A performance by Japanese drummers at the 2018 Pacific Rim Festival in Chula Vista.
Yesterday I headed down to the South Bay to check out the 2nd Annual Pacific Rim Festival in Chula Vista. The fun event, sponsored by the Port of San Diego, featured food and entertainment representing many nations that share the Pacific Ocean.
I lingered for over an hour and watched a rousing performance by the Naruwan Taiko Drummers, lion dancing by the Southern Sea Kung Seng Keng Lion and Dragon Dance Association, and Philippine martial art demonstrations by the Cardenas School of Modern Arnis.
Please enjoy a few photos from my walk through Bayside Park, and many more after I arrived at the colorful event!
A family enjoys the small beach near the fishing pier at the south end of Bayside Park.A father plays super hopscotch in the park!Walking slowly through sunshine, on the way to a cool festival in San Diego’s South Bay.Downtown San Diego and the Coronado Bay Bridge are in the hazy distance.I’ve arrived at the 2nd Annual Pacific Rim Festival.The first thing I saw was lots of yummy food from many countries around the Pacific Rim.Beautiful crafts were also on display and available for purchase. A nice lady made this amazing glass artwork by hand.Continuing through the festival. One vendor had unique clothing for sale. Kids had a bounce house. Another perfect San Diego day.An audience has gathered at the stage to watch energetic drumming by Naruwan Taiko.Meanwhile, some lion dancers are waiting to one side for their turn to perform.People have gathered to celebrate many cultures around the Pacific Ocean.The lion dancing has begun. This local group is the Southern Sea Kung Seng Keng Lion and Dragon Dance Association.Music accompanies the traditional lion dance.Banners unfurl, wishing everyone a happy and prosperous year.The two lions come down onto the grass to the delight of everybody.A young girl offers the red lion a dollar bill for good luck.After this performance, I stretched my legs with a short walk along the nearby water of San Diego Bay. Others were enjoying the day, too.I stumbled upon some wild California poppies. They are the official flower of the state of California.As I returned to the stage area, students from the Cardenas School of Modern Arnis had assembled.People get ready to view a Philippine martial arts demonstration.The exciting demonstration begins.Celebrating the cultures of many Pacific Rim nations at a very fun event!
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This afternoon I headed to the Pacific Rim Festival in Chula Vista’s Bayside Park. I’ll blog more about this fun event shortly!
The highlight of my day was an incredible performance by Naruwan Taiko!
Imagine resonant, heart-pounding, pulsing beats, and drummers swinging unstoppable arms in a synchronized dance. Imagine smiles and shouts, muscles and sweat, powered by a pure love of life. For a few moments Bayside Park was stirred by magic. Hearts were lifted by thundering, unabashed joy!
I was ready to leap over the sun!
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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!
On Sunday afternoons I seem to be spending more and more time in the grand Ballroom of the Balboa Park Club. Cushioned chairs line the walls, and I can sit peacefully as I read or write, listening to gentle, sprightly folk music, occasionally looking up at happy people dancing.
I don’t do much in the way of dancing–not with my feet. But I’m sure some of you do! And I bet some of you’d like to learn all sorts of different folk dances!
I spoke to a nice lady who is a member of one of Balboa Park’s dance clubs, and she told me they are looking to grow their membership. There’s an opportunity for ordinary people with varying levels of experience to learn folk dances from many different cultures. And each lesson costs only a couple bucks!
As you can see from one of my photos, kids and parents can also learn how to dance the third Sunday of every month, from 3:30 – 4:30 pm. Sounds like fun!
Interested? Visit the International Dance Association of San Diego County website by clicking here!
If you can walk, you can dance!
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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!
Close up of a colorful mural now on display in front of the San Diego Museum of Art.
Many extraordinary artists make San Diego their home. They help our city sparkle with culture and energy.
Amazing works by distinguished local muralists are now on display in Balboa Park, directly in front of the San Diego Museum of Art.
The six colorful murals, painted live a couple weeks ago, are inspired by a world-class exhibition now running inside the museum. Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection is an exhibition of modern Latin masterpieces that no art lover should miss. I blogged about it here. Go soon. It will be closing in two weeks.
I don’t know how long these murals will be on display outdoors in front of the museum, so swing by Balboa Park soon to enjoy them in person!
To see the murals of Chicano Park, you can click here.
Visitors to Balboa Park check out a couple of the murals temporarily on display in the Plaza de Panama.Sign in front of the San Diego Museum of Art explains the outdoor Local Latin American Masters exhibition. Six murals were painted live in front of the museum.Art by Victor Ochoa. His work has been widely published. He was one of the original muralists to work in Chicano Park.Art by Carmen Kalo. She is a San Diego native who actively leads Chicano Park tours, builds social awareness, and works with at-risk youth and the homeless.Art by Hector Villegas. He is a teacher who has painted three murals at Chicano Park.Art by Cesar Castañeda. He owns the Chicano Art Gallery in Barrio Logan.Art by Stephanie Cecilia Cervantes. A painter first inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, she was a muralist during Chicano Park’s 2011 restoration project.Protecting Our Water and Earth by Mario Torero. He is an artivist and founding member of the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.Amazing artwork that the public can see close up and in natural sunlight, just like the many fantastic murals of Chicano Park!
