Artistic Renovation
Since 1993, the downtown site for the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) has provided an energizing and engaging space in an office complex across the street from the iconic 1915 Santa Fe Depot. With a need for expansion and an opportunity to unite San Diego’s rich architectural past with contemporary art and design, long-term planning was undertaken. The result is the recently completed Richard Gluckman renovation of the Santa Fe Depot baggage building, and a new three-story structure. The imaginative expansion contributes 30,000 square feet of museum space. There will also be new outdoor exhibition locations and an artist-in-residence studio. Artist Robert Irwin will be the first to use the studio as he prepares for a late-2007 downtown MCASD exhibition. With an auditorium for lectures, programs, and films, and space for public programming, educational activities, administrative offices, and multiple galleries, the new facilities, with panoramic views of the city and bay, will beckon art lovers from many regions. The museum has commissioned permanent site-specific works by artists Richard Serra, Jenny Holzer, and Roman de Salvo and new works by Ernesto Neto and Richard Wright, all to commemorate the opening of the expanded downtown campus. January 21 will be a community free day, as the new buildings open to the public from 12-6pm. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)
— Darlene G. Davies

New Directions
On view from January 10-27, the San Diego Watercolor Society’s first exhibit in its new gallery at the NTC Promenade, titled New Directions, is a juried show of approximately 90 experimental artworks using a variety of watermedia, many on non-traditional surfaces. An opening reception will take place on Friday, January 12, from 5-8pm. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11am-3pm. San Diego Watercolor Society is a nonprofit group comprised of professional and amateur artists and admirers of the arts who aim to promote art education as well as a wider appreciation of the medium. (619/338-0502, www.sdws.org) — Jane Shiomi

New Gallery On The Scene
Stella Lucis Gallery has opened in the Cedros Design District, featuring the works of owners and local artists Greg Balogh and John Moseley. Balogh’s energetic paintings are inspired by the effects of light. His longtime love for art is apparent in both his abstract Intention series and his impressionistic plein air work portraying the North County lagoons. Moseley, a creative entrepreneur-turned-artist, has traveled extensively and, while doing so, has spent time outdoors studying the effect of ambient light. His Fieldscape series is intense and energetic, illustrating landscapes from his travels. Both artists can be viewed at work at the gallery. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11am-5pm and Sundays 12-5pm. (858/350-9950) — Kaila Lee

Young Playwrights
On the opening nights of Plays by Young Writers, January 12 and 13, the Old Globe will feature two plays per evening plus readings. Those who know the work of Playwrights Project over the years will attest to the high quality of plays and performances, and to the surprising takes on the world by young minds. Young people don’t readily censor their thoughts, so creativity flows in astonishing ways. The joy of their work is that they haven’t yet learned to not think what they think. This year, there are really terrific directors like George Ye, Ruff Yeager, Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, and the noted playwright Stephen Metcalfe, all with solid theatrical track records. Here’s the lineup: Friday, January 12, the project mounts productions of Elevated, by 15-year-old Ariel Cowell, and Stage Directions, by 17-year-old Thomas Hodges, followed by readings of Rain, Rain, Go Away, by 14-year-old Dana D. Walker, Jr., and Once Upon a Muffin, by Sarah Hsu, Christine Li, and Snow Zhu, ages 11 and 12. Saturday, January 13 showcases Aftermath of Cassidy Joan, by 17-year-old Katherine Quinn, and The Courier, by 18-year-old John Glouchevitch, with a reading of ten-year-old Nachiketa Baru’s The Exploits of Crusher, Mighty Amazonian King. Imagine having a public reading of a play you wrote at ten years of age. These wonderfully talented and brave young writers are our future. (619/239-8222, www.playwrightsproject.com) — Darlene G. Davies

Book ’Em, Diego
Local writers take note — the entry deadline for the 13th annual San Diego Book and Writing Awards is February 3. Award categories include published fiction book, published nonfiction book, published poetry book, unpublished novel, unpublished memoir, unpublished short story, and unpublished poetry chapbook. In addition, the Theodor S. Geisel Award is given to the book chosen as the best published book written by a San Diego County author in the previous calendar year. A monetary prize will be presented at the annual awards ceremony, which will take place in May. All books entered in the published books contest are considered for the Theodor S. Geisel Award. Rules, guidelines, and downloadable entry form are all available on the Web site. (www.sdbookawards.org) — Jane Shiomi

