CITYWEEK

Art

Found art

Treat ArtWalk as a treasure hunt. True, there's going to be a lot of art that doesn't tickle your fancy at this year's event. It's the biggest art festival in the region, and quantity often comes at the expense of quality, but there will be some gems, to be sure. Grab the official ArtWalk guide, map out your route and walk the art gauntlet in Little Italy-Beech Street to Fir Street-from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29. CityBeat can help you get going. Start at tent 309 and 310 and get down with the jazz paintings of 2007 ArtWalk featured artist Cynthia Colis. Next, check out the urban-inspired paintings of Duke Windsor at tent 137. www.artwalkinfo.com or 619-615-1090.

The big one: What started as an international call for artists last September is now the San Diego Art Institute's Museum of the Living Artist's 49th International Awards Exhibition, which opens with an awards presentation from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 28. This year's juror, Norman Bryson, professor of art history at UCSD, has handpicked 78 entries from a pool of 1,100. SDAI's Museum of the Living Artist is located near the House of Charm in Balboa Park. The show will be up through June 10. 619-236-0011.

Good clean fun

You don't have to be a tree-hugger to understand that the excess of human litter disgracing pretty much all of our local waterways is outrageously ugly, harmful and sad. It's easy to gripe about it, but if you've got a mere three hours to spare from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 28, you can do something about it instead. I Love A Clean San Diego is holding its Fifth Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup at locations all over San Diego County, so if you have the morning off, there's no excuse not to get involved. Bonus incentive: clean-water ambassador Captain Wetiquette will be making an appearance at the central cleanup site in Belmont Park. 1-800-237-BLUE or www.creektobay.org.

Other side

Still haven't been down to Tentaculo Bar in Tijuana? You're missing out. From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Saturday, April 28, make the 20-mintue drive for a special Borders Collapse presentation of live electronics and DJ sets by JEGA, Tom Burbank, El Poeta, Memeshift, Distruptor, Jon Baker and Sajjad. Tentaculo is located by Señor Frogs in Tijuana's famous Pueblo Amigo. Ages 18 and up. Free before 10 p.m., $5 after. www.borderscollapse.org.

Fresh air: For something totally different, stop by the Triple Crown Pub, 3221 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights, from 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday, April 28. Mobile Toy Theater premieres the final performance and installation in the series Doll Poem 4: Ultramix Stroll Between, a multi-media, multi-sensory venture into poetry and art. 619-794-0369. www.myspace.com/mobilethoytheater.

Aye, gringos

The talk "Good Mexicans Versus Bad Mexicans: Pathological Hollywood Latinas/os and Other Sordid Sinematic Tales" couldn't come at a better time. SDSU literature professor William Nericcio will be reading from his new book, Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the "Mexican" in America, and hopefully bringing some understanding and insight into the source of Western cultures' stereotyping of Mexicans. Nericcio invites anyone and everyone to join him at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, at University of San Diego's Solomon Lecture Hall in Maher Hall. http://literature.sdsu. edu/nericcio.

Pinkies up

At some point in her young life, almost every girl enjoys at least some variation of dressing up, sipping juice out of teacups and pretending she lives in "the olden days." It could be argued that the grownup version of this activity is strapping on some heels and stepping out for a couple of fruity cocktails, but who says a woman ever needs to outgrow a good old-fashioned tea party? At 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. Sunday, April 29, you can have the real deal: Tea on the Terrace at the Marston House Museum, 3525 Seventh Ave. in Balboa Park, includes finger sandwiches and oh-so-yummy clotted crème, scones and coconut cream pie, as well as a free tour of the more-than-100-year-old house. Make your reservation by calling 619-232-6203 x129. $20-$25. www.sandiegohistory.org.

Pucker up

Kissing seems like an instinctive behavior that ought to come naturally to everyone, so why is it that some people-ahem-suck so badly? No matter how good you think you are, there's probably at least some element involved in making out that you are missing. If you're interested in improving your skills, Jen Marcks' Advanced Kissing Workshop is probably one of the safest and most fun ways to hone them. Unless you just want to watch and take notes, bring someone to kiss to the Rubber Rose, 3812 Ray St. in North Park, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26. Sorry dudes: this time it's women only. $7-$10. www.therubberrose.com

Back for more

Ya've seen 'em. Ya know 'em. Ya love 'em. And the feeling's mutual-so mutual that they figure San Diego's worth a second shot. We're talking about the cast of All in the Timing, last year's big hit from Ion Theatre, which was bloodied but unbowed following its displacement from a downtown venue a few months back. David Ives' script is actually six acts in one-six fairly short pieces involving circular logic, absurdist craziness and some absolutely fascinating takes on wordplay (Andrew Kennedy is a riot as a bon vivant baffled by his own native language). Popular demand for the show's return has led to an open-ended run at the Sixth Avenue Bistro, 1165 Sixth Ave., Downtown, beginning Friday, April 27. Cost is $25-$35-but you save 5 bucks if you have dinner at the Bistro before the show. 619-374-6894 or www.iontheatre.com.