Paragraph Slam Night
Digable art
Each year for the last five years, The Front at Casa Familiar (147 West San Ysidro Blvd. in San Ysidro) has exhibited work by dozens of female artists to commemorate Dia de la Mujer, or International Women's Day. We're not talking flowery paintings with cute little kids; we're talking edgy, provocative artwork by some of the region's most talented female artists (Stephanie Cervantes' "The Most Desired Destiny of the Wanderlust" shown here). This year's exhibition, titled art of body : body of art, opens with a reception from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 8, and features juried work by more than three dozen artists, tunes by DJ Ana Brown, a live performance by dance / percussion group La Bomba Liberte and a craft market with goods by Chula Maiz, Sew Loka Handmade, TumbolWeed Soaps, Ribbons & Rockabilly, Vida Mia Boutique and La Chica Boutique. If you get hungry, Mariscos German Gastrotruck—which was cooking up delicious tacos and ceviches before food trucks became trendy—will be on-hand serving up food for sale.
Digable DIY
Admit it: your bucket list includes "learn how to use a laser cutter." No? How about "learn how to screen-print a T-shirt"? That's it, right? Find out how to fulfill your longheld dream by visting MakerPlace (1022 West Morena Blvd. in Bay Park) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Saturday, March 9, when the DIY (with some help) lab celebrates its first year in business. See what MakerPlace's members have made with their own two hands—some of this stuff's pretty stunning, like the sapele and maple desk to the left—watch live demos of the cool tools and machinery that fill MP's wood shop, laser lab, paint shop, metal shop and electronics lab and enjoy food and drink from MIHO Gastrotruck and Green Flash Brewing Co. And, should you feel so inspired to get in on what MakerPlace has going, they'll be offering membership specials.
Digable films
Some movies deserve to be trashed. Who can sit through an entire screening of Showgirls, for instance, and not completely rip into it? Luckily, Trash Talk Theater is here to help you poke fun at a flick. The interactive cinema experience provides the audience with the ability to send out written messages of complete distaste, or even praise, that appear onscreen as a film is being viewed. On Thursday, March 7, a special sci-fi double feature will be screened at Victory Theater (2558 Imperial Ave. in Grant Hill). One is the first-ever documentary to be screened by Trash Talk. Children of the Stars, directed by local filmmaker Bill Perrine, focuses on the Unarius Academy, a local UFO-contactee group that holds meditations in order to speak to their “space brothers” and alien beings. Perrine will be on hand to answer questions post-screening. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie Zardoz—one of Sean Connery's most ridiculous film roles—will screen after. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 a pop.
Digable art
At some point the student becomes the master. At least that’s what The Karate Kid taught us. The same can be said about Christopher Polentz, who's curated a group exhibition featuring the work of emerging artists who've been his students at Palomar College. For One Plus Six Equals Seven, Polentz chose six of his pupils— Nathan DeYoung, Heather McKey, Victor Roman, Michelle Gerich, Michael Lockwood and Joseph Gerges (whose "The Samaritan" is to the left) is shown here)—to exhibit original pieces alongside his own pop-surrealist works. The exhibition opens from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Distinction Gallery (317 East Grand Ave. in Escondido) and will be on view until April 6. Stop in and see the influence a teacher can have on an artist first-hand.
