San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Moustache Man1 by old skool artist Mackenize Longwell will be on view in the VS: An Art Battle show
Art: There’s a cool little wedge building in Normal Heights near the intersection of Boundary Street and Adams Avenue that we’ve been waiting for someone to do something with. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 29, a few creative folks are inviting the public to see the space, which they’re calling the Triangle Building (4688 Boundary St.) and check out Sacrifice, a themed group show featuring works by artists Steven Suitor, WaistKnot WantNot and Handmade With Hands (aka Mason C. Farnsworth). You might recognize the paintings of WaistKnot WantNot and Steven Suitor—both artists’ forward-thinking, urban-centric art was recently shown at Visual Art Supply. Email trianglebuildinggallery@gmail.com for details.
Meanwhile, back at the lab: In the summer, nighttime seems to be the right time to enjoy San Diego’s art and culture. And ArtLab Studios is on a mission to invigorate the scene. The studio nurtures creativity by renting out studio space and displaying work by emerging artists in its gallery. During its Summer Nites event, ArtLab will exhibit work by artists like Toygami, who creates urban origami sculptures, including one of a b-boy holding a boombox, and Karonart, who builds life-size 3-D models of everything from dinosaurs ripping through the gallery walls to a busted Harley. The free, all-ages event—starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at 3536 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights—will spill into the parking lot, with live music, food and artisan vendors. artlabsd.com
Fight! Fight! Fight!: They say the pen is mightier than the sword (although we’d probably put our money on the sword). In a fight between a paintbrush and spray-paint can, it might be tougher to predict the winner. At VS: An Art Battle, organized by Arte Fresca, we might get an answer after “old skool” artists face off against “new skool” artists in an “art-off.” The rules have been set: The team of old-skool artists must create an original piece using traditional tools, like paintbrushes and pencils, and work solely on canvas. The new-skool team can only create using newer tools: Think screenprinting, stencils, airbrushing. And no canvasses allowed. The battle goes down at 7 p.m. Friday, July 29, at Suture, 655 10th Ave. in East Village. A $3 donation is suggested. www.artefresca.webs.com
Smart art: For the last several Thursdays, the San Diego Museum of Art’s 2011 Summer Salon Series has used art, performance and music to explore this question: What does a city need? From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 28, that question will be posed through a socioeconomic lens. Brian Goeltzenleuchter and Katharine Whitcomb will present “Smelling the City,” a piece that pairs concepts and smells (ask nicely and you’ll get a scentinfused blotter to take home). The Border Corps’ performance piece “Mexus Sexus Fluxus” will explore issues of social justice and the border economy. Museum educator Amy Briere will lead a miniaturechair-making activity, and Jaroslaw Kapuscinski will perform Intermedia Recital, four musical works for which he’ll use a piano to trigger video and computer-generated graphics. Free with $12 (general) museum admission. sdmart.org
Rough and raw: Among the hand-picked artists featured at this month’s RAW: San Diego “Illuminare” event is Jason Acton, a Roy Lichtenstein-like painter whose bright and bold pop art really—well, pops. (We hope the kids over at RAW have learned to hang and light the art well because we hate to see paintings leaned up against the wall and/or left on the floor in the shadows, which is what they’ve done in the past.) Local band The Heavy Guilt is scheduled to play a set, and there’ll be a fashion show by Ardent Reverie, a performance by the Ohh La La dance group, craft vendors and other art on display. It’s all happening at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at the Ivy Nightclub at the Andaz (600 F St., Downtown). Tickets are $10 and we’re told you should dress nicely. rawartists.org/sandiego/illuminare
Bluesology man: “The revolution will not be televised”—even if you don’t know the name Gil Scott-Heron, there’s a good chance you’ve heard this ubiquitous title line of the poet’s most memorable work. While he preferred to call himself a “bluesologist,” he’s recognized as the godfather of rap music: In a rocky, decades-long career that ended with his death last May, Scott-Heron influenced everybody from Chuck D to Kanye West with his rhythmic, rousing, jazz-inspired poetry. An all-star tribute band—including members of The Styletones and The Greyboy Allstars and esteemed spoken-word poets Adrian Arancibia and Reg E. Gaines, among others— will get together at 9 p.m. Friday, July 29, for A Tribute to Gil Scott-Heron at Bar Pink, 3829 30th St. in North Park. Some of the proceeds will go to a charity honoring Scott-Heron’s legacy. barpink.com
Boy bands: From hits by The Beatles and The Four Tops to the Doobie Brothers and Backstreet Boys, the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus will be bringing boy-band bests to life at its GuyTunes performance. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 30, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 31, at Balboa Theatre (868 Fourth Ave., Downtown) the 140-member chorus will sing the type of pop hits just about anyone can hum along to, and some talented soloists will step out in front for a few special songs. It’s like a live version of Glee, but a lot of these big boys will put those squeaky little kids’ voices to shame. Tickets are $26 to $43, and, remember, you can get three hours of free parking at Horton Plaza. sdgmc.org
The (In)Visible Project is a joint effort of a few San Diego artists and writers to create a space for homeless people to share their personal stories. CityBeat heard about the project and immediately signed on as a media sponsor. We’re helping the crew throw a preview party and fundraiser at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at El Take it Easy (3926 30th St. in North Park) that’ll feature “meat” and photo raffles. We have more details about the project in our “Front Lines” section. You can also visit in-visible-project.org.
