There was much to see and do at the 36th Annual Encinitas Spring Street Fair!
This morning I rode the Coaster north to Encinitas. It’s the weekend of the big annual Encinitas Spring Street Fair!
Lots of food, art and entertainment could be found along many blocks of South Coast Highway 101. As I slowly walked along, I made a whole bunch of cool discoveries. It seemed I encountered new surprises every few steps!
Several tents featured art that I particularly liked. I also met some interesting people, found out about noteworthy community projects, and learned a tiny bit about the history of Encinitas.
(Click photos that contain information and they will expand for much easier reading.)
People fill several blocks of scenic Highway 101 and enjoy a fine April weekend at the Encinitas Spring Street Fair.One of these artistic surfboards for sale has Encinitas written on it.One of the guys at the City of Encinitas booth had a smile!I spotted a fun map of Encinitas in a shop window. It illustrates many landmarks and local businesses in this awesome beach city.A dog heads over to smell some locally grown flowers.Some sweet treats to eat, and another smile!More yummy food on a grill.The local band Nathan & Jessie provide some sidewalk entertainment. Check out nathanandjessie.comSome silly stuff!Author Scott Sussman was autographing his kids books. His website is octopusinkpress.com. Weird the Beard sounds like several characters I know.Beautiful, translucent Scented Gem Candles in different fantastic shapes could be seen at the Gemtera table.Sea-themed artwork by Marea Baja. Check out mareabajadesigns.comHer sea glass mosaics are created from surf tumbled sea glass collected on the beach!The yellow “Old School Shave Ice” school bus has arrived!Someone walks their bike down Highway 101 past this beach sunset mural by @CloeHakakianEncinitas artist Carla Funk had many fantastic pieces displayed at her table.I LOVE YOU THIS MUCHCarla Funk offers Art Camp in Encinitas, featuring classes in ceramics, painting and drawing. Her website is ArtTilesByCarla.comI spun the prize wheel of North Island Credit Union and won some sunscreen, which I promptly put on my nose.The San Diego County Fair had a table with these free fans. The theme in 2019 is the Wizard of Oz! It’s gonna be OZsome!Think Possible Apparel has unique screen-printed shirts with tiny positive phrases forming cool designs. Check out ThinkPossibleApparel.comOfficers of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Senior Volunteer Patrol told me they need volunteers. You can serve your community and meet cool friends!I’m greeted by a big smile above a collection of books! Teri is of Top Reads Publishing, found at topreadspublishing.comThese books are by authors around Southern California. If you’re an author or reader, learn more at sandiego.readlocal.orgHere’s some info concerning PWSD, Publishers and Writers of San Diego.These nice folks from @kinndproject sell shirts with a golden message. 10 meals are donated for each item purchased. Visit their website kinndproject.comkindness is goldenA vendor had this fun stuff at their table.Some cool t-shirts.It’s the Welcome Home Soldier Foundation. Help vets and get some salsa at whsfnow.orgThese amazing rope animals were made by an outstanding artist in Thailand named Nong.The Encinitas Lions Club had a table at the Spring Festival.Get a ticket for An American in Paris. Funds raised go toward a program that helps those who are blind learn to surf!Here’s my favorite of the festival. Pixie Village Cottages made from fallen logs by Dennis Patterson. Visit his website pixievillagecottages.comMembers of Team Paradox strike a pose!Team Paradox is a group of local high school students who build robots. They compete with other high school teams around California, the United States and the world!Somebody investigates the fascinating displays at the Encinitas Historical Society’s tent.I’m shown the Encinitas Historical Society’s 1883 Schoolhouse on a shirt. The building overlooks the Pacific Ocean and today houses a museum.A poster details The 25th Annual Encinitas Heritage Tree Contest! The heritage tree was planted in 1952 above Moonlight Beach.These historical photos are of old sites in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, just south of Encinitas.More historical photos of Cardiff-by-the-Sea.Ted White, The Song Peddler brought his cool bicycle piano contraption to the festival! Check out facebook.com/TedWhiteMusic
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As I walked through Little Italy this morning, local artists were busy setting up their booths for the big annual Mission Federal ArtWalk!
