Sound Design
Audiophiles will feel pangs of jealousy when they first behold Simon Lange, a unique by-appointment music boutique in Solana Beach. The space — created by Stephen Simon (a furniture designer and recreational musician) and his wife, Rose (an interior designer), — showcases music-related furniture and accessories that blend seamlessly into the modern home. A walnut display cabinet holds colorful electric guitars in drawers that slide out for easy viewing — stack some books on top and it looks like a streamlined credenza. Sculptural mounted wall hooks are head turning even without the guitars they’re designed to hold. For the enthusiast ready to create a dream in-home studio, Simon Lange offers custom design services. Everyone else can covet the selection of books, gadgets, and gear. The space is available for private parties, and is also open to the public most Saturday afternoons and during Solana Beach’s Third Thursday event in the Cedros District. (858/345-1396, www.simonlange.com)
— AnnaMaria Stephens, photo by Vincent Knakal

Eveoke And The Environment
When it comes to going green, every little bit counts. But then there are those who put their whole hearts into it — "Save the Earth" is their life, not a bumper sticker on their hybrid. Dedicated environmental activism inspires Rise — The California Earth Project, a new documentary dance from San Diego’s Eveoke Dance Theatre. Created and choreographed by artistic director Gina Angelique, Rise chronicles and lauds the accomplishments of 14 California activists — all but three of who are women. Rise takes a multimedia approach, using interviews, radio samples, and videotaped footage as a backdrop to live dance set to music selections such as Philip Glass’ Metamorphoses/Piano Solos and Fred Frith’s Rivers and Tides. Some of the crises addressed in the performance include water pollution in Imperial Beach, logging in the Sequoias, air pollution in Long Beach, and other pressing environmental issues in the Golden State. Rise runs from August 10-26 at Centro Cultural de la Raza. (619/238-1153, www.eveoke.org)
— AnnaMaria Stephens

Island Images
Experience the beauty and tranquility of the Hawaiian Islands through the impressionistic interpretation of Daryl Millard. After recent trips to Hawaii to paint Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island, Millard will release a total of ten new originals of the islands. These original paintings sell quickly as Millard can only paint so many a year, but the Daryl Millard gallery also offers high quality giclée copies. The giclées facilitate the truest color and texture reproduction. These prints are limited edition and appear almost identical to the originals for one-fifth the price. Millard will also release original Hawaiian floral paintings. The gallery will be open late for Cedros’ Third Thursdays each month. (858/847-9030, www.darylmillard.com)
— Rina Van Orden

Art Official Intelligence
The downtown Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Jacobs Building will feature an exhibition by internationally known artist Harold Cohen, who first caught the attention of the art world in the 1960s when his work was shown at Venice Biennale, the Carnegie International, and many other prestigious venues. Deeply interested in the area of artificial intelligence, he is probably best known for AARON, the first computer program in human history to paint original art. This ongoing research project was the brainchild of Cohen when he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1973. Since then, many San Diegans have had the distinct pleasure of visiting Cohen’s studio at CRCA Center for Research in Computing and the Arts at the University of California San Diego, where Cohen served as director for many years. There, art enthusiasts keenly watched AARON at work. Even when AARON was in earlier stages of evolution, the visual creations by the computer were fascinating, with their vivid colors and distinctive shapes. The endeavor seemed laborious, pioneering, and completely relevant to the times, raising important questions about the nature of art, as well as who or what qualifies as a creative artist. Cohen’s research has progressed, AARON has continually changed palettes and compositions, and output has been prolific, by now numbering many thousands of drawings and paintings. At MCASD, viewers will see the latest computer drawings, as well as several colored large-scale prints and digital projections. The exhibition will remain at MCASD until September 23. (619/234-1001, www.mcasd.org)
— Darlene G. Davies

Get Crafty
From mid-September until the end of October, Hands On Cedros, the Gallery of Functional Art, will feature the talents and works of the Crafts Program at Palomar College in San Marcos. The exhibition will showcase ceramics, glass, and jewelry created by both students and instructors. "We’re very fortunate to have such a rich heritage of crafts skills in the San Diego area, as well as such a wide variety of current master artisans," says David Goldfarb, co-owner of Hands On Cedros. "San Diegans should know more about this resource, take advantage of it, and support the great people who teach there." Along with other galleries in Cedros Design District, Hands On Cedros will be open until 8:30pm for Third Thursday Gallery Nights on September 20 and October 18. Many of the featured artists will be available to discuss their work. (858/847-9827, www.handsoncedros.com) — Rina Van Orden

