Jann Manning says, “One day when I was walking on the [O.B.] pier, which I love to do, I noticed there were a lot of holes in the pier [concrete] and it was kind of …
January 2, 2018
Jann Manning says, “One day when I was walking on the [O.B.] pier, which I love to do, I noticed there were a lot of holes in the pier [concrete] and it was kind of …
A recent exhibition of works by the artist known as Santiago — aka Charlie Chimpo, aka “the Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s Retard Grandson” (a self-applied sobriquet) — during a festival at La Jolla’s Mary Star …
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” says San Diego Comic Art Gallery manager TJ Shelvin, “are unlike anything else. On the one hand, you’ve got this major machine that it became” — six movies, six TV …
Wally Wood is regarded as one of the great comic-book artists of all time. He was with Mad magazine from the very beginning; he created Daredevil’s red costume; he (probably) drew the Disneyland Memorial Orgy …
An art installation by a French artist that goes by the name of “JR” was unveiled at the Tecate border with the U.S. on Thursday (September 7). Taller than the border wall at 30 feet, …
There’s a time and a space for everything. At least, that’s the idea behind art-and-music collective Space Time, which held its first of many events at Barrio Logan’s Bread & Salt in July of 2016. …
While crossing the border at San Ysidro, Valentina Forte-Hernandez, an unassuming and petite artist, aroused the suspicion of border agents due to the tangle of wires and circuits in her trunk. She had to submit …
Public art, $1.2 million worth, is being commissioned by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to adorn the main airport’s forthcoming Federal Inspection Services facility, says a February 8 call for proposals. “This opportunity …
“Artist residences are about taking the time to explore your work in a new way,” says Melissa Walter, who is currently the artist-in-residence at Bread & Salt, “a gallery and experimental center for the arts.” …
The story of Coyote begins with a horse. A Trojan horse. The year is 1997. A ten-year-old Daniel Espinosa weaves through traffic at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to get a closer look at …
The City of San Diego has picked yet another controversy-prone artist from out of town to create a public work of art, this time for downtown’s forthcoming East Village Park. “I think that public art …
No one ogles the industrial vistas of Southern California. Those unsightly realms where giant cranes stipple the skyline. Where ship containers are stacked unemptied of their new Curvy Barbie dolls for Walmart. Where thickets of …
Relevancy for the less-than-rabid — Ian Pike The Cali-Baja art scene — Chad Deal Art spaces that cultivate communities — Barbarella Fokos Beyond selfie curation — Deirdre Lickona The theater scene has rhythms — Jeff …
On December 30, I.B. Long was doing his weekly assessment of graffiti and other maintenance issues along Newport Avenue for the local business association. Long had seen the wire man in the sky attached to …
The Cabrillo National Monument at the southern-most tip of the Point Loma peninsula depicts a towering Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo gazing east over San Diego Bay, where, in 1542, he was the first European explorer to …
“‘Nobody cares about your shitty arts organization.’ Those were her exact words,” recalls United Artists of San Diego chief executive Tatjana Zogovic, who goes by the name Tasha Zogo. She’s referring to a phone call …
If strolling around NTC/Liberty Station on Friday, August 7, you might have heard some '50s and '60s rock and roll music. Following the sound, you would have arrived at the San Diego Watercolor Society. This …
"There's a generational gap," explains David Peña, who moved south of the border about a year ago with his brother after graduating with a B.A. in art from CalState Long Beach. David teamed up with …
It’s only been about five months since Mexico City multimedia artist and musician Francisco Eme moved to San Diego, but he’s already integrated his work into multiple shows in California and Baja. Many of the …
“No one is going to shut me up here.” That’s what artist Daniel Ruanova told Newsweek in a 2002 article that arrived at the zenith of media captivation with Tijuana art and music. The publication …
Bring Your Own Beamer is a project launched by Berlin artist Rafaël Rozendaal in 2010 that gives an open-call to visual projection artists of every inclination. In a DIY showcase of the developing frontier of …
You may have seen it on a Barrio Logan hilltop just west of I-5: an electric-green trapezoid in an otherwise vacant lot, a triangular opening on one end and a larger square portal on the …
Aiming to bridge the gap between art creators and art appreciators by removing expression from the confines of a gallery, FIGMENT made its San Diego debut last year, drawing over 1000 participants for the day-long …
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” It was under this premise that Ash Eliza Smith has spent the last several months teaching an experimental course at …
“We, as many artists, divorce ourselves in a sense, whether it’s conscious or not, from the notion that we’re making something to be displayed for sale so that someone can collect it,” says Robyko Sanchez. …
This marks the first year that Balboa Park includes “A” for Art in their annual event to highlight the education movement traditionally known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). On March 16, from 11 …
