Tag: city heights

City Heights mural raises awareness about tuberculosis.

Photo courtesy SVPR Communications.

A new mural in City Heights was unveiled this evening. The intent of the mural is to raise awareness about tuberculosis in San Diego, Mexico, and our border region.

I haven’t had a chance to photograph the finished mural yet, but will try to swing by tomorrow to check it out.

The mural is titled Los Colores acTBistas.

Why has this artwork been painted in City Heights, on a wall at Super Cocina (where, incidentally, many other great murals can be found)?

The Americas TB Coalition will conduct an international ‘ArTBtour in the United States – Mexico Border’ from March 9th to 26th, 2024. The tour will include murals, talks, and interviews to raise awareness of tuberculosis, its comorbidities with HIV and diabetes, and its impact on migrant populations and at-risk communities in Tijuana, Mexicali, and San Diego. The initiative aims to promote collaboration and understanding among different communities and stakeholders to end TB in the US/Mexico border region.

The murals on both sides of the border will be created by Alan Vazquez, a highly acclaimed ecological artist designated by the Mexican Ministry of Health as an ambassador for the fight against tuberculosis in Mexico, with the participation of local artists and affected communities.

UPDATE!

Here are photographs of the finished mural!

(I spoke to a couple of people who’d parked nearby. They loved the art, but didn’t perceive the mural’s message concerning tuberculosis.)

ANOTHER UPDATE!

I’ve learned a plaque will be added to the mural, conveying important information about tuberculosis!

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A painted memorial to Tibor in City Heights.

There’s a beautiful memorial to a cat named Tibor in City Heights. I noticed this painted rock beside the sidewalk as I walked with my camera last weekend. I was photographing the parade that preceded the Festival of Love.

The colorful stone honors the life of Tibor aka TT, a cat that was loved by the neighborhood.

I thought you might be touched by this small memorial.

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4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love!

These photographs are from today’s 4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love. The event, which celebrates community unity and diversity around Valentine’s Day, was held in Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park.

I arrived as the festival began, having followed a small but heart-filled parade down several streets in City Heights. See those fun photographs here!

Neighbors were gathering around 11 am to gaze at cool lowriders along Fairmount Avenue and enjoy multicultural entertainment that would include ballet, lion dances, drummers and the Fern Street Circus.

There was plenty of great food on hand. Community organizations caught the attention of visitors at booths around the grass. (See my photos of several flyers with really great information.) Odi the Coyote from the San Diego Library was greeting young and old. The Rad Hatter was there to help everyone create radical hats from paper bags. And there were other craft activities for families, including making puppet masks!

I lingered for a bit and listened to Mariachi Victoria performing on the outdoor stage.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Parade in City Heights before Festival of Love!

There was a parade through City Heights in San Diego this morning!

The parade started at Joyner Elementary School, wound through several residential streets, and ended up at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park where the 4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love would be held! (Photos of that fun event coming up!)

No floats or marching bands? No problem! The parade featured a bunch of cool lowriders and even more awesome smiles! It might not have been the biggest parade in the world, but all the hearts moving down the sidewalk more than made up for it!

The banner leading the community parade read: Diversity, Solidarity and Love in City Heights. That pretty much summed up the positive vibe. Neighbors smiled as we passed! (Or blinked with astonishment.)

I arrived at the staging parking lot before the parade began, then followed along on foot for the 1.3 mile route.

Enjoy some photos!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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ArtReach community murals in City Heights!

These very beautiful murals were painted a month ago in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood. I saw the murals last weekend as I walked down Fairmount Avenue, just north of University Avenue. They decorate the Plaza del Sol affordable housing building.

I’ve learned the colorful artwork was created by ArtReach during a Community Paint Day!

ArtReach is a program in San Diego that inspires and educates youth with art. You can see their website’s Mural Programs page here. ArtReach’s mission is: Igniting youth creativity through visual arts expression and community connection.

Check out these fantastic murals! The images reflect cultural diversity in the community and regional flora and fauna.

Many hands held paintbrushes. The lead artist was @thisisntjosue.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

The Art of Healing mural in City Heights.

Should you walk down Fairmount Avenue, a block and a half north of University Avenue, you’ll find this beautiful mural. It was painted outside the La Maestra Community Health Center’s HOPE Clinic, which provides health care for the homeless.

There’s a face gazing up at the stars. And a plaque…

The Art of Healing, Sheena Rae Dowling, 2017-2018

This work of art is one of a series of murals commissioned by Covered California in collaboration with La Maestra Community Health Centers as part of the “Covered in Art” project to promote health and wellness in communities across California and attract attention to locations across the state where individuals can enroll in health insurance, get care or participate in activities that foster better health. Sheena Rae Dowling said The Art of Healing was designed to showcase the holistic approach to healing mentally, spiritually and physically. The “Covered in Art” project is a living demonstration of the fact that health care is local and that Covered California is woven into the fabric of local communities.