Culture Calendar

August

Ongoing: Juried Fine Art Show
The Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League (COAL) presents a juried fine art show by COAL members every Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting) on the lawn in front of the Carlsbad Inn. The show runs from 9am-4pm. (www.carlsbadinnart.blogspot.com)

Thru 8/12: Rashomon
By Fay and Michael Kanin and playing at North Coast Repertory Theatre. (858/481-2155, www.northcoastrep.org)

Thru 8/19: Hay Fever
In Noel Coward’s delightful comedy, each member of the eccentric Bliss family invites a guest to their country home, unbeknownst to each other. As the unwitting visitors arrive in hopes of a romantic weekend, the stage is set for comedy and chaos. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

Thru 8/19: The Deception
Theatre de la Jeune Lune brings their incomparable wit to the perils of courtships in this deliciously nasty game of love, sex and power. La Jolla Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. (858/550-1010, www.lajollaplayhouse.org)

Thru 8/31: Chip Hooper: New Zealand’s South Pacific And Tasman Sea
Joseph Bellows Gallery presents an exhibition of work from Hooper’s most recent series, New Zealand’s South Pacific and Tasman Sea. (858/456-5620, www.josephbellows.com)

Thru 8/31: Virginia Beahan: Cuba Now
Joseph Bellows Gallery presents an exhibition of photographs by Virginia Beahan. The exhibition will feature photographs from Beahan’s series on the social and political landscape of Cuba. (858/456-5620, www.josephbellows.com)

Thru 9/2: Vik Muniz: Reflex
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla presents works by Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, who utilizes an astonishing variety of often ephemeral materials including dirt, sugar, wire, string, chocolate syrup, peanut butter, dust, ketchup, plastic toys, and even diamonds to reproduce recognizable images and turn them alien. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

Thru 9/10: Bodies...The Exhibition
This exhibition presents a fascinating look at human anatomy through preserved body specimens. Using a technology called plastination, scientists can dissect and display bodies and organs in innovative ways. Westfield UTC. (877/BODIES5, www.bodiestheexhibition.com)

Thru 9/9: Harry Callahan: The Photographer At Work
The Museum of Photographic Arts presents an exhibition of photographs and rare archival materials by master 20th century photographer Harry Callahan. The exhibition features approximately 120 photographs along with the artist’s working materials drawn from Callahan’s archive at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ. (619/238-7559, www.mopa.org)

Thru 9/30: Hamlet
Shakespeare’s great tragedy has fascinated and enthralled audiences for nearly 400 years, but remains as relevant and urgent as ever. The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

Thru 9/23: Cerca Series: Peter Simensky
New York artist Peter Simensky utilizes a strategy of appropriation that blurs the distinction between fiction and reality, art and commerce, to both participate in and critique the current overheated art market. MCASD downtown. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

Thru 9/30: Measure For Measure
Truth and hypocrisy, chastity and lust, justice and compassion collide in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

Thru 9/30: The Two Gentlemen Of Verona
Shakespeare’s early comedy about headstrong young love is an adventure with surprising twists and engaging characters, including a resourceful heroine in disguise, an irreverent servant, and one of the most famous supporting canines in theater history. The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

Thru 10/4: Dinosaurs Alive!
The entire age of dinosaurs comes to life at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. Narrated by Michael Douglas, Dinosaurs Alive! features spectacular digital animation and a live-action story that joins leading paleontologists in the field as they uncover new fossils — including the remarkable discovery of what may be the oldest dinosaur ever found in North America. (619/238-1233, www.rhfleet.org)

Thru 1/1/08: Contemporary Israeli Photography
The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum presents this exhibit to accompany the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Photos showcase the faces of Israel’s founding leaders, children in Torah class, ancient Israeli architecture, and religious rituals. Sculpture and glass will also be shown. In addition, an opening reception will be held on July 14. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

Thru 1/31/08: Journey To The Copper Age: Archaeology In The Holy Land
At the San Diego Museum of Man, this exhibit features 6,000-year-old objects from the Israel Museum and stunning photography by Kenneth Garrett. (619/239-2001, www.museumofman.org)