Finished canvases were carefully positioned for the public to admire and hopefully purchase. Artists stepped back to observe the effect of their arrangement. Asphalt streets were gradually transformed into bright corridors of imagination. Creativity swirled once again from hundreds of practiced hands.
The streets of Little Italy were being painted with dreams . . .
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A harsh winter with rain and wind, and an occasional prankster, but dozens of optimistic faces still smile in Chula Vista!
Last weekend, as I walked down H Street east of Fourth Avenue, my eyes were surprised to see a row of large, smiling faces in an alley. They looked out at the world from a long, low wall. I turned into the alley to have a closer look.
What I discovered were faces photographed and turned into public art by the international INSIDE OUT project. INSIDE OUT had come to San Diego’s South Bay in September 2018 to encourage people to express their unique identity and viewpoint, and vote in the upcoming election.
The INSIDE OUT project is the brainchild of an anonymous artist named JR. Large‐format images of individuals in a community are pasted on buildings and along streets. Activist messages are conveyed visually, with personality and a smile!
This global “people’s art project” has achieved enormous reach. By late September 2018 over 260,000 people had participated in 129 countries!
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People have gathered in Chula Vista’s Memorial Park for South Bay Earth Day!
Today I headed to Memorial Park in Chula Vista to check out South Bay Earth Day!
This cool annual event inspires community members to save water and energy, protect the environment, and keep our corner of the planet beautiful and clean.
I walked about and learned all sorts of useful information at many booths. I read about environmental projects that are being undertaken by the City of Chula Vista and various nonprofit organizations. I saw how community members are working to improve their neighborhoods.
These photos contain many great ideas. Click the images of signs to enlarge them for easy reading. Much of the information is of special interest to residents in San Diego’s South Bay. If you live elsewhere, perhaps you will be inspired, too!
Chula Vista’s beautiful Memorial Park provides an oasis of green in an urban setting.The City of Chula Vista has various programs that help to protect the environment and improve quality of life.Earth Month Calendar of Events for the City of Chula Vista, which includes volunteer opportunities like the Creek to Bay Cleanup.City of Chula Vista, Leaders in Innovation. Programs include smart irrigation, traffic signals, sustainable buildings and drones.Activities at South Bay Earth Day include making art. I enjoyed seeing neighbors creating colorful tie-dye!Some great artists had booths. A horse etched and painted on a gourd from Dream Job Craftworks by Kathy Page.Southwestern College had an assortment of succulents at its Sustainable Landscape Practice table. These native plants can provide water saving ground cover for your yard.Mel Clarkston of LetsGetTrashed.Art shows her mosaics made mostly of plastic trash found on beaches!An amazing Golden State mosaic made from small bits of litter!The San Diego Fix-it Clinic had a table at the event. No need to throw certain things away. They repair many broken items for free!Every month, the San Diego Fix-it Clinic will repair broken things like electronics, appliances, and even clothes!The City of Chula Vista Sustainability Commission had a table and interested visitors.One of their displays compared the biodegradability of paper, different plastics and Styrofoam.A perfect, sunny spring day at South Bay Earth Day!Sign explains how the City of Chula Vista is developing an Active Transportation Plan to help guide future pedestrian and bicycle improvements.This table explained a very cool Seed Library concept.The Otay Ranch branch of the Chula Vista Public Library has a Seed Library. Community members can take seeds to plant, or donate harvested seeds back to the library!Of course, recycling stations could be found all around the South Bay Earth Day event.I learned at the Surfrider Foundation booth that the 3rd Annual March For Clean Water is next weekend in Imperial Beach!I learned from some Girl Scouts that certain chemicals in sunscreens harm coral reefs. Safe active ingredients are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide.Community members learn how to protect the environment at South Bay Earth Day!
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I was drawn to the Star of India today. I sat on a wooden bench of the historic tall ship and gazed out at sailboats gliding across the sparkling water of San Diego Bay.
