Taste of Little Italy
Digable film
When it came time to choose a film to screen for their new Cinema Select series, the folks over at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park decided to take a democratic approach. They provided a theme for the event and asked their Facebook followers to pick the movie they'd like to see. On Thursday, March 14, MoPA kicks off the series with that pick, Gray Gardens, to go along with their current exhibition Jessica Lange: Unseen (the famed actress is also an accomplished photographer). You can check out her mid-career photo retrospective during museum hours, and then come back at 7 p.m. to see her play Edith Ewing Bouvier in the HBO film based on the 1975 documentary about the strange lives of Bouvier and her daughter, Little Edie, played by Drew Barrymore. Lange's photos will be on view through May 19. Next month MoPA will do this all again with a new theme, so follow the museum on Facebook to rock the vote. Admission is $8.
Digable Thing
It's probably one of the more complicated-to-pronounce museum exhibitions ever: Elementalisthmus. What it means, we're not totally sure, but it's the name of L.A.-based artist Scoli Acosta's solo show that's currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Downtown location (1001 Kettner Blvd.), where he's displaying work inspired by, as he puts it, "the aesthetics of resourcefulness." (His "Pentagonal Monochromes" shown here.) The exhibition's also the focal point for the Thursday, March 14, edition of the museum's thrice-annual TNT (Thursday Night Thing). Meet Acosta, who'll be "attempting to levitate the pentagon," check out the museum's exhibitions (including the excellent The Very Large Array) and hear music by Tori Rose and the Hot Mess and Twin Cabins. Cocktails and food from MIHO Gastrotruck will be available for purchase. Admisison is $10 and the evening goes from 7 to 10 p.m.
Digable hip-hop
Hip-hop can be a real boy’s club, but San Diego's blessed with a number of great women artists. One of them is Miki Vale: A local MC, DJ and activist, she’s helped foster the local scene with events like the now-defunct Bohemian Rap City open-mic, and she spreads socially conscious messages with smooth, tough rhymes in songs like “Black,” a banger she recorded with Kandi Cole as the duo 50/50. A performance by Vale will be just one of the highlights at The B-Girl BBQ, which goes down at Writerz Blok (5010 Market St. in Valencia Park) at noon Saturday, March 16. Honoring the women of hip-hop, the daylong, all-ages jamboree features DJs, dance competitions (with cash and gear prizes) and a hip-hop swap meet where you can get T-shirts, vinyl, cassettes and more. $5; free for kids under 10.
Digable minds
Every few months, Voice of San Diego's Kelly Bennett brings together a group of folks doing interesting work—be it art, music, scholarly pursuits, activism—and gives them a chance to share it with y'all at Meeting of the Minds, a fast-pased, pecha-kucha-style information exchange. Happening from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 14, the latest installment is a compelling mash-up of talent. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Don Barletti will discuss "telling migration stories in photos"; costume designer Denitsa Bliznakova's topic is "costuming a murderous opera"; James Brown, whose Bread & Salt building (1955 Julian Ave. in Barrio Logan) is the location of the event, will talk about turning an old bakery into an arts incubator; KPBS reporter Adrian Florido will educate you on Mexican roots music; Arts: A Reason to Survive's Susanna Peredo discusses "nurturing creativity in troubled youth"; and Michael Prinz reveals the secrets of finding great coffee and coffee roasters. Whew. The cost of all that learnin' is a mere $10 donation.
