San Diego Art Directory

San Diego Art Directory The San Diego Art Directory is your window to the arts and culture of San Diego County.

Jill Marie Holslin Lecture: Unsettling the Archive: Reweaving the Stories We Inherit May 23, 11:00am – 12:00pm2825 Dewe...
05/07/2026

Jill Marie Holslin Lecture: Unsettling the Archive: Reweaving the Stories We Inherit

May 23, 11:00am – 12:00pm
2825 Dewey Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92106

Artist Jill Marie Holslin discusses Unsettled Artifacts, a project that interlaces family photographs, land deeds, and plat maps from her grandfather’s archive with her own images of native plants from Dakota and Ojibwe lands. Through layered compositions made with photographic paper, transparent film, and mylar, Holslin explores how past and present converge. At a time shaped by climate change and renewed appeals to mythic national narratives, she invites audiences to reconsider inherited stories of land, history, and belonging, and to imagine new ways of listening to the histories the land holds. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Dayz on the Mic – A Music & Poetry Open Mic May 17, 11:00am – 2:00pmDeCorazon Coffee Bar4310 McClintock St , San Diego...
05/07/2026

Dayz on the Mic – A Music & Poetry Open Mic

May 17, 11:00am – 2:00pm
DeCorazon Coffee Bar
4310 McClintock St , San Diego, CA 92105

Join us at DeCorazon Coffee Bar for a vibrant open mic celebrating music, poetry, and community. Sign-ups begin at 10:30am, with performances open to all ages and all genres. Enjoy delicious drinks from DeCorazon, food by Guisados y Tacos El Jarocho, adult beverages (21+ with ID), and a variety of artists and clothing vendors. Bring your creativity, good energy, and friends for a welcoming space to share or simply enjoy the vibe.

Tote Bag Painting – Paint and Sip May 16, 4:00 - 6:00pm8220 Merge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92129Paint a beautiful canvas t...
05/07/2026

Tote Bag Painting – Paint and Sip

May 16, 4:00 - 6:00pm
8220 Merge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92129

Paint a beautiful canvas tote while enjoying wine or coffee at Castelli and Pizzaro Family Cafe and Wine Bar at Merge. Your first drink is included!

https://na2.hubs.ly/H05m8pX0

Purpose May 12 – June 7, 2026Mandell Weiss Theatre2910 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92093The most awarded play...
05/07/2026

Purpose

May 12 – June 7, 2026
Mandell Weiss Theatre
2910 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92093

The most awarded play of 2025 arrives at the Playhouse, fresh from winning the Tony Award for Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Drama Desk Award. Purpose follows the influential Jasper family of Chicago, longstanding figures in Black American politics, as the return of the youngest son forces decades of secrets and tensions to the surface. Featuring vivid language, sharp humor, and sweeping historical insight, this West Coast premiere is directed by celebrated San Diego director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.

Abstracts May 9 – June 5, 2026Grand Avenue, Downtown Escondido, CA 92025An exhibition of abstract art in all mediums, w...
05/07/2026

Abstracts

May 9 – June 5, 2026
Grand Avenue, Downtown Escondido, CA 92025

An exhibition of abstract art in all mediums, where artists delve into the inner workings of the mind through a visual language of shape, form, texture, and color. Juried by Carlos Castrejon, Visual Artist and Art Director of Woodward Contemporary.

The Life – Ler Chang May 4 – June 7, 2026Reception: May 15, 7:00 - 9:00pmBrokers Building Art Gallery525 C Street, Suit...
05/07/2026

The Life – Ler Chang

May 4 – June 7, 2026
Reception: May 15, 7:00 - 9:00pm
Brokers Building Art Gallery
525 C Street, Suite 2, San Diego, CA 92101

Brokers Building Art Gallery presents The Life, a new exhibition by San Diego‑based surrealist painter Ler Chang, celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Featuring oil paintings, color pencil works, and resin sculptures, the exhibition explores human relationships with nature and other species through layered, thought‑provoking imagery. Chang’s perspective as an immigrant informs a body of work that reflects on belonging, coexistence, and the quiet tensions that shape life across cultures and environments. Visitors are invited to experience interconnected themes of life, death, care, and the bonds between humans and animals.