Finally I stood up and walked about the Star of India’s sunny deck, trying to frame interesting effects of light and shadow with the lens of my camera.
Later, as I walked through the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s other vessels, I halted inside the Compass Gallery of the steam ferry Berkeley. My eyes were held fast by an exhibition of paintings titled Sea and Shore. Many of the canvases, painted by the hands of local artists, all members of the Plein Air Painters Association of San Diego, depict the Star of India.
I thought that contrasting a few of my photos with some of the dreamlike artwork might be fun.
Dozens of pieces in the Compass Gallery are available for purchase! If you’d like to sail through an ocean of beautiful nautical paintings, and perhaps take one home, head downtown to the Maritime Museum of San Diego!
Bert and Wes Working on the STAR, by artist Jeffrey Remmer.
She Rests, by artist Pamela Ingwers.
Aloft on STAR of INDIA, by artist Norm Daniels.
The STAR of INDIA at Sunset, by artist Pamela Ingwers.
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The Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park is currently undergoing a major renovation and expansion. Once completed, this world-class folk art, craft and design museum will be more amazing than ever!
You might recall a blog post from last year that featured the Mingei’s planned transformation. To see architectural renderings of what the Mingei will eventually look like, click here!
While construction is underway, Mingei’s gift shop and cafe are temporarily located at Liberty Station, in the historic Dick Laub NTC Command Center building. Step through the front entrance and you can’t miss it.
Today I meandered about Liberty Station with no definite destination in mind. I was pleased to happen upon the Mingei’s shop and meet the smiling lady behind the counter. She told me that Niki de Saint Phalle’s fun, kid-friendly Nikigator sculpture, which used to stand in front of the museum in Balboa Park, might be moved out from storage and placed right in front of the Command Center. How cool would that be?
Here are a few photos. The lobby of the Command Center not only features Cafe Mingei, but a collection of great art created by Liberty Station artists!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Today I took a short stroll through the Visions Art Museum at Liberty Station. Anyone in San Diego who has a love for creative art, crafts or quilting really should visit this place.
Every time I visit the Visions Art Museum there seem to be brand new displays of contemporary quilts and textiles. In addition to the gallery exhibitions, walls near the gift shop often feature handcrafted works by local quilting groups.
As I walked through the museum today I was instantly captivated by a wall full of 14″ x 14″ quilts that shine, swirl and sparkle. LOOK TO THE STARS, from a famous quote by Stephen Hawking, is the theme of this year’s Canyon Quilters of San Diego Challenge. According to their website, the Canyon Quilters is a local guild with around 200 members.
Check out all the brilliant artwork!
Many of the pieces in my photos are still available for purchase. Head over to Liberty Station and step into the fantastic Visions Art Museum to have your eyes dazzled!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
I’ve always wondered about the cool sculpture that stands in front of Humphreys Half Moon Inn on Shelter Island. It’s situated right next to one of the hotel’s driveways.
Last weekend, during my walk along Shelter Island Drive, I paused by the sculpture and looked about for some information. And I found it!
A plaque at the sculpture’s base reads:
OCEAN SONG
The sculpture is inspired by waves
breaking on the shores of the bay.
It Reflects the play of sunlight throughout
the day on the surface of the ocean.
It recalls the connection of the moon and
the tides.
So as waves on the ocean it also portrays
waves of sound.
The mass of the sculpture transforms itself
from baritone to soprano
Creating a song that tells the story of the
place where we have found shelter.
ALBER DE MATTEIS, SCULPTOR
To have discovered such a poetic description was a wonderful surprise. I also noted the sculpture is dated 2004.
If the name of this artist seems familiar, you might recall seeing photographs of abstract sculptures by Alber De Matteis in National City and Liberty Station.
This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a phone or small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
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A large silvery orb is suspended from the ceiling of the Iris and Matthew Strauss Gallery, inside MCASD’s historic Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building.
On Sunday I headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to enjoy a tour of their downtown Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building. This historic building was one of many fascinating sites that the public could explore during the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2019 OPEN HOUSE SAN DIEGO.
