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Join Storytellers of San Diego in a season for "Compassion Tales," including a few ghosts, haunts and spooky places. Ganesha's origin story, a Buddhist tale and more--all told in a comfy and art-filled atmosphere. Expand your evening with the original social media--storytelling! Curated tellers for the evening are Linda Brown, Phoenix Coverley, David Walsh, Mindy Donner and Jim Dieckmann. Enjoy wicked java, and other barista drinks.

Supporters of the displays say the Bible is on their side, but critics call the scenes sacrilegious and politically divisive, accusing the churches of abusing sacred imagery.

Creative Connections: SEL Through Contemporary Art with the ArtReach Learning Portal In this hands-on professional development workshop, educators will learn two creative projects, based on contemporary art practices, that integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Participants will explore how these art forms can encourage self-expression, emotional processing, and social connection in the classroom. The session will also introduce the ArtReach Learning Portal, offering resources and tools to support SEL-focused art education. Educators will leave with ready-to-implement projects and access to a rich digital platform for continued learning and inspiration. This professional development workshop will focus on strategies art educators can use to incorporate contemporary artists into their lesson plans and to strengthen their confidence in speaking to and teaching from contemporary art. Focusing on artists from California, the San Diego/Tijuana border region, and arts resources within San Diego County, this workshop will provide culturally relevant touchstones for lesson development that reflect the intersectional identities of San Diego students. The session will provide hands-on art making activities that can then be applied directly in classrooms. In addition to supporting culturally responsive curriculum and contemporary arts focus, the lessons will also promote social emotional learning (SEL) by engaging the 5 SEL competencies of CASEL 5. Participants will walk away with resources, strategies, and lessons to immediately implement in their classrooms. All lessons are supported by the National Core Arts Standards. ArtReach: Website / Facebook / Instagram

Trained at The Mannes College of Music in New York City, Steve Postell has built a wide-ranging career that spans Broadway, national touring, film and television composition, studio production, and work with some of the most influential artists in modern music. His early work included performing with Pure Prairie League, appearing in Broadway productions such as Evita and The Man of La Mancha, and co-writing the score for the off-Broadway rock musical "Fallen Angel." Steve has written music for film and television, contributed guitar and songwriting to albums by David Crosby, and released his own recent album, "Walking Through These Blues," featuring an array of guest artists including Iain Matthews, Tony Furtado, Bekka Bramlett, Greg Leisz, and others. His collaborations extend to John Oates, Jennifer Warnes, Kenny Loggins, Eric Andersen, Dan Navarro, and many more. A significant chapter of his recent work includes co-producing and performing on an album with renowned guitarist and songwriter Danny Kortchmar, which led to the formation of The Immediate Family. This group, featuring legendary session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel, and Steve, has released multiple recordings and is the subject of an award-winning documentary produced by Magnolia Films. In the past year, Steve has appeared at benefit concerts alongside artists such as Shawn Colvin, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Joe Walsh, John Fogerty, and Alan Parsons. His performances reflect the depth of his musicianship and a lifelong commitment to creativity and collaboration. Join us for an intimate evening with an artist whose expressive guitar work, thoughtful songwriting, and rich musical history create an unforgettable concert experience. Steve Postell on Instagram

Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old) Free Teen Art is a free program for teens, who are interested in art-making as an enrichment activity that goes beyond making crafts. The aim of the program is to provide a space for youth to create art, share stories, collaborate, explore, and identify new ways to use art in their lives. The Athenaeum offers facilities, resources, guidance, instruction, and support. The open studio program includes a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors offering workshops in their respective fields, as well as curricular activities that involve the use of the Athenaeum library resources as a starting point for projects. Activities include drawing, painting, research, and introduction to various media. Jean Krumbein embraces all aspects of drawing. An artist, teacher, and model,; she is a guest artist/figure-drawing instructor for the Canyon Crest Academy EVA Conservatory program and Founder of the Encinitas Library Figure Drawing Group. A New York transplant, Jean studied at the Huntington Fine Arts League, Friends World College, and the Art Students League. She teaches at art retreats and workshops in Southern California, specializing in life drawing, portrait, and still-life drawing classes for adults and teens. Her work has been shown in many group and solo shows in San Diego and New York.  Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

For over a quarter of a century, Jonathan Larson’s "RENT" has inspired us to choose love over fear and to live without regret. This Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. It has become more than a musical – it’s a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. "RENT" has become a part of us forever. Whether you’ve never seen "RENT" or have completely lost count, you can’t miss it this time around – presented in New Village Arts’ intimate theatre in the heart of Carlsbad Village. Content advisory: Please note, this production contains adult language and themes, depictions of homophobia, substance abuse and addiction, death and housing vulnerability. Previews: October 31-November 7, 2025 Opening Night: November 8, 2025 Dea Hurston Industry Night: December 8, 2025 October 31-December 24, 2025 Tickets start at $35!* *All orders are subject to a flat $3 processing fee. $35 reflects our student ticket price. Regular ticket prices range from $35–$80. Performance Schedule as follows: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Select Fridays at 2 p.m. Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m. Visit: https://newvillagearts.org/series/rent/ New Village Arts on Instagram and Facebook