Scott McGee’s photography exhibition, a collection of dive and dryland photography called “Adventures in a Cafe,” opens at Vinaka Cafe in Carlsbad with a morning reception on March 9th from 8AM to 2PM. McGee’s collected …
The new installation from Albert Reyes at Low Gallery in North Park pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Valentine’s Day. “Albert and the Black Hearts,” which features a series of illustrations from the artist, is “a celebration …
Where does the line between art and industry lie? Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael, a Hillcrest couple who together make up Work of My Hands, are in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund …
Our affinity for artistic expression sets us humans apart from all other animals. We continue to find innovative ways to communicate our complex emotions and philosophical reflections. Though it is inarguably enriching to appreciate works …
San Diego author Sarka-Jonae Miller was recently named as a runner-up in the MARSocial Author of the Year contest for her novel, Between Boyfriends. Had she won, her book would have been on the fast …
When Donald Lockhart, the executive chef at Cusp Restaurant in La Jolla, isn’t creating menus, he’s writing children's books. “I enjoy playing with food ingredients and words,” he says. “In both, the simplest things work …
“We’re essentially one-third the size of DC Comics, as far as our market share is concerned,” says Chris Ryall, editor-in-chief at San Diego-based IDW Publishing, the fourth-largest comic book publisher in the country . The …
I’ll Take Care of You, the new true-crime story from Caitlin Rother, is on bookstore shelves throughout San Diego. The exhaustively researched book recounts the murder of Bill McLaughlin, shot in his Newport Beach home …
Low Gallery’s new show, “Eternal Spring,” opened with an artists’ reception and live performance on January 17. The ongoing show features work from Portland-based photographer, Colin Manning; LA visual artist and psychic, Marcella Kroll; and …
“I just thought that doing My Little Pony toys would be different,” says Rizzo Michelle, reflecting on her decision to customize unwanted toys and try to sell them at Comikaze 2013. “When I went there, …
The first goal of the new “Art Speaks” salon series at Thumbprint Gallery 2, at the back of Hillcrest’s Bamboo Lounge, is to “provide a platform for artists to engage in dialogue with their community …
“I don’t know if you’ve ever had a chance to look at a picture of the cosmic microwave background. It’s basically the afterbirth of the Big Bang. This is sort of an interpretation of that, …
“I know that when you combine statistics and art, you have a way of reaching people that’s much deeper, because you’re reaching them through the heart,” says Kira Corser, director of “Sea Changes: Act.” The …
“Fast Forward,” a new group art show at North Park’s Low Gallery, opens Friday the 13th with an artists reception from 6-10 p.m. Following that, the show will remain on display through January 14, 2014. …
"The idea for the portraits on paper money came from a Thumbprint Gallery show called C.R.E.A.M. which stood for ‘cash rules everything around me,’ explains Isaac Coronado, better known as Optimus Volts. “I found a …
There is a growing community comprised of electronics enthusiasts, tinkerers, artists, and even entrepreneurs who gravitate towards Make Magazine, where Do-It-Yourself projects are shared online in a step-by-step format. In addition to a growing internet …
When they want the finances to materialize their dreams, San Diego’s creative minds turn to Kickstarter, the world’s largest crowdfunding website. Kickstarter hosts a bevy of San Diego-based projects (it’s easy to filter the website’s …
Arthur Salm spent twenty years as the book critic at the Union-Tribune, interviewing authors and writing about the works they created. To hear him tell it, he would have been perfectly happy spending the rest …
A new show, “Post-Pop,” opens at Low Gallery (3778 30th Street) in North Park on Friday, November 15. The show is a collaboration between painter, Sean Brannan, and sculptor Jonathan Entler, curated by Meegan Nolan …
“I incorporate a lot of garbage and trash imagery because that’s the byproduct of our culture. When we all die, we’re leaving our garbage behind. It’s like when we find old pottery, or whatever, from …
The last time Brianna Lopez danced was during the end of her studies at SDSU. Choreographing “Mind the Gap,” a short composition for four dancers, represents her first real engagement with dance in three years. …
Armando de la Torre’s residence at the Oceanside Museum of Art (made possible through a James Irvine Foundation grant) begins this holiday season. The grant is supposed to provide for artists to explore ideas of …
The Taco Shop Poets, legends in the San Diego area, will be giving a rare reading at Southwestern College on October 24. The group’s name telegraphs the nature of their work: words written not as …
“I don’t know if I believe in monsters,” says Lauren Skinker, a 23-year-old painter living in Bonita. “I just like the idea of them.” Monsters, and all that which is generally fantastic, inspire Skinker. One …
On October 12th, it will have been ten years since Joan Kroc’s passing. Despite that, it’s nigh impossible to spend a day in San Diego without encountering some dedication to the late fast food heiress’ …
