🎨Visual art
'Edgeless: In the Expanded Field of Painting'
San Diego-based curator Jacqueline Marino has put together an exhibition of four painters who step outside of traditional ideas of what a canvas, paint or even the painting process could be. The artists are Anna Betbeze, Monique van Genderen, Lizzie Zelter and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung. The exhibit is held at the always-impressive University Art Gallery at SDSU. Though gallery hours are somewhat limited after this week's reception, you could also make an appointment to see it.
Reception: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. Gallery hours: noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; through Dec. 3 | University Art Gallery, 5500 Campanile Drive, SDSU | Free | MORE INFO
Rupinder Kaloti: 'The Gathering'
Artist Rupinder (Rupy) Kaloti paints vibrant, joy-centric scenes informed by her family's experience as Punjabi-American immigrants. She paints directly on hand-cut wooden panels, using motifs of tigers, fire, rainbows and stars to evoke hope, optimism and movement toward a sense of home. The exhibit opens this weekend, and a celebration will take place Dec. 5.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 26, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027 | Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside | Free - $15 | MORE INFO
!["Beneath the Veil" is a 2025 work of photography by Álvaro Díaz, and is on bid as part of Project [BLANK]'s "ART ATTACK 2026!" silent auction.](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/6d11585/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1230x758+0+33/resize/1760x1084!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fcb%2F38%2F24ba94ae4c66b9cf7453a897bdf5%2Fbeneath-the-veil-alvaro-diaz.jpg)
Project [BLANK]: Art Attack 2026 preview and auction
Local performing and visual arts nonprofit Project [BLANK] will preview its upcoming season with some performances, music and a silent auction. The art is already up for bid online here, with pieces by artists Christopher Padilla, Kline Swonger, Francisco Eme, Diana Benavídez, Perry Vasquez and many more. Performers include percussionist Camilo Zamudio, DJ monocromo and sound artists Xareni Lizárraga and Francisco Eme.
6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 | Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights | $50 sliding scale | MORE INFO
🎵 Music
Studio Sessions Jazz Night: Latinx Heritage x Coltrane 100
Future Is Color musicians will celebrate John Coltrane a century after his birth, exploring how Coltrane influenced a distinct American sound, not just in jazz but across the songbook. The evening will also explore the sonic influence of the Latinx diaspora on jazz. Quartyard is an all-ages, outdoor venue. Expect dancing.
6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 | Quartyard, 1301 Market Street, downtown | $12.51 | MORE INFO
Songwriter Sanctuary: Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month
Guest-hosted by Julia Sage, this month's Songwriter Sanctuary will celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month. Performers include retro blues/folk act Good Gravy Street Blues, rocker Rey Wolf (Stephen El Rey) and jazz and folk duo Nathan and Jessie (Nathan Rivera and Jessie Andra Smith). ASL translation is provided.
Don't sleep on the pre-show ritual: From 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., bring an unopened food item or gently used clothing item to contribute to the Normal Heights United Church community pantry, fridge and closet. During the "Pre-Show Pantry Jam," a surprise guest will perform tunes outside the venue.
6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 | Normal Heights United Church, 4650 Mansfield Street, Normal Heights | $10+ suggested donation | MORE INFO
🎭 Theater
'Our Lady of the San Diego Convention Center'
TuYo Theatre presents a new play by local playwright Mario Vega that's inspired by his experience working as a youth care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, hundreds of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum were sheltered in the San Diego Convention Center, where they waited to be reunited with their sponsors and family members. Vega recently joined KPBS Midday Edition to discuss the work. The play follows two migrant girls and the staff hired to take care of them. The production is touring the region through Oct. 11, and this weekend's performances are at 7 p.m. Friday at A Reason to Survive in National City and at 2 p.m. Saturday at Otay Mesa Branch Library.
Through Oct. 18 | Multiple locations | Pay what you can | MORE INFO
'A Black-billed Cuckoo'
This world-premiere comedy at La Jolla Playhouse by playwright Mat Smart explores the world of birding, aptly premiering here in America's Birdiest County. The play follows a birding group as their friendship is put to the test by a sighting of the rare black-billed cuckoo. Check out KPBS' Beth Accomando's interview about the play here. LJPH notes that tickets are selling fast, but the best availability is for later this month and early October.
Through Oct. 11 | La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, UC San Diego | $30-$59 | MORE INFO
'Topdog/Underdog'
The Old Globe presents an ambitious production of Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Topdog/Underdog." The dark comedy — pegged by the New York Times as one of the best American plays in recent history — traces the relationship between two adult brothers, curiously named Lincoln and Booth, as they live together after one brother's marriage crumbles. The play contends with themes of class, poverty, racism, sexism and family trauma. The Globe's production is directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (who recently directed 2025's "Appropriate" for the Globe) and stars Elijah Jones and Alano Miller.
Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 | The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park | $38+ | MORE INFO
🍿 Film
2026 Sundance Short Film Tour
I unabashedly love short films and the precision and emotion packed into their storytelling. The genre is my favorite part of film festivals, but I don't seem to ever watch them at home — a shorts block is definitely a theater-going experience, in my opinion. Digital Gym Cinema will screen a curated sampler of shorts from this year's Sundance Film Festival, blending fiction, documentary and animation. Films include "Crisis Actor," "The Boys and the Bees," "Living with a Visionary," "Marga en el DF," "Pankaja" and "Sauna Sickness."
4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 | Digital Gym Cinema, 1100 Market Street, downtown | $9 - $13 | MORE INFO
📚 Books
'One For the Books'
Longstanding La Mesa used bookstore The Book Place celebrates its first anniversary with its current owners with a special party. Booksellers will be offering giveaways such as stickers and tote bags with purchases, merch discounts and a drawing for a $100 gift card.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 | The Book Place, 6122 Lake Murray Blvd., La Mesa | Free | MORE INFO
🦢 BONUS: Tijuana
Tijuana: 'Suite Lago de los Cisnos (Swan Lake)'
In Tijuana, Ballet del Noroeste de Mexico in collaboration with Escuela de Danza Gloria Campobello will present a performance of "Suite Lago de los Cisnes," or "Swan Lake," Tchaikovsky's classic, family-friendly and romantic ballet about courage and magic. The performance will be held at the city's beautiful cultural hub, Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT).
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 | CECUT, Paseo de los Héroes 9350, Zona Urbana Río Tijuana, México | 400 Mexican pesos (approx. $23) | MORE INFO
For more arts events and ongoing happenings, visit our community calendar.