Culture Calendar

January

Ongoing: Ocean Oasis
A fascinating journey into Mexico’s Sea of Cortés and the Baja California desert. Winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the International Wildscreen Film Festival. San Diego Natural History Museum. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

Thru 1/7: Mexico: The Revolution And Beyond- Photographs
By Agustin Victor Casasola, 1900-1940
The Museum of Photographic Arts presents more than 90 sepia-toned images that document daily life during and after the Mexican Revolution. Considered one of the early masters of photojournalism, Casasola captured Mexico’s shift from rural to modern society during the first half of the 1900s.
(619/238-8777, www.mopa.org)

Thru 1/7: Guercino: Stylistic Evolution In Focus
This exhibition explores the dramatic shift in style of 17th century Italian artist Giovanni Francisco Barbieri, called Il Guercino, from a dramatic use of light and color to a more restrained style and softer palette. Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. (619/239-5548, www.timkinmuseum.org)

Thru 1/7: Alison Shaw: Until I Saw The Sea
The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum features the fine-art photography of Shaw, who for 31 years has lived on and photographed Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. Her impressionistic, color oceanscapes capture the solitude and natural beauty of the island. (858/720-1121, www.ordovergallery.com)

Thru 1/14: Home, Hearth & Hand-Crafted
The Front Porch Gallery presents an artisan exhibit and sale featuring works including glass-blown art, ceramics, wood vessels, and jewelry by Lea de Wit, Lloyd Chen, Li Chen, Ed Morris, and Mimi Aloni. (760/795-6120)

Thru 1/14: The Roads Most Traveled: Photographs Of Migration By Don Bartletti
The Museum of Photographic Arts presents an exhibition of more than 90 images by the Pulizter Prize-winning photojournalist from the Los Angeles Times. The exhibit documents the lives of migrant workers during the past 20 years. (619/238-7559, www.mopa.org)

Thru 1/14: Within The Landscape
The Ordover Project presents fine art photographs by Lew Abulafia and Donna Cosentino, which showcase two varying points of view in landscape photography. Abulafia’s color images explore the majestic and sublime found in dramatic light, magnificent form, and grand mountain peaks. Cosentino’s subtle black and white photographs convey the gentle light and grace found in the natural world.
(858/720-1121, www.ordoverproject.com)

Thru 1/29: California Pacific Expo
Celebrate the history of the 1935 exposition that helped bring Balboa Park international fame. San Diego Automotive Museum. (619/231-2886, www.sdautomuseum.org)

Thru 1/31: An Inconvenient Truth
The San Diego Natural History Museum presents an inspirational look former Vice President Al Gore’s crusade to halt global warming’s deadly progress by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

Thru 2/3: 3 Way
Distinction Artist Studios and Gallery presents an exhibition featuring the work of Josh Clay, Josh Taylor, and Caia Koopman. (760/781-5779, www.distinctionart.com)

Thru 2/14: Roving Mars
NASA sent two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to the red planet nearly three years ago. Each one was supposed to last for three months, but have amazed researchers as they continue to explore Mars even today. Narrated by Paul Newman, the touching and inspirational film includes actual footage of Mars taken by the rovers. Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. (619/238-1233, www.rhfleet.org)

Thru 3/31: Guatemala! Celebrations Of Weaving
On view in Evernham Hall at the San Diego Museum of Man, this exhibit showcases textiles made by women of the Mayan villages in Guatemala, and includes examples selected from 30 villages located throughout the country. (619/239-2001, www.museumofman.org)

Thru 4/15: Of Gold And Grass -Nomads Of Kazakhstan
Mingei International Museum presents objects of adornment in elegant, animal forms from gold, bronze, and wood that were fashioned by warriors and merchant caravans more than 2000 years ago, along the Silk Road through what is now Kazakhstan. (619/239-0003, www.mingei.org)

