Many years ago I shared photos of art benches scattered about Liberty Station. See those by clicking here.
Today I happened to walk through the Dorothea Laub Dance Place building at Liberty Station. What did I discover? Seven more artistically painted benches!
I actually found eight, but there was one that I had photographed previously (it must have been subsequently moved into the Dance Place.) I won’t include it in this blog post.
These seven colorfully painted benches include artist names. So read the captions.
Artist: Morse High School.Artist: Jennifer Peterson.Artist: Viviana Lombrozo.Artist: Alfred Ventura.Artist: Blair Thornley.Artist: Elizabeth Andrews Zaikowski.
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I discovered something cool today while walking through Liberty Station in Point Loma. Pisano Artistry, located in a building adjacent to the Dick Laub NTC Command Center, will soon have a Star Wars exhibit!
I learned the fun news while peeking through the window of artist Joe Pisano’s gallery.
You’ve seen Joe Pisano’s unique and patriotic drywall screw art on Cool San Diego Sights previously. Here and here and here.
I haven’t spoken to him about it, but it definitely appears that he’s a Star Wars fan.
Can’t wait to see it!
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Tlaxcala, the smallest state in Mexico, located in east-central Mexico, is known in part for its agriculture. So it’s no surprise that much of Tlaxcala’s traditional art and crafts originate as seeds.
Visitors to Balboa Park’s International Cottages can see this in a newly installed exhibit. The House of Mexico’s cottage is now filled with beautiful objects that promote Tlaxcala!
I stopped by today and was wowed by the art and crafts on display!
Should you step into the cottage when it’s open on weekends, you’ll see small mosaic murals made of different colored seeds. You’ll see necklaces made of dried corn. You’ll see beautiful crafts made of plant fibers.
Here’s a fun fact! Did you know that Tlaxcala’s name comes from the native Nahuatl word tlaxcalli, which means tortillas? At least 12 heirloom varieties of corn are grown in Tlaxcala.
The Mexican state is also famous for its traditional wool and cotton weaving.
What else did I learn? There’s a Tlaxcala Firefly Sanctuary. During peak Summer, millions of endemic fireflies turn the mountain woods into a glowing fairytale-like nighttime spectacle!
In forever amazing Balboa Park, there’s always something new and interesting to learn!
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Look at all these great works of art! They were created by neighbors at Father Joe’s Villages.
Father Joe’s Health and Wellness Program includes activities that foster creativity, well-being, and personal growth. That includes making art!
The latest Painting the Town exhibition, now on view at the San Diego Central Library, celebrates this art.
Father Joe’s Villages helps those in San Diego experiencing homelessness. They provide emergency and transitional housing for adults and families with children, provide showers, laundry facilities, a public lunch line, a health center, employment and education services, and more.
Look at this beautiful art and see hope.
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In January, the House of Afghanistan became an associate member of the House of Pacific Relations in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Today they held their first cultural lawn program!
The Afghan people have a history that goes back thousands of years. A speech by the Founder and President of the House of Afghanistan, Omed, explained a mission of the organization isn’t merely to archive the past, but to boost a sense of heritage in the present day community.
As their website explains, the House of Afghanistan is working to awaken, document, preserve, and carry forward the philosophical, intellectual, and cultural inheritance of the Afghan people — so future generations inherit more than fragments.
Their first ever lawn program was excellent. All sorts of traditional Afghan food was available, including cream rolls and bolani, a thin, pan-fried flatbread stuffed with various tasty fillings. (Similar to a quesadilla!)
Afghanistan is famous for its pomegranates. Under one canopy pomegranates were being juiced.
Many signs posted around the lawn explained how the Afghan people have contributed to world history. Fun fact: Did you know the first known Afghan in America fought at Gettysburg?
The most inspirational sign concerned how kite flying is one of Afghanistan’s best-known traditional pastimes. The kite operates as a symbol of a resilient people.
In the early afternoon the program took to the International Cottages’ outdoor stage. A contest was held between ladies, to see who could recognize the many spices for which Afghan cuisine is famous.
Soon thereafter, there was the reading of poetry–another thing for which Afghans are famous. Then beautiful singing!
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A small exhibit can be viewed in a glass display case in the I CAN! CENTER at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. It concerns the incredible life of Helen Keller.
Photographs and artifacts beautifully document how Hellen Keller overcame huge personal challenges to become the source of inspiration for countless people across the world today.
The I CAN! CENTER provides assistive technology, adaptive equipment, and accessible services for people with disabilities.
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Changing Terrain: Regional Artists Interpret Our Landscape opened a week ago at the San Diego History Center. The diverse works of art on display are one half of a larger regional group exhibition. The Oceanside Museum of Art is hosting the other half.
Landscapes shown to be undergoing change range from urban to rural. The artists render vastly different landscapes: from the coast to the foothills to the mountains to the desert. Some of the pieces reflect transformations made by human activity, others effected by nature. They provoke deeper thought about our environment. They can inspire a whole range of feelings.
The varied landscapes include everything from a beach boardwalk, to a 150-year old Live Oak at the Marston House, to a streetscape in Logan Heights, to a modern cell tower with ravens and crows, to a merging of ancient rock art with an abstracted landscape, to views of Anza-Borrego from a car’s mirror…
I recognized many of the local artist names–all of them distinguished. They have successfully captured the beauty, complexity, and resilience of a border region where natural and human histories continually intersect.
My photos show the extent of the exhibition. Pay a visit to the free San Diego History Center in beautiful Balboa Park and see this great art with your own eyes!
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A new exhibition has opened this month at downtown San Diego’s outdoor Courthouse Gallery!
The theme this time is Artist’s Choice. Entries were accepted from around Southern California.
There are abstracts, portraits and landscapes, but I gravitated toward painted scenes of places in and around San Diego.
If you’d like to experience some great art, walk down Broadway beside the Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse and peer through the windows from the sidewalk.
Ode to Mission Trails, Elizabeth Washburn.Sunny Day in North Park, San Diego, Olga Freedman.California Tower, Norma Herrera.Torrey Pines Del Mar, Terry Orletsky.Ramona Road, Katie Karosich.
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I frequently walk down Ninth Avenue past Modern Times Coffee in San Diego’s East Village. Whenever I do, I have to turn my head and glance inside.
Why?
Because the unusual coffee shop contains dinosaurs, clowns, a dragon and other wild, crazy sights!
The Modern Times Coffee website describes what patrons encounter as retro-future decor. Whatever you might call the outlandish assemblage, it’s a lot of fun!
Where else can you find Ronald McDonald sitting happily under a flying pterodactyl and disco ball?
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