green or Phthalo Green. Plus any colors of paint that you would like to use. Brushes: Bring a variety of brushes for your choice of paints that include #2, #4, #6, #8. Good quality brushes make a difference. Other materials: 12” x16” paper palette pad; odorless Turpenoid and linseed oil for oils; soft vine charcoal; 1.5- or 2-inch palette knife; paper towels; two small jars with lids; spray bottle for acrylic painters; sketchbook; color pencils; four canvas or canvas boards, 11” x 14” or your preference. Good quality watercolor paper for watercolor painters. Suggested items: Masterson Sta-Wet Palette Seal to keep paints moist; glass palette to go inside the box making paint easier to mix; Silicoil jar with spring in the bottom to clean brushes; two tall containers to hold clean and used brushes at your station in the studio. Max students: 13 Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/classes/15 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Join us for “Ryde or Dye,” an interactive, one-of-a-kind event that celebrates love, creativity, and community. All attendees will receive a FREE dyed shirt upon arrival, and they will use a variety of sewing tools and embellishment techniques to unleash their creativity and design a piece of wearable art. (You must RSVP to receive your free tee!) Music, munchies and live poetry will be on display throughout the evening. Here is what to expect: - Free Dyed Shirt: Every attendee receives a free, custom-dyed shirt to use as their canvas. (You must RSVP to receive your free tee!) - Multiple DIY Stations: - Sewing Machines: Use our sewing machines to add embroidered patches, and recycled vintage fabric scraps to your shirt - Kick Press Machine: Use our vintage kick press machine to add studs to your shirt and give it some edge - Embroidery Lounge: Use our needle and thread to hand stitch designs directly onto your shirt or use our free embroidery looms to chill out and hand stitch over pre-made designs - Wallet-Making Workshop: Craft your own custom wallet using recycled fabrics and materials - Poetry & Music: Enjoy live spoken word performances by local poets hosted by Hola Ola - Munchies: Savor delicious bites by @legadofoods while you create and connect This free event is in support of Chicana film maker Sara Angela, who is fundraising to shoot her next short film in San Diego. If you have the means, please consider donating to her fundraising campaign and help support a local creative! This event is also celebrating 12 years of Sew Loka! We opened up on our business on February 13, 2013 and we are so grateful to still be living this dream, and we could not do it without community support. This event is our way of giving back to the people that give us sew much! We love and appreciate you San Diego!!! Follow @sewloka on instagram for updates and sneak peeks! Let’s dye, stitch, stud, and create together while also uplifting the next generation of storytellers! See you there!

The devastation of the LA fires impacted so many people, and the recovery path for families with special needs is even more daunting. TERI has learned that over 240 homes burned within L.A.’s special needs community, and as a response, has put together a community event to raise funds for our neighbors up north. On February 1, TERI will host a benefit concert to help support special needs families impacted by the LA fires. Restoring Hope: A Benefit Concert for Special Needs Families will take place at The Bornemann Theatre, located at TERI Campus of Life, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. 100% of proceeds from the benefit concert will support three L.A. Regional Centers working directly with families with kids, adults, and seniors with special needs. Tickets for the concert can be purchased online and are $50 for general admission and $75 for front row seating. TERI Common Grounds Café will be open for lunch, dinner and concessions stands during the concert. The benefit concert will feature unforgettable performances by: Sara Jade Band – Captivating vocals and soulful melodies. [3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.] Adin Boyer – American Idol and Autism advocate. [4:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.] Never Die Young – A James Taylor tribute band celebrating timeless classics. [5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.] Jimmy Buffet – A tribute to Jimmy Buffett’s breezy, feel-good anthems. [6 p.m. - 7 p.m.] TERI asks that if you cannot attend the concert, the public consider making a generous donation. Online donations can also be made here. 100% of every gift will support frontline L.A. agencies in direct care of the special kids, adults, and seniors. Every dollar helps restore special lives that are dramatically disrupted in so many ways, far beyond the firestorm tragedies. Together, we can make a difference far beyond the fires, helping to rebuild lives and brighten futures. Purchase tickets here and join us for an evening of inspiration, music, and hope. You can also give online to directly support the frontline work in L.A. and support families with special needs. About TERI Campus of Life: Since 1980, TERI has been a national pioneer in providing top-quality services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in San Diego County and the surrounding region. With four decades of progressive growth, TERI now offers an array of evidence-based programs and services that address the complex needs of neurodiversity across all stages of one’s lifetime. TERI’s 20+ individualized programs are integrated within Six Pillars of Care including Special Needs Education, Residential Group Homes, Arts & Enrichment Programs, Family Training & Special Services, Vocational Training and Internships, and Sustainable Social Enterprises. All programs foster individual expression and growth in a supportive and wellness-based environment. TERI's commitment to enhancing the quality of life for this community serves as a respected model for promoting inclusivity, integration, and belonging. To learn more about TERI, visit www.teriinc.org TERI Inc on Facebook / Instagram