San Diego French Film Festival May 3–7The Lot7611 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037The 6th San Diego French Film Festival,...
05/06/2026

San Diego French Film Festival

May 3–7
The Lot
7611 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037

The 6th San Diego French Film Festival, presented by Alliance Française San Diego, returns to La Jolla with a special focus on women’s voices and stories from across the Francophone world. This year’s program features French‑language films from Canada, Cameroon, Tunisia, France, and the United States, all screened with English subtitles.

Internationally acclaimed actor, director, and screenwriter Julie Delpy joins as Patron of the sixth edition. She will present her latest film, Meet the Barbarians (Les Barbares), on May 4, followed by a live Q&A. Additional filmmakers and guests include Erige Sehiri, Nathan Ambrosioni, André Nerman, producer Marianne Maddalena, music director Victor le Masne, and actor Caroline Amiguet.

The festival opens May 3 with Colors of Time (La Venue de l’avenir) by Cédric Klapisch, followed by a gala reception. Screenings throughout the week explore themes of love, resilience, identity, and motherhood, culminating with the closing film Welcome to Iceland (Bienvenue en Islande) on May 7.

Orchids in the Wild Spring Exhibition at San Diego Botanic Garden May 2 – June 1, 2026San Diego Botanic Garden Welcome ...
05/06/2026

Orchids in the Wild Spring Exhibition at San Diego Botanic Garden

May 2 – June 1, 2026
San Diego Botanic Garden Welcome Center
300 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024

Back for its sixth year, San Diego Botanic Garden’s spring orchid exhibition returns with a refreshed theme: Orchids in the Wild. The 8,000‑square‑foot Dickinson Family Education Conservatory transforms into mossy understories, tropical canopies, and other immersive environments showcasing hundreds of striking specimens, locally bred hybrids, and rare species. Discover dramatic blooms and learn the stories behind their discovery, growth, and cultivation.

Displays include orchids from the Garden’s collection, private growers from the San Diego County Orchid Society and the Palomar Orchid Society, and contributions from local businesses. Throughout the exhibition, enjoy special orchid classes, workshops, and plant sales with local vendors on select weekends.

Whether you’re an orchid enthusiast or simply drawn to nature’s diversity, Orchids in the Wild invites you to explore these extraordinary plants as they appear in their natural environments.

https://na2.hubs.ly/H05jgcm0

Art Exhibition Sophie Ancel Voyages Feutrés – Opening April 27 - June 26Opening Reception: April 29, 6:00pm6390 Greenwi...
05/06/2026

Art Exhibition Sophie Ancel Voyages Feutrés – Opening

April 27 - June 26
Opening Reception: April 29, 6:00pm
6390 Greenwich Drive, San Diego, CA 92122

Join us for the opening reception of Sophie Ancel’s solo exhibition Voyages Feutrés (Felted Voyages), featuring an artist talk and light refreshments. The exhibition, on view from April 27 to June 26, highlights Ancel’s felted wool works exploring journeys, belonging, displacement, untouched landscapes, and our relationship to the Earth’s resources. Ancel, a French and American fiber artist based in San Diego, has exhibited in both the U.S. and France, with select works available at the San Diego Museum of Art’s gift store.

MFA Exhibition Reception April 27 – May 22, 2026Opening Reception: May 7, 4:00 - 7:00pmArt North, Avenue of the Arts550...
05/06/2026

MFA Exhibition Reception

April 27 – May 22, 2026
Opening Reception: May 7, 4:00 - 7:00pm
Art North, Avenue of the Arts
5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182

Join us for a reception celebrating the culmination of each artist’s MFA journey at SDSU. Explore thesis presentations from five graduating artists working across ceramics, graphic design, jewelry and metalwork, painting, and printmaking. Mix, mingle, and experience the work of Carolina Danu, Benjamin Darby, Sarah Garcia, Maryam Kashani, and Soori McEachern.

First Friday La Jolla Art Walk May 1, June 5 and July 3 from 4:00 - 7:00pmThumbprint Gallery920 Kline St. #104, La Jol...
05/06/2026

First Friday La Jolla Art Walk

May 1, June 5 and July 3 from 4:00 - 7:00pm
Thumbprint Gallery
920 Kline St. #104, La Jolla, CA 92037

Experience La Jolla’s monthly self‑guided art walk, featuring free parking, free museum admission, and a vibrant evening exploring galleries, studios, and creative spaces throughout the village. Enjoy complimentary bites, drinks, and a rotating monthly theme as you discover new artwork ranging from sculpture and photography to painting and culinary creations. Thumbprint Gallery will host the opening reception for their newest exhibition, and maps for all participating locations will be available there.

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