At first glance, the colorless photos don’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Weathered and faded around the edges, the collection looks like something you might find in an unmarked shoebox at the …
When she talked to the Reader in July, T. Greenwood remained tight-lipped on details about her newest novel, Bodies of Water, saying nothing more than that it was “sort of a taboo love story.” The …
“I’ll try not to be too verbose,” says Doyle Reno, “but it does take some explaining.” He’s trying to define his sculpture process, by which he completes large-scale works of art that he doesn’t see …
Being Caitlin Rother sometimes means getting into some dark places. The San Diego author, a former investigative journalist for the U-T and other papers, writes narrative non-fiction about true crimes. Writing about the most heinous …
Paintings from Hill Young’s new series depict animal skulls surrounded by organic life. Flowers and vines spring from the wood of the panel, enclosing the bleached bones in a web of living matter. As a …
“My nephew and I used to hang out and draw monsters,” says Sam Lopez, curator of the upcoming I EAT PEOPLE: Children's Monster Art exposition. “He was probably 5 years old. He is a great …
Painters blend and layer pigments to make their art. Musicians layer sound. Zane Zillner, working in his fantastic-smelling little office at Hapenstans Salon, layers smells. While he earns his living as a massage therapist, it’s …
Clark Silva’s acrylic-on-panel Rock Icons attract people’s attention with their simple color palettes and minimal designs. Each portrait captures an important figure in rock history, especially Silva’s favorite genre: heavy metal. The artist laughs knowingly …
A lot of artists might balk at the suggestion that their paintings were “very internet,” but not Linda Halsey. The artist, who lives in Imperial Beach, readily admits that the imagery of popular internet culture …
To paraphrase a certain late-twentieth-century alt-rock one-hit-wonder, Lisa Mendez wants to publish zines and rage against machines. The second part of that is an assumption based on the artist’s punk rock style, but the part …
Charles Page’s head is exploding with ideas. All the time. Whenever the Chula Vista artist opens his mouth, words fly out as he tries to explain whatever notion is running through his mind at the …
“I’m really shy about my photography,” says Zia Rodelo. “I don’t show it to just anyone.” 25-year-old Rodelo, who lives in University Heights, declined the offer of a gallery show in her hometown of El …
National City artist examines the emotions behind body language in an exhibit at EQ Culture Studios.
How’s this for a Cinderella story: Carly Newman is an “ethnic studies” major at USD and she never set out to make art, much less call herself an artist. As an intern at ArtLab Studios, …
In our city, so close to an international border, a book that deals with the harsh realities of immigration should not struggle to grip San Diego’s collective attention. Where contemporary tales of immigration might look …
Exagerated line drawings of her pet Boston Terrier, Ladybird, fill Kensington artist Heather Rae Morton’s home studio. She’s been living and working here since moving to San Diego from Philly three years ago. The fifteen …
Sandra Millers Younger’s new book, The Fire Outside My Window, is slated for release in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the Cedar Fire. That devastating natural disaster burned 280,000 acres, destroyed 2,800 homes, and …
San Diego painter and "builder of all things cool" has a sweet facility downtown that's immune to the effects of sun and moon.
Detroit native takes her solo exhibition to Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center in North Park.
Local print zine finds its footing in open-submission multimedia art.
San Diego author talks about her new book, Bodies of Water, getting lost in the past, and finding the seeds of a novel surprisingly close to home.
Performance art from Margaret Noble and Justin Hudnall explores generational narratives and struggles with family history.
Klaus Janson gives an insider's pespective on Comic-Con, revealing that there's a lot more to the con than movie stars and cosplay.
South Park artist paints love in many forms, dishes on the Camino de Santiago and The Real World San Diego.
LA-based gallery Steve Turner Contemporary curates eight international artists at Casa GS.
The Museum of Photographic Arts showcases a year in photojournalism.
Liberty Station is the second largest enclave of arts and culture organizations in San Diego after Balboa Park.
North Park artist turns vintage objects into guitars, but he also builds high-end instruments worthy of art galleries.
Neon skulls and portraits of assholes artistically "booby trap" Fry's paintings.
Polen cultivates art, music, food, drink, and fashion in Tijuana with periodic street fairs.
Loaded La Jollans boost a downtown museum.
José Tasende has one request: “Make me the subject of your interviews, not the object. Take what I say and use it. But don’t make me the story. Write about what I say, not what …
It was mostly dirt. A dirt road, a bunch of one-story houses and a few two-story ones, a scattering of low wooden fences, and a lot of dirt front yards and dirt back yards. Around …
There may be a multitude of graphic designers living in San Diego, but the most interesting work is done by a relatively small group of exceptionally talented artists, and much of what they create is …