Best Of San Diego 2012 Arts

Balboa Park’s 2015 Centennial Celebration

The nation’s largest urban cultural park is home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens, and the San Diego Zoo. Balboa Park boasts an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes — all within a timeless setting. Planning is currently underway for the centennial celebration of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition. In retrospect, the original event in 1915 could be considered a “world’s fair,” due to its scope and lasting heritage. While the primary venue of that event was the fledgling Balboa Park, the overriding theme was a celebration of progress, prosperity, and opportunity as represented by the completion and opening of the Panama Canal and the location of San Diego as the first U.S. port-of-call for northbound maritime trade. The milestone celebration in 2015 presents an opportunity for the state, nation, and perhaps even the world, to focus on San Diego.   MIA STEFANKO

Congratulations to this year’s Readers’ Choice Best of San Diego winners!

Best Theatrical Production:
Wicked, returns to S.D. Civic Theatre in June  888.804.3618, wickedthemusical.com

Best Musical Arts Organization:
San Diego Opera  619.533.7000, sdopera.com

Best Dance Organization:
San Diego Ballet  619.294.7378, sandiegoballet.org

Best Live Music Venue:
Belly Up  858.481.8140, bellyup.com

Best Local Band:
The Peter Pupping Band  760.943.0755, peterpuppingband.com

Best Museum Exhibition:
San Diego Natural History Museum’s All That Glitters, on view through April 8  619.232.3821, sdnhm.org

Best Art Gallery:
Aaron Chang Ocean Art  858.345.1880, aaronchangoceanart.com

Best Local Artist:
S.W. Gillen  858.688.2695, artbyswgillen.com