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Today I published a new short story. It’s titled One Magic Bubble. I suppose the short piece is about life.
People walk past the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s building at America Plaza.
I recently noticed new thought-provoking graphics in the windows of the MCASD building at America Plaza.
Last year, a survey was taken of 100 people passing through America Plaza. Questions were asked about racial and ethnic identity. Today an outdoor display at downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego expands on the results and explores the complicated subject.
The window graphics are designed to catch the eye and draw visitors into the nearby gallery.
This project was produced by artists with students from local colleges in San Diego and Tijuana who participated in Transnational Seminar 1, lead by Collective Magpie.
On April 20th, 100 pedestrians took a survey here in America Plaza about race and ethnicity. Self-classification data was compiled.Of the 100 surveyed, 83 answered mixed race; 14 white people; 3 people of color.Feelings about racial identity can differ from person to person.One of two panels containing some of the racial and ethnic categories that a person might choose.A splash of words, asking people walking down Kettner Boulevard what the ultimate definition of race is…People might feel differently about their racial identity depending on a range of factors and circumstances, from their appearance…to their dreams…to their immediate environment…to the way they live.Thought-provoking graphics concerning race in the windows of MCASD’s building at America Plaza.
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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!
Members of the Imahen Taotao Tano-Micronesia Dance Group provide entertainment at the 2018 San Diego Multicultural Festival.
Late this afternoon I ventured down to Ruocco Park to get a taste of the 20th Annual San Diego Multi-Cultural Festival.
Every year the fun, family-oriented event showcases diverse cultures from around the world, and how they uniquely contribute to life in our city.
Many organizations were present that work to improve the community, plus all sort of vendors and great entertainment. Please read the photo captions to learn more about a few of the festival participants! You might feel inspired!
The 2017 Multicultural Festival in Ruocco Park had many diverse activities and interesting things for visitors to experience.Some of the vendors had colorful artwork for sale.Entertainment on the main stage included the Micronesia dance group, Taico Japanese Drums and Soaring Eagles Native American Pow Wow.These nice ladies with EF Education First are looking for local families to host international students. Interested?The San Diego International Sister Cities Association had a couple of cool displays showing our 16 sister cities around the world. Participant cities often engage in cultural exchanges, including sporting events.The Japanese Friendship Garden of Balboa Park had something super fun at the festival. Kamizumo!Kamizumo–paper wrestler–is a Japanese game in which folded paper sumo wrestlers are placed in an arena and controlled by vibrating the platform with finger taps. (Click this image and the next to enlarge for easy reading.)If you make these moves you lose: You accidentally step out of the ring while pushing your opponent! You fall over! You step backward out of the ring!Another exciting kamizumo match is almost ready to begin!Cool guys with the Pazzaz Educational Enrichment Center had some Soap Box Derby gravity cars on display. Kids from the community are encouraged to participate in local races! I blogged about one such race in Sherman Heights a couple years ago!A friendly face painter! Some things never change! I captured this same enormous smile a year or two ago!
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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!
An exhibit in Petco Park shows the History of the Ballpark Neighborhood, San Diego, California.
There’s a small but very cool exhibit at Petco Park that depicts the early history of East Village and nearby blocks in downtown San Diego. During the baseball stadium’s construction, a number of fascinating artifacts were recovered by archaeologists. Each object was carefully recorded in order to preserve aspects of our city’s diverse history.
Here are some of the old photographs and artifacts that are on public display. You can find this exhibit near the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame, just to the right of the north entrance to the Padres Team Store. I learned this exhibit used to be on the third floor of the Western Metal Supply building, at the top of the escalators. But the area was rather dark and so it was moved to its present location.
Please read the captions to learn more about what was unearthed during the grading of the ballpark, and what everyday life was like in San Diego over a century ago.
