Sarah Stieber

Sarah Stieber

Within every living art, there will always be a conversation among the artists who create it. The conversation is what makes it vital: a back-and-forth of reaction, adaptation, innovation, and yes, rejection. I recently saw, in the same room, a painting by Rembrandt, a painting by Rembrandt’s teacher, and a painting by Rembrandt’s first pupil. They all share similarities, especially with regard to their use of light and shadow, but you would never mistake one for the other. Sometimes, the conversation can be tricky to follow if you don’t know the lingo, but the really good stuff will invite you to investigate. The result is mutually beneficial: art without a public risks becoming purely private gibberish; and a public without art slouches toward something more primitive than the Paleolithic fellow who drew on the walls of his cave in Lascaux. — Matthew Lickona

Inside the 2015 Arts Issue:

Art Seen — Where to see (and buy) art in San Diego County | by Barbarella

Tijuana to China and back — No one's going to shut up Daniel Ruanova | by Chad Deal

Exhibitionists — Oral art, calligraphy, museums without walls, and Growing on Glass | by Leorah Gavidor

Movement, memory, and sound — Mexico City multimedia artist and musician Francisco Eme | by Chad Deal

My favorite San Diego theater — Just a room upstairs, in an old two-story house | by Jeff Smith

Parks and art and recreation — From Balboa Park to North Park to Borrego Springs | by Siobhan Braun

Theater, out of the theater — Site-specific productions | by Elizabeth Salaam

The blood of a lamb — Walter Sutin baits people with what they don't understand | by Chad Deal

Art of Élan — Returning the chamber to chamber music | by Garrett Harris

What didn't he do last year? — Eddie Yaroch had an epic 2014 | by Jeff Smith

Dancing machines — Whether you think you can or you just want to watch | by E.V. Hepworth

Photography unique to the Casbah — Sean McMullen has been going to the Casbah since Tim Mays opened its doors in 1989 | by Chad Deal

San Diego theater icons — The art of the play | by Jeff Smith