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This weekend in the arts: San Diego ballet teams up with Gilbert Castellanos; Robert Xavier Burden unveils “The Alien Painting”; Burn All Books and Scanners Archive screen indie films; "Empty Ride" at the Globe; Moxie Theatre launches a new playwriting festival; Daygo Eatz; plus live music picks and more.

Our beginner art classes for children ages 3-5 encourage creative expression by exploring vibrant colors, shapes, and artistic concepts. Young artists will engage with various techniques through hands-on projects in painting, drawing, and mixed-media collages. Visit: $15 Art Class for Kids ArtReach San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

Drop in Play: Sensory Art Exploration is a fun and engaging art class for toddlers ages 1-3. In this introduction to creative play, children are free to explore various art materials in a safe, open environment with no formal instruction. Little artists can move between different sensory stations at their own pace, sparking their curiosity and creativity. This class encourages hands-on discovery, allowing children to experience art through touch, color, and texture. Visit: Drop in Play for Toddlers ArtReach San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

San Diego Filipino Cinema marks its sixth anniversary with CineLibre, featuring a free screening of San Diego Filipino Film Festival short films and conversations with filmmakers, including Luke Lace and Marissa Roxas.

Here are the winning entries in this year's Global Ability Photography Challenge.

Sometimes called the father of freak-folk, the 83-year-old singer-songwriter lived, worked and died on his own terms.

Our intermediate art class for ages 5-11 nurtures artistic growth through more advanced exploration of color theory, composition, and techniques. Young artists will enhance their skills in painting, drawing, and mixed-media, focusing on developing their unique style and creative problem-solving. Visit: $15 Art Class for Kids ArtReach San Diego on Instagram and Facebook

Celebrate Valentine's Day with Seabreeze Craft Chocolates at a fun and festive chocolate-decorating class for kids! On February 8th and 9th, children ages 5+ are invited to an engaging 90-minute session where they’ll create their own Valentine’s-themed chocolate bars and Oreos. This hands-on experience includes all the materials needed for kids to design their unique, heartwarming confections while learning about chocolate-making. Every participant takes home their custom-crafted chocolates to enjoy or gift to someone special. A parent or guardian must accompany the child(ren) during the class. Adults can join the fun and decorate chocolate bars for an additional $35. Spaces are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early by visiting Seabreeze Chocolates Chocolate Classes (www.seabreezechocolates.com/chocolate-classes). Seabreeze Craft Chocolates is San Diego’s premier bean-to-bar chocolatier, renowned for its artisanal, sustainably sourced creations. Offering everything from truffles to handcrafted chocolate bars, Seabreeze transforms cacao beans into edible works of art. Seabreeze Craft Chocolates on Instagram

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

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.