I arrived early and walked about the building’s spacious galleries, gazing up toward the high ceiling and around corners at intriguing artwork. The current exhibition is titled Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen. Trevor Paglen, a MacArthur Award-winning artist who lived as a child on military bases, creates pieces that concern mass surveillance and individual privacy. According to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego website, he “blurs the lines between art, science, and investigative journalism to construct unfamiliar and at times unsettling ways to see and interpret the world around us . . . in Paglen’s photographs the infrastructure of surveillance is also apparent—a classified military installation, a spy satellite, a tapped communications cable, a drone, an artificial intelligence . . .”
When it was time for the architectural tour to begin, our small group gathered near the museum’s entrance and we learned a little about the very unique Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building.
The building at first glance appears to be an extension of the Santa Fe Depot, San Diego’s downtown train station. In fact, what is now called the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building used to be the baggage building of the depot, and is separated from the train station’s passenger waiting room by an arched outdoor breezeway. The Santa Fe Depot, which is now a transit center that also serves Amtrak, was built in 1915 by Bakewell & Brown to accommodate travelers coming to San Diego for the Panama-California Exposition held in Balboa Park.
As decades passed, and travel by train waned, much less space was required at the station for baggage. Because of its historical importance, the huge old baggage building couldn’t be torn down or substantially altered.
The enormous interior space, large beautiful windows and high ceilings were perfect for a unique downtown art gallery. In 2007, the structure was converted by Gluckman Mayner Architects into an extraordinary downtown space for the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
The downtown MCASD usually features more experimental art than their La Jolla location, so the unusually large galleries can be put to good use. I learned that past exhibitions have included some monumental artwork, even a full-size translucent polyester fabric and stainless steel “New York” apartment, complete with major appliances!
To explore art inside the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building is a remarkable experience. It’s like moving through a vast inner world where small dreams become large. Just as a museum should be!
Looking west across Kettner Boulevard at the Santa Fe Depot. The old baggage building on the north side of the train station is now used by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.At the north end of the historic Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building is the modern three-story David C. Copley Building.In the past the David C. Copley Building has provided additional gallery space. It now houses administrative offices for MCASD while their La Jolla location is renovated and enlarged.Sign in front of MCASD’s entrance invites passersby to come in and gaze at the orb.Looking from inside the museum across Kettner Boulevard toward the America Plaza trolley station. The two-story building seen to the right is MCASD’s original downtown location, now used by the museum for educational programs.As visitors enter the museum, massive artwork inside the Iris and Matthew Strauss Gallery immediately catches the eye.Looking west out glass doors at the Figi Family Concourse, and trolley and train platforms at downtown’s Santa Fe Depot.One of several large steel cubes outside the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building, by artist Richard Serra, 2005.Prototype for a Nonfunctional Satellite, by contemporary artist Trevor Paglen.More artwork by the large arching windows of the old baggage building. This interior wall is part of MCASD’s unique Iris and Matthew Strauss Gallery.Visitors to the downtown Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego view photographs and other pieces by Trevor Paglen.Sign at MCASD explains the current exhibition Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen. (Click photo to enlarge for easy reading.)Autonomy Cube, 2015, Trevor Paglen. Working hardware that allows users to connect anonymously to the internet, by routing Wi-Fi traffic through the Tor network.True Art … (CIA Special Activities Staff), 2016, Trevor Paglen. High temp epoxy.A look into a spacious gallery inside MCASD’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building.“Fanon” (Even the Dead Are Not Safe) Eigenface, 2017, Trevor Paglen. Dye sublimation print.Astonishing sights await curious eyes at downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
The southwest corner of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla.
Visit the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla and you’ll find yourself moving through a warm, polished, light-infused world where beautiful dreams are sustained. Last weekend I stepped through the library’s doors and was amazed by what I discovered.
The Athenaeum is home to a large, regionally important collection of books and media concerning music and art, and a permanent collection of artwork. It is a repository for beauty that is timeless. The library is refined and welcoming, like a fine museum.
