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Speaker: Meher McArthur, Curator, East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum; Creative Director, Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden Meher McArthur was born in India to a Scottish father and Persian mother and grew up in Scotland, Canada, and England feeling very out of place. Hoping to go into international business, she studied Japanese at college and lived in Japan for two years but fell in love with Japanese art and took a new direction. She became a Japanese art historian and has been passionately curating Japanese art exhibitions in museums and galleries and for national tour for over 25 years. This lecture is a sneak preview of her new memoir (October 2025) and will highlight some of the most significant art works in her life and career and show how Japanese art helped her find her place in the world. Speaker bio: Meher McArthur is an Asian art historian specializing in Japanese art. She worked as a curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum and Creative Director for the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, both in Pasadena and was Academic Curator for Scripps College in Claremont and Art and Cultural Director for Japan House, Los Angeles. She curates traveling exhibitions for International Arts & Artists (IA&A), currently "Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper" and upcoming "KIMONO: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse." Her publications include "Gods and Goblins: Folk Paintings from Otsu" (PAM, 1999), "Reading Buddhist Art" (Thames & Hudson, 2002), "The Arts of Asia" (Thames & Hudson, 2005), "An ABC of What Art Can Be" (Getty Museum, 2010), "New Expressions in Origami Art" (Tuttle, 2017), and "Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper" (IA&A, 2021). She lives in Pasadena, California. Please note, this session will be conducted virtually via Zoom. Save your spot by clicking on this link. All participants will be sent the Zoom link via confirmation email with instructions once you secure your place. The San Diego Museum of Art on Facebook / Instagram

Ekphrastic poets find their inspiration in the visual. Their poems imagine, describe, or expand upon the “story” of an image or work of art. Every ekphrastic poem is its own work of art, separate but related to the visual inspiration. In this workshop, you will learn about well-known and not-so-well-known ekphrastic poems, and you will learn a methodology so that you can confidently approach this exciting cross-genre space. You will work in the Inspirations Gallery and create one or more unique poems. You will have the option to share your work aloud, as well as past poems, in a book in the gallery. Sharing is NOT required but an option for anyone who’d like to do it. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

Open Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

Urban Plates is a fast-casual, chef-driven restaurant, with locations throughout California, it offers family-style catering and ready-to-eat options to make your holiday planning effortless. Pre-order by December 21 for pick-up on December 23 or 24. Family-Style Takeaway: Holiday Strip Loin Roast Family Meal (Serves 6–8 — $239) Includes: - Slow-Roasted Strip Loin Roast (free from added hormones and antibiotics) - Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - Bordelaise Sauce - Creamy Horseradish - Choice of Two Sides: Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Rainbow Carrots & Golden Beets, Herb Roasted Marble Potatoes, Macaroni & Cheese, or Garlic Parmesan Roasted Mushrooms - Sliced Artisan Bread Holiday 3-Course Family Meal (To-Go Only, Serves 4) Perfect for smaller gatherings or last-minute celebrations, this hot, ready-to-eat meal is available with your choice of Chicken ($89), Steak ($99), or Salmon ($99). Each entrée comes with: - Starter Salad - Two Family-Style Sides - Four Cookies for Dessert Everything is freshly cooked and packaged hot for immediate enjoyment just unwrap and serve! Desserts: Whole desserts, including Apple Pie and Chocolate Vanilla Layer Cake, are available à la carte for pick-up on December 24. Full dessert orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. Place your orders at urbanplates.com/holidays to make this holiday season easier and more delicious. Urban Plates on Facebook / Instagram

Gather for a lively storytime in the MOPA@SDMA Dammeyer Gallery, surrounded by the vibrant artwork of Cat Chiu. Families are invited to enjoy engaging storytelling, songs, and readings of beloved children’s books in a space where art and literature meet. Listen to stories at 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. alongside Cat Chiu’s quilt-inspired installations made from children’s book jackets. This imaginative setting celebrates creativity, memory, and play. No reservation required. Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art on Instagram

Thousands of men in California are neither working nor in school. Gov. Gavin Newsom has called it a “crisis,” both for the labor market and for men’s mental health.

After a decade of development, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a beautiful but befuddling game full of misguided design decisions and annoying sidekicks.

This weekend in the arts in San Diego: Halloween punk, "Rent," printmaking, wearable art, a Día de Muertos procession and more.

Steve Cropper, who co-wrote classics including "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" and "In the Midnight Hour" during his years playing guitar at the legendary Stax Records in Memphis, has died. He was 84.

Author Clay Hoffman will speak on his book “Notable Companions of the Military Order of Foreign Wars,” which comprises profiles of historic American patriots. His talk will discuss a number of the patriots portrayed in the book who have served in the Civil War and other American wars, including Admiral George Dewey (Capture of New Orleans, Port Hudson); General Joseph C. Breckinridge Sr. (Shiloh, Atlanta Campaign); Admiral Stephen B. Luce (Siege of Charleston); and General Alexander S. Webb (Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg). Clay is a longtime member of the San Diego Civil War Round Table and has written dozens of articles on historical topics.