Heart & Art: Tangible Strategies for Integrating SEL into Creative Lessons This professional development session will guide educators in integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into their art lessons through practical, hands-on strategies. Participants will learn how to create art projects that foster emotional expression, self-awareness, and empathy in students. By exploring specific activities and reflective practices, educators will leave with actionable tools to seamlessly blend SEL and art-making, nurturing a supportive and creative classroom environment. ArtReach: Website / Facebook / Instagram

A stunning combination of cars and books will converge on Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista on Saturday, October 25, for the second annual Lowriders for Literacy event. The event brings together a diverse display of lowrider cars, gathered to encourage the community to ignite a love of reading. And while the two topics may seem worlds apart on the surface, the event organizers stress that the two share powerful similarities. By drawing parallels between the time and effort required to build a lowrider and the skills needed for literacy, the event seeks to make reading more approachable and engaging for students and families. The event will take place on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rancho Buena Vista High School. A number of car clubs from across San Diego County are participating, coordinated in part by an RBV parent active in the lowrider community. The event will also feature two food trucks and an ice cream truck. Local libraries, including Vista, Oceanside, and the John Landers Community Center, as well as the San Diego Libros chapter, are involved in the event. Education Begins in the Home, a San Diego literacy organization, will donate books suitable for all age ranges, from pre-K to 12th grade. The event also features performing arts groups from the Vista Unified School District, including Mariachi and Ballet Folklórico performances. “Strong literacy skills open doors—to higher education, careers, and lifelong learning,” says RBV Assistant Principal Garry Dillard. “For students of color, literacy is especially vital in navigating systems, telling their stories, and shaping their futures. By pairing literacy with lowrider culture, we remind our students that learning is not just about school—it’s about pride, identity, and community.”

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with crafts this month: 10/2/25: Tin Bracelet 10/9/25: Mini Piñata ______________________________________________________________ Celebre el mes de la Herencia Hispana con manualidades diferentes este mes: 10/2/25: Pulsera de estaño 10/9/25: Mini Piñata

Opening Reception | Nolan Oswald Dennis: "Demonstrations (i)": Presented with INSITE Athenaeum Music & Arts Library 1008 Wall Street La Jolla, CA 92037 October 25, 2025–January 17, 2026 Opening Reception: Friday, October 24, 5:30–8 p.m. Conversation with Nolan Oswald Dennis and critic KJ Abudu: 5:30–6:15 p.m. Joseph Clayes III & Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Galleries Nolan Oswald Dennis: "Demonstrations (i)" Presented with INSITE INSITE is pleased to announce Nolan Oswald Dennis: "Demonstrations (i)," opening at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, California, this October. Nolan Oswald Dennis (b. 1988, Lusaka, Zambia) is an artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Informed by the study of geological and planetary systems—and situated within African and diasporic relations to the land, cosmos, and anti-colonial political structures—Dennis’s work approaches the world as it is while mapping possibilities for transforming it. "Demonstrations (i)" marks the West Coast premiere of Isivivane, an ongoing project by Dennis that replicates rock specimens from geology museums and university departments in South Africa and parts of the world where the work has been shown. Originally commissioned for INSITE Commonplaces in Johannesburg in 2021, this project has since traveled to the Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, Netherlands; the Swiss Institute in New York; and Gasworks in London. Isivivane is a Zulu word which translates to a "pile of stones,” similar to a cairn, which marks a spiritually or historically significant site. Isivivane also means to make an individual contribution to a collective future. Manufactured daily by a 3D-printer on site, the new rocks become part of what the artist calls a Black Earth Library. This is an effort that has arisen from discussions with geologists and geology museum curators concerning restitution and repatriation of culturally significant objects. In asking the host institution to create digital and physical copies of more or less significant rocks, stones, and other small geological objects, Dennis suggests a geo-social system not built by a single person, but by many over time. Isivivane will be accompanied by related sculptures and drawings, and displays of rocks and minerals selected by the artist from local collections. "Demonstrations (i)" opens to the public at the Athenaeum with a reception on Friday, October 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The closing of the exhibition on January 17 will be celebrated with the presentation of INSITE Journal__08: Reverse Forward and All at Once. The publication comprises documentation and essays related to the INSITE "Commonplaces" project curated by Gabi Ngcobo in Johannesburg, with commissioned work by participating artists Nyakallo Maleke and Nolan Oswald Dennis. Further public program announcements to follow. About Nolan Oswald Dennis Nolan Oswald Dennis is an artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. They hold a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and a master’s degree in art, culture, and technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Swiss Institute in New York; Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town; and Gasworks in London. They have been featured in group exhibitions at FRONT Triennial (Cleveland), Lagos Biennial, Liverpool Biennial, MACBA (Barcelona), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Shanghai Biennale, and Young Congo Biennale, among others. They are a member of the artist groups NTU and Index Literacy Program, research associate with the VIAD Research Centre at the University of Johannesburg, and a member of the Edouard Glissant Art Fund Scientific Committee. About INSITE Since 1992, INSITE has produced more than 250 artists’ projects conceived for specific sites and political-social contexts across San Diego and Tijuana, as well as in Mexico City. INSITE Commonplaces is a curatorial platform established in 2021 for producing work with artists and communities commissioned locally in different regions of the world. In addition to Johannesburg (Reverse Forward and All at Once), these long-term projects have taken place in Lima, Peru (Common Thread), and presently, the transnational region encompassing San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico (The Sedimentary Effect). The exhibition can be viewed in the Joseph Clayes III and Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Galleries at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram