Coming of Age Film Festival
"Crack Shot" by Gabe Leonard.
Art
Girl power: There’s something about an all-female lineup, whether it’s a band, a sports team or an art collective, that’s bound to draw attention. Maybe it’s because seeing women accomplish things in our male-dominated society is really something to be excited about. That’s why we’re especially excited about the Girls Girls Girls! art show at the Suture Loft (655 10th Ave., Downtown) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. The show features an impressive all-girl roster of 18 visual artists and two spoken-word performers, all of whom examine womanhood in the modern world, helping us understand gender in new ways. And while the talent may be all women, the audience doesn’t have to be; men are indeed welcome. $5 suggested donation.
Paid dues: In 1998, Gabe Leonard moved from Wyoming to L.A., hoping for a career in animation. “Unfortunately, in 1998,” his bio reads, “most of the studios began firing their traditional artists.” So, what happened? “Gabe took a part time job at Macy’s (folding shirts).” Tough break. Undeterred, Leonard started selling his surreal, film-noir-inspired paintings of cowboys, gangsters and Hollywood types on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Fast-forward a decade and he’s an internationally known artist. From 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13, Distinction Gallery (317 East Grand Ave., Escondido) will hold a reception for Leonard’s The Right Side of The Dirt, a collection of the coolest bad guys you’ve ever seen. There’ll be live music and, as always, Distinction’s entire space—all 14 studios—is open for your perusal. www.distinctionart.com.
Group love: Most people need a little support in their creative ventures, and artists are no exception. Some may prefer working alone, but there are plenty who find collaborating and supporting one another as a group the way to go. Last fall, six San Diego artists, including Brenda York and Maite Benito Agahnia, decided to form the group ART6 as a means to support and motivate one another. Their first show, Temptation6, features Valentine-themed works that will later be auctioned, with the proceeds benefiting ArtReach, a charity that sends working artists into schools to teach art to students. The opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at the India Street Gallery (2165 India St. in Little Italy); the exhibition runs through Feb. 15. www.noel-bazafineart.com.
Performance
Vaudevillainy: Yard Dogs Road Show, a 13-member self-described “hobo cabaret,” looks like a troupe of extras from Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe who forgot to change out of their psychedelic costumes before auditioning for roles in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. They promise a “fantasy fulfilling” musical circus featuring astronauts, rabbits and golden-winged goddesses who dance the burlesque, swallow swords and hammer out the rock ’n’ roll. Usually when an act hits The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., the scenester grapevine lets CityBeat know whether it’ll be awesome or sucksville. This time—9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12—the hipsters are still whispering, “What the hell is it?” Tickets to the madness are $15. www.yarddogsroadshow.com.
Creating the creator: In Aztec mythology, the earth goddess Coatlicue was decapitated by her children. Using video, paint, spoken word and the “living picture” art of tableau vivant, The Border Corps will bring the snake-skirt-wearing goddess back to life on Saturday, Feb. 13, so San Diegans can draw her and better understand the contemporary native experience. The event, Coatlicue mi Amor, is billed as a “phantasmagoric life drawing class” (bring your own supplies, get a discount), but the event also is designed to engage the audience in an artistic dialogue about the indigenous experience and American colonialism. The “happening” and gallery fundraiser starts at 8 p.m. at Agitprop Gallery, 2837 University Ave. in North Park. $5, or $2 with sketchbook and pen. www.agitpropspace.org.
Community
Little Venice: When it comes to neighborhood celebrations, few communities in San Diego can hold a candle to Little Italy. Seems like the folks there have an event just about every other weekend. And they wouldn’t keep holding them if they weren’t tons of fun, right? From 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, it’s the seventh annual Little Italy Carnevale—essentially a free, Venetian-style Mardi Gras colored with whimsical masks, costumes, food and street performers—happening in the area bordered by Ivy and Beech streets and India and First streets. A Passport to Italy will guide you through the neighborhood and point you to the entertainment and participating businesses. www.littleitalysd.com.
Music
Sounds like?: Music’s damn difficult to describe sometimes, so we’ll defer to Swarmius’ description of the sounds it produces: “A sonic fusion of hip-hop, house-lounge-techno meets modern-classical.” And then there’s this: “Keyboard rocker + skate-boarder punk saxophonist + violin virtuoso + wild metro-gnome = SWARMIUS.” Intrigued? We are—enough to recommend the San Diego-based but internationally recognized quartet’s performance at the always envelope-pushing venue The Loft at UCSD (second floor of Price Center East) at 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13. Tickets are $16 ($10 for UCSD and SDSU students). 858-534-TIXS. www.artpwr.com.
Activism
SOS!: Expansive San Diego County is an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem, and Jim Peugh of the San Diego County Audubon Society has for many years been working hard to keep it that way. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, Peugh and colleague Mike Matherly will talk about how urban development has impacted local wildlife habitats and how remaining Southern California wildlands can still be protected. The free discussion, Drawing the Line: Conservation and Wildlife in San Diego: Saving Critical Habitats in America’s Most Endangered County, happens at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center, 1580 Cannon Road in Carlsbad. www.aguahedionda.org.