8/2-9/9: Southern Hemispheres And Sandscapes
The Ordover Gallery in Solana Beach presents its first exhibition of Lisa Ross’ fine art photography. Tom O. Scott, also featured, will unveil new images from his Sandscape series. (858/720-1121, www.ordoverproject.com)

8/3-26: SummerFest 2007: Bach, Beethoven...and Beyond
SummerFest 2007 features over 70 world-class artists and ensembles performing a total of 16 concerts. (858/459-3724, www.lajollamusicsociety.org)

8/3-9/14: Duende
Local painter Julia San Roman presents a solo exhibition of her work at Galerie D’Art International in Solana Beach. On opening reception takes place on August 3 from 6-9pm. (858/793-0316, www.galerieartint.com)

8/4-9/9: Bell, Book And Candle
In John Van Druten’s comedy, Gillian Holroyd, a bonafide witch, falls for publisher Sheperd Henderson. Gillian casts a spell on him, obliging him to dump his fiancée and rush to her side. But witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love, which leads to a number of hilarious difficulties. The Old Globe’s Cassius Carter Centre Stage. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

8/5: Tom Scott
Quail Botanical Gardens presents Tom Scott, whose accomplishments include three Grammys and countless appearances on records by such diverse artists as Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand. An optional dinner is also offered prior to the concert. (760/436-3036, ext. 206, www.qbgardens.org)

8/5: The Corvettes At Moonlight Beach
The City of Encinitas Parks and Recreation Department presents its twelfth annual Summer Sunday Concerts by the Sea at Moonlight Beach from 3-5pm. Admission is free. Alcohol, glass, and dogs are prohibited. (760/633-2740, www.encinitasrecreg.com)

8/11-9/6: Nature
Sharp Gallery presents an exhibit featuring fine art that is inspired by nature and/or made from nature (619/546-9546, www.sharpgallery.net)

8/11-9/9: Back, Forward, And Everyday
An exhibition of new encaustic paintings by Nanette Newbry, exploring a contemporary view of life experiences. An opening reception with the artist will take place on August 11 from 6-9pm, N. Newbry Gallery in Carlsbad. (760/729-8205)

8/11-10/6: Innocent Discoveries
Distinction Artist Studios and Gallery presents an exhibition featuring the artwork of Ahren Hertel, Kelly Haigh, Michael Brown, Sarah Joncas, Jen Lobo, and Kendra Binney. An opening wine reception with live music will take place on Saturday, August 11, from 7-11pm. (760/781-5779, www.distinctionart.com)

8/12: Summer Pops On The Green
The San Diego Chamber Orchestra, led by Jung-Ho Pak, presents a summer evening concert including selections from Broadway blockbusters pop songs from the past, and well loved patriotic classics. California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

8/15-16: Raul Malo
Anthology supper club in Little Italy. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

8/18: Common Sense With B-Foundation
The Belly Up. (858/481-8140, www.bellyup.com)

8/18: Group Exhibition At Madison
Gallery — James Verbicky, Christopher Schulz, And Malott And Rae Madison Gallery in La Jolla presents works by four talented California artists. (858/459-0836, www.madisongalleries.com)

8/18: Los Lonely Boys With Toots And The Maytals
Viejas Concerts in the Park. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

8/19: Crossroads At Moonlight Beach
The City of Encinitas Parks and Recreation Department presents its twelfth annual Summer Sunday Concerts by the Sea at Moonlight Beach from 3-5pm. Admission is free. Alcohol, glass, and dogs are prohibited. (760/633-2740, www.encinitasrecreg.com)

8/19: Brian Lynch
Quail Botanical Gardens presents a summer concert featuring Brian Lynch, who won a Grammy in 2006 for Best Latin Jazz Album. Lynch has played with Buddy Montgomery, Charles McPherson, the Horace Silver Quintet, Art Blakey, and the Jazz Messengers and with the Phil Woods Quintet. In addition to his jazz and Latin music activities, Lynch has also recorded and performed with such pop music luminaries as Maxwell and Prince. (760/436-3036, ext 206, www.qbgardens.org)

8/23: Macy Gray With The Brand New Heavies
The pop star brings her vocal stylings to 4th & B downtown. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)