1/1-31: City Heights: Boomtown
The San Diego Archaeological Center presents an interpretive exhibit in the City Heights Branch Library that examines the home site of John B. Rice and his wife, Winnie, residents of East San Diego from 1921 to 1932, offering fascinating new insights into everyday life at the beginning of the 20th century.
(619/641-6100)

1/4: Blues Traveler
House of Blues San Diego. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

1/4-5: Barrington Levy With B-Foundation
See the living reggae legend at The Belly Up. (858/481-8140, www.bellyup.com)

1/5, 8, 9: Poetic Pairs, Great American Poets And Composers
The San Diego Chamber Orchestra presents the magic that happens when poetry and music are wed. Samuel Barber, Kurt Weill, and Aaron Copland were so touched by the poetry of James Agee, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson, respectively, that they were compelled to compose the music they heard in the words. (858/350-0290, www.sdco.org)

1/6-2/10: Postcards From The Edge
Marcos Ramírez, one of the preeminent artists in Baja California, exhibits works that combine photos and text at the Athenaeum. A reception for the artist will take place on January 5, and an A List event, geared toward Generations X and Y, will be held in conjunction with this exhibition on January 25. (858/454-5872, www.ljathenaeum.org)

1/8: Justin Timberlake With Pink
The 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow at iPayOne Center at the Sports Arena. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

1/11: Greg Laswell
The Belly Up. (858/481-8140, www.bellyup.com)

1/12: Incubus With Albert Hammond Jr.
Soma. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

1/12-3/9: Jem Southam Exhibition
The Joseph Bellows Gallery presents the first West Coast solo exhibition of British photographer, Jem Southam, who has been an important figure in British photography for over 25 years. (858/456-5620, www.josephbellows.com)

1/13-2/18: Ace
The Old Globe presents the West Coast premiere of the new musical Ace, with book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker, music by Richard Oberacker, and directed by Stafford Arima. (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

1/13-3/11: Christopher Burkett: Tapestry Of California
This exhibition is the last show in the eight-show series Visions of the Natural World through the Lens of the Masters at The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Burkett will hold a lecture on January 13 at 9:30am; a book signing and opening reception will follow the lecture. (858/720-1121, www.ordovergallery.com)

1/18-2/25: Stephanie Weber And Curtis Ripley Exhibition
Susan Street Fine Art Gallery presents new paintings on aluminum and canvas by Berkeley-based Weber and Los Angeles-based Ripley. An artists’ reception will take place on Thursday, January 18 from 6-9pm in conjunction with Cedros Gallery Night. (858/793-4442, www.susanstreetfineart.com)

1/20-2/28: Crimes Of The Heart
New Village Arts Theatre presents Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama. (760/433-3245, www.newvillagearts.org)

1/20-2/28: Three Sisters
New Village Arts Theatre presents Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece featuring Jessica John, Kristianne Kurner, and Amanda Sitton. (760/433-3245, www.newvillagearts.org)

1/25: Itzhak Perlman
Classical violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman has soloed with every major orchestra in the world. Concert Hall at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

1/26: The Chieftains
Concert Hall at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

1/26-28: Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series Presents Eroica Trio
The Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio will perform Schubert’s Piano Trio in B flat and Piano Trio in E flat on January 26 and 27 at The Neurosciences Institute; Schubert’s Piano Trio in E flat will be performed on January 28 at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. (619/239-0100, ext. 2, www.mainlymozart.org)

1/26-3/11: The Secret Garden
Lamb’s Players Theatre presents a haunting adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic book. (619/437-0600, www.lambsplayers.org)

1/30-31: G. Love And Special Sauce
House of Blues San Diego. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

2/2: The English Beat With Guest
The Belly Up. (858/481-8140, www.bellyup.com)

2/9-11: Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series Presents Three Haydn String Quartets
Performed by Martin Chalifour, violin; Jun-Ching Lin, violin; James Dunham, viola; and Desmond Hoebig, cello; works to include Haydn’s Quartet in E flat, Op. 33, No. 2, "The Joke;" Quartet in C, Op. 20, No. 2; and Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2, "Quinten." February 9 and 10 at The Neurosciences Institute; February 11 at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church. (619/239-0100, ext. 2, www.mainlymozart.org)

2/9-18: La Rondine
Lyric Opera