Each quiet room is a refuge for the contemplative mind. And a richly furnished temple for the heart. And a universe brimming with inspiration and creativity to nourish the human spirit.
The Athenaeum is one of only 16 nonprofit membership libraries in the United States. As you might imagine, it has a very unique history.
In 1894 a group of six women came together to create the La Jolla Reading Club. Five years later a cottage-like Reading Room was built at the corner of Wall Street and Girard Avenue. The most notable founding member, the first president of the Library Association of La Jolla, was wealthy newspaper publisher, philanthropist and La Jolla resident Ellen Browning Scripps.
In 1921 a larger Spanish Renaissance-style building replaced the Reading Room. The elegant new structure was designed by famous architect William Templeton Johnson, who also designed the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History. Much of the funding for the new building came from Scripps. Kate Sessions, the horticulturist often referred to as the Mother of Balboa Park, planted an outside garden.
In 1957 the library opened the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room with its striking rotunda, designed by artist and architect William Lumpkins.
In subsequent years additional expansions were made, which allowed for the founding of the Athenaeum’s School of the Arts. Today the expansive library hosts art exhibitions, galas and musical concerts throughout the year.
How does one describe the rare beauty of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library?
Here are a few photos…
Posted at the corner of Wall Street and Girard Avenue are many cultural events hosted by the Athenaeum.Plaque in Memory of Florence Sawyer Bransby, who purchased this corner lot in 1895 and on it built La Jolla’s First Library, The Reading Room.People walk along Girard Avenue beside the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library.Banner by window of the library building designed by William Templeton Johnson.Photo of the library’s iconic rotunda, designed by William Lumpkins.Bronze artwork near the Athenaeum’s rotunda. Young Girl Holding Book by Merrell Gage, 1925.Approaching the entrance to the Athenaeum.A library cart full of books entices passersby.By the front door is a plaque. This library built and furnished through the generosity of Ellen Browning Scripps.Inside the beautiful, welcoming Athenaeum. Gazing east at shelves and windows.Gazing west toward the the Joseph Clayes III Gallery.When I visited the Athenaeum, I enjoyed an art exhibition in the Joseph Clayes III Gallery titled Music in the Key of Blue.As I walked about the library, I spotted many works in the Athenaeum’s permanent art collection.10 Items or Less, 1974, Kim MacConnel. Gouache on paper.Sheet music collage by Alexis Smith, 1997, used for Athenaeum music program covers 2015/2016.The Athenaeum, 2004, Derek Boshier. Hand-colored silkscreen print. Patron Gift.Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 2002, Raul Guerrero. Ink and collage on paper. Patron Gift.Gazing into the North Reading Room, which features Athenaeum’s Erika and Fred Torri Arists’ Books Collection.An exquisite bouquet of flowers by one bright window.In Loving Memory – Ernest (Ernie) Silva 1948-2014. Trumpet Player and Light House, 2004. Ink on paper.Untitled (Baby, It’s cold Outside), 1999, Italo Scanga. Mixed media.Artwork on wall near the School of the Arts entrance.I was told these pieces were all painted by teachers at the Athenaeum School of the Arts.Walking beside the Children’s section of the Athenaeum.Linnea doll on shelf by the book Linnea in Monet’s Garden.Erika on the Portico of the Athenaeum, 2010, Grace Matthews. Tempera on paper.Houseplant, Monstera Deliciosa, by artist Jean Lowe. Alkyd and acrylic on papier mache.Devil With a Blue Dress On, by currently exhibiting artist Jim Machacek.Oh Grid, 2019, Sibyl Rubottom. Etching on linen with sashiko. One of many textile pieces by the artist currently on exhibit in the Rotunda Gallery.Gazing toward the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room.Library of Music small plaque on drawer.More beauty on display inside the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room.A perfect place to read and think inside the sunlight-filled rotunda.Shelves with newspapers and magazines.Tantra Indigo, 2019, Sibyl Rubottom. Accordion book.Music breathes what Poet cannot write.
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a phone or small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
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