Somali Fest, Inside the Design Studio talk and more

Aaron Change at work in Oahu, Hawaii

SOMALIA’S FOURTH OF JULY

The East African country of Somalia may be a “failed state” that’s home to Islamic radicals and pirates, but the Somali people still have their delicious food, beautiful poetry and distinct music. Come celebrate this good stuff with San Diego’s Somali community—one of the largest in the country—at the Somali American Cultural Fest from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at Market Creek Plaza, 310 Euclid Ave. in Southeast San Diego. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Somalia’s independence from Italy, the event will feature a fashion show and vendors selling tasty Somali foodstuffs like samosa and goat meat. The highlight of the day will be poetry readings by members of Somali Youth United, the group that organized the event. While Somalia’s instability hogs all the attention, it’s easy to overlook the Somalis’ famously rich oral history. somaliyouthunited.org

SURF DREAMS

Surf dreams: When it comes to surf photography, you’d be hard-pressed to name anyone better than Aaron Chang. His crystal-clear prints of surreal waves and the surfers who ride them are like nothing else out there. For his newest gallery venture, the photographer has teamed with local artist Wade Koniakowsky, who creates oil paintings based on surf-inspired scenes. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 10, celebrate the opening of the Aaron Chang Ocean Art Gallery (415 S. Cedros Ave in Solana Beach), where you can see Chang’s photos, Koniakowsky’s paintings and a one-of-a-kind surfboard created by prominent shaper John Carper, hand-painted by Koniakowsky and inlaid with photos by Chang. aaronchanggallery.com

Rabbits and Rock Stars: Judging from 1960s rock icon Grace Slick’s collection of paintings, her legendary band Jefferson Airplane’s song “White Rabbit” wasn’t representative of a mere passing interest in Alice in Wonderland. Her art—done with pencil, pen, watercolor and acrylic paint—is full of whimsical rabbits and scenes inspired by the Lewis Carroll book, as well as nudes and surrealistic portraits of her friends and contemporaries, like Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin and Jerry Garcia. You can meet Slick— who’s 70 years old now, by the way—and check out the products of her second career from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at Alexander Salazar Fine Art, 640 Broadway, Downtown. alexandersalazarfineart.com

Expressions of modern native identity: What people often see of Native American art is either relics in museums or souvenirs at gift shops. But there are plenty of artists that blend their traditions with modern, experimental art forms to remind people that their culture is still alive and evolving. Contemporary Native American artist James Luna has been engaging audiences with his unconventional and provocative performance works for more than three decades, raising awareness for his Pooyukitchum people, who he says once occupied most of North County (though a Google search of the term turns up nothing but references to Luna). In any case, Luna will be presenting a special piece, “Native Stories: Basically Factual” at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at the Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way) as part of the Defying Expectations: Contemporary Native American Art from the San Diego Region exhibit. $25, $10 for students. oma-online.org

TASTY TUNES

There’s a triple-threat of awesomeness happening Saturday, July 10, at Dizzy’s $5 Saturday Afternoon Summer Jazz BBQ. First, for only $5, you get a plate full o’ barbecue from local meat purveyors Brandt Beef. Another Lincoln gets you a glass of beer or wine. Then there’s the jazz: three hours’ worth of tunes, starting at 3 p.m., from The San Diego Latin Jazz Collective—featuring members of B Side Players—and the nine-piece Charlie Chavez & Afrotruko. Lastly, you can’t overlook the location, along the lovely Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, Downtown (Dizzy’s is located at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, at Second Avenue and J Street). dizzysjazz.com

BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS

For the San Diego Architecture Foundation’s first Inside the Design Studio, host Keith York, editor of Modern- SanDiego.com, interviewed San Diego architect Robert Mosher, whose work dates back to the late 1940s. For the second installment, happening Thursday, July 8, at the Neurosciences Institute (10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla), the focus is on the present when York returns to chat with San Diego architect Jonathan Segal, the guy behind elegant, exciting spots like The Q in Little Italy and The Union, located on 19th and B streets in Golden Hill. Segal’s work was also featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s 2009 Mix exhibit. Advance tickets are $40 for non-members, $45 at the door, and include a hosted drinks-and-appetizers reception starting at 6:30 p.m. The talk begins at 7:30. sdarchitecture.org

BUGGED OUT

Last week, we told you about SD Space 4 Art, a new affordable live / work space for local artists in East Village. Its grand opening was a success (more than 1,000 visitors), and now, just a week later, it’s already hosting a super-awesome film screening. For their first screening, the Space 4 Art folks have invited the peeps behind SpiderBug, a mobile short film / video festival based in Chicago, to invade their space and screen experimental films that interpret the title “Exothermia and Shadow Play.” The films’ content is anyone’s guess, which is all the more reason to check it out. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the screening starts at 8 p.m. Friday, July 9, at SD Space 4 Art (325 15th St.). Free. sdspace4art.org, spiderbug.org

TO READ A MOCKINGBIRD

Here’s a law to litigate by: Never hire an attorney who doesn’t have Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird on the shelf. Since 1960, Lee’s opus on justice in America has inspired young lawyers to pass the bar, civil-rights activists to march for racial equality and members of blink-182 to launch the “Atticus” and “Scout” clothing lines. The book also touched the life of Susan Vreeland, the best-selling author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, who will be the special guest moderator at a To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 11. The free event at the La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper St., includes a movie screening and discussion for families. lajollalibrary.org