The Kinsee Report

*Years ago, we ran a recurring blog post called The Kinsee Report. We've decided to resurrect the old thing and develop it first online, then in print. We hope to better cover, review and preview the local arts, architecture and culture scene. Help us by sending comments, suggestions, criticism, column ideas and super-cool invites to kinseem@sdcitybeat.com. Thanks in advance.

Wednesday night, Craig Abenilla and Mike Burnett, the guys behind FoundationForForm, took home the "Mixed Use Award" from the San Diego/Tijuana Urban Land Institute's 2011 Awards of Excellence for their project, mxd830.

It wasn't the duo's first architectural award, and I'd bet my firstborn it won't be their last.

The eco-friendly mxd830 project in Golden Hill—the contemporary-looking building that houses Counterpoint Neighborhood Bistro, Nest Vintage Furniture & Home and other local businesses and apartments—is most definitely ogle-worthy. So, it makes me happy—no, damn-right ecstatic to know that Abenilla and Burnett have purchased the piece of property across the street from mxd830 and have already begun work on their latest brainchild, which they're calling You Are Here.

"We're getting it back to that mid-century aesthetic it had," said Abenilla, referring to the old gas station that sits on the property. The plan is to refurbish the building and turn it into commercial space while building 22 apartments around it. 

Again, if they don't win some kind of smart-use or design award for this one, I'll hand little Kinsee Junior over to CityBeat music editor Peter Holslin for safekeeping. You can hold me to it.

Speaking of future architectural-award winners, who's driven by Jonathan Segal's new project, The Charmer in Mission Hills? According to Segal's office, the 25,000-square-foot, mixed-used project should be done next week. Has that guy ever built something and not won an award?

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Old-school art aficionados will remember the now-defunct Cassius King gallery in San Diego. Even older-school art geeks will remember the 838G art space. One of the guys behind those old projects has been quietly building up momentum at a new art-showing gig, Loft 9.

Richard Kenvin has been somewhat quietly hosting underground art exhibitions and film showings in his gallery/living space for the last decade and, from 6 to 10 p.m. this Saturday, May 28, he'll be opening Time and Space, an exhibition of surf-inspired work by artist Tyler Warren. Kenvin says he's ready to step things up a bit and plans on hosting more art shows in the future. Why return to the art thing now?

"Just because the space really works for it and just made sense as something I wanted to do," says Kenvin, a filmmaker who's currently working on a surf and skate documentary, Hydrodynamica. "When the economy's bad, art and galleries start happening."

Kenvin says he looks forward to working with his new(ish) neighbors, Space 4 Art, in collaborative art happenings down the road.

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I dig the description of Linksoul, a collective of artists, makers, business people and other creative types. They say they're, "looking to expand beyond the current definitions of 'business as usual' when it comes to making and selling goods and participating as a socially and environmentally responsible company within the community." Sounds like a manifesto I could get behind. From 6 to 10 p.m. this Saturday, May 28, at the Linksoul Lab (530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside) the group presents an exhibition of works by nearly 40 artists who use birds and/or bees in their work.

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How about a side of Vietnamese noodles at your next art-seeing soiree? Artists Sonia Lopez-Chavez and Chikle have put on their curatorial hats to bring you One Night in Saigon, the first in a new series of art events in various urban settings. The show, which opens from 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday, May 28, includes performances, music and work by dozens of artists including Sergio Hernandez, Armando De LaTorre, Gloria Muriel and more.

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Thanks to the hard work of CityBeat freelancers, I get to take some time off from writing long, in-depth art features for the next few weeks. This week, I used some of the free time to record some extra podcasts. I talked to Nuvi Mehta about tonight's Symphony Exposed event and Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony," which the San Diego Symphony is performing through May 29. I also spoke with longtime San Diego art critic Bob Pincus about the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Sitting in Solidarity protest against the detainment of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the 'art criticism drought' in San Diego and he briefly mentions MCASD's May 29 opening of High Fidelity, an exhibition of 60s and 70s works from the museum's collection.

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If you haven't heard about the Three Voyages to Paradise art exhibition opening Friday, May 27, at the Maritime Museum of San Diego (1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown), you haven't been paying attention. This exhibit will feature 156 pieces inspired by three South Pacific voyages completed by James Cook, Herman Melville and Paul Gauguin. The show will include paintings, carvings and engravings, plus a newly rediscovered Gauguin wood sculpture.

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Next Wednesday, voiceofsandiego.org arts editor Kelly Bennett has lined up a night of Pecha Kucha-style talks by some of the city's most creative and interesting people. A Meeting of the Minds is happening at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, June 1, at Kettner Daylight Studio, 2308 Kettner Blvd. Studio C in Little Italy. Speakers include Jennifer Luce, Seema Sueko, Evan Schumacher, Jay Porter, Ben Strauss-Malcolm and David Flores, who made an appearance in a recent article of mine about an interesting architectural project in San Ysidro.