Sheena Rae Dowling is a San Diego artist whose work has been shown at exhibitions around Southern California. See her website here.

I’ve observed a couple of her great pieces at exhibitions years ago. If you’d like to see them, too, click here and here and read the photo captions.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

A colorful San Diego Lunar New Year Tết Festival!

This weekend, people are heading to City Heights to enjoy the 14th Annual San Diego Lunar New Year Tết Festival!

The big free event celebrates the Year of the Dragon. Food, fun, cultural displays and entertainment fill Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park, just south of the City Heights/Weingart Library.

I visited the Tết Festival late this morning and watched several traditional dances, as you can see from my photographs. Various local groups performed on the main stage.

Some of the colorful dances were performed by the UCSD Chinese Dance Association. There were also student ballet dancers who are part of a San Diego Ballet education program in City Heights.

And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, there was a crowd-pleasing magician who levitated a young volunteer from the audience!

Tomorrow–Sunday–a full program of events is scheduled, including Vietnamese opera, the ever-popular lion dances, San Diego’s beloved Fern Street Circus, and much more!

This family-friendly festival will be running 11 am to 8 pm on Sunday, so, if you want to have a lot of fun, head over to City Heights!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Sculptures installed at new City Heights cultural center!

San Diego has a new cultural center in City Heights. Columbus Hall, located at 4425 Home Avenue, has recently become a destination where artists and lovers of art can gather.

A sculpture installation around the Columbus Club of San Diego‘s building opened last week. It’s titled Beyond the Anthropocene.

Beyond the Anthropocene is a three-dimensional, sculptural collection that asks each artist to project their idea about “what is next.” Three of the pieces are new. Others were previously located in the sculpture garden that used to be along University Avenue just east of Interstate 15. (You can see blog posts about that past sculpture garden here and here.)

Local artist Jim Bliesner is the curator of Beyond the Anthropocene. The other contributing artists are Karl Gindelberger, Tarrah Aroonsakool, Spenser Little, Marcus Montes, Lionel Delevingne, Dianne Brunner, Randy Lane and Iain Gunn.

Drive down Home Avenue just east of Fairmount and you’ll notice several of the pieces beside Columbus Hall. The extraordinary wire art hanging against the building will undoubtedly catch your eye!

During my visit yesterday, I noted that there was a food truck and picnic table nearby for hungry visitors.

If you’re ever in the area, you definitely want to stop on by!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Altars for Day of the Dead in City Heights.

Many beautiful altars for Day of the Dead were set up today in Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park for the 26th Annual City Heights Día de los Muertos.

The altars (ofrendas) were the centerpiece of the community event, which also included entertainment on a main stage, tasty food, and crafts and play activities for kids. Lots of smiling families were out enjoying the sunny San Diego day!

Neighbors circulated through the park, viewing the altars, reliving precious memories. Departed loved ones looked out from photographs. There was the traditional pan de muerto, papel picado, favorite objects of those who’ve passed, candles and crosses.

Even cool lowriders parked along the nearby sidewalk contained altars!

You can learn more about the ofrenda and its traditions here.

According to cultural descriptions of the celebration, the smell from the Marigolds helps guide the dead to the ofrenda, and the petals are often picked and spread in a pathway to lead the way.

The thought occurred to me that perhaps it’s the other way around. The altars with their many marigolds lead us who are alive to the dead.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

City Heights inaugural art exhibit this weekend!

Image courtesy of Jim Bliesner.

A groundbreaking, free cultural event in City Heights is coming this weekend!

The Columbus Club of San Diego, at 4425 Home Avenue, will host its inaugural art exhibition on Saturday, July 1. A free-style, eclectic collection of work will be on display in the Columbus Hall gallery from 1 pm to 1 am for everyone to enjoy.

Dialogue of Disparate Visions will include the work of artists Jim Bliesner, Spencer Little, Tarrah Aronoskool, Dorothy Annette and Gmonikart.

In addition to this gallery exhibit, the artists will be on site to discuss their emerging installation work on the concept “Beyond the Anthropocene” which is under construction throughout the grounds of Columbus Hall. The installation will include work by noted East Coast artist Lionel Delevingne.

It is hoped that Columbus Hall will evolve into a dynamic City Heights cultural venue. Your attendance at this weekend’s event can help make that positive vision happen!

Here are just a few examples of the art you will experience…

Image courtesy Jim Bliesner.
Image courtesy Jim Bliesner.
Image courtesy Jim Bliesner.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!