Photo taken during construction of Petco Park baseball stadium in East Village. Archaeologists excavate a feature discovered during grading activities at the ballpark.After researching the immediate area’s history, the grading of the future ballpark was environmentally monitored. Artifacts that were recovered reveal everyday life in San Diego’s past.Excavated objects include jars, bottles, glass stoppers and a bone toothbrush handle. Names of medical remedies on bottles include Hamlin’s Wizard Oil and Dr. J.H. McLean’s Volcanic Oil.1906 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map depicting Blocks 136 and 137, part of the footprint of today’s Petco Park, home of the baseball Padres.From the late 1800s to the 1930s, most residents of East Village appear to have been of moderate to lower economic status, employed at blue collar jobs downtown.Other artifacts recovered during Petco Park’s construction include dolls, toys, marbles and keys.Old photograph shows East Village as it was in 1914, looking west from the 10th Street terminal.Looking south down 5th Street (now Fifth Avenue) from the roof of the 1st National Bank, circa 1910. The area is heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.Two historical photos. To the left: Pacific Coast Steamship warehouse, circa 1913. To the right: looking north up 5th Street circa 1910.Old photo of Western Metal Supply building and foundry sometime prior to 1919. The preserved brick building is now a unique part Petco Park’s structure.Fragments of earthenware jars and Chinese and Japanese ceramic tableware show Asian culture thrived in the neighborhood’s past.
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If you love fine art, there’s something you really need to see. Legacy in Black is an exhibition featuring the work of local African American artists who enjoy national and international acclaim. You can enjoy this exhibition for free by visiting the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park.
A number of outstanding pieces represent the work of eight artists who’ve made significant contributions to our city’s cultural life. Many of the artists have produced public art around San Diego and California. Faith Ringgold has had works exhibited in places like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Art, and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Ernest Eugene Barnes Jr. was the official artist of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Kadir Nelson was the lead conceptual artist for Steven Spielberg’s film Amistad, and his work is often featured on the cover of The New Yorker magazine. All eight artists featured in this exhibition are exceptional.
Legacy in Black is a collaboration between the San Diego History Center and the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. Head on over to Balboa Park before the exhibition closes on March 28, 2018!
Sandlot Football. Ernie Barnes, acrylic on canvas.Legacy in Black, an exhibition of work by local African American artists, is now on display at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park.I’ll Fly Away. Manuelita Brown, bronze with painted wood base, 2003.Coming to Jones Road Part II #5, Precious, Barn Door and Baby Freedom. Faith Ringgold, acrylic on canvas with fabric border, 2010.The Valley. Jean Cornwell Wheat, acrylic on canvas, 2014.Gridiron Hero. Ernie Barnes, acrylic on board.
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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!
Mosaic scenes of Hispanic life, culture and history decorate benches and seats at a San Diego Trolley station.
In Logan Heights, the 25th and Commercial Street station of the San Diego Trolley’s Orange Line features public art at both it’s east and west platforms. A week or so ago, I enjoyed looking at colorful mosaics made of tiles on the base of various concrete seats and curving benches. The small mosaics depict Hispanic life, culture and history. There are abstract scenes of immigrants working in fields or in construction, of family at home, and of organized activism.
I took these photos at the eastbound platform. The mosaics are part of a project titled Achievement / Progress / Community: In the Spirit of Cesar E. Chavez that was completed in 2006. The mosaics were created by artist John Hiemstra. The trolley stop is dedicated to civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.
Photo along length of 25th and Commercial Street trolley station of the Orange Line. This is the eastbound platform.A small tile mosaic scene features a red trolley in front of downtown’s Santa Fe Depot.A family at home around a table laden with food.Migrant workers planting seeds in a field.Mosaic shows what appears to be a ranch in a Southern California landscape.Farm worker is harvesting tomatoes or strawberries.Saguaro cacti in a Southwestern scene.Beautiful abstract mosaic. Tiles of different colors, sizes and shapes.Hispanic workers build a wall.A laborer hard at work.Two figures stand near automobiles on a highway.A diverse group appears to hold up signs in a protest.A priest and an activist.Hispanic youth together, perhaps students. Another scene of life, learning, hope, struggle.
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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 share and enjoy!
My art is the way I reestablish the bonds that tie me to the universe.
This morning I saw a bunch of cool zines dangling in the windows of downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. I was peering at the many imaginative covers and unexpected titles when I noticed this window display concerns the annual Tijuana Zine Fest, a regional festival that celebrates independent publishing and art.
I always love to bathe in individual, uninhibited creativity. Many of the zines appear to be subversive; others are humorous, or philosophical, or inspiring.
Best of luck to all the authors!
Keep on pushing to new horizons!
Keep on writing!
Tijuana Zine Fest is an annual festival that celebrates self-publishing and independent art in the culturally fertile Tijuana-San Diego border region.A bunch of creative zines hang inside the windows of the downtown Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, in their building at America Plaza.Why are you dumping me? Snap out of it.Tarantella Zine.Pabdia – Cine Enmascarado.Tijuana. Deep Affection. Xicanita. Self Care – Self Love.Fetish Witch. Beast County.One Punk’s Guide to African Politics. Accomplices Not Allies.Transitory Existence.Abandon everything again. Pobre Bebé. La Playa. A Manifesto for Discomfortable Writing.
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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!
Cool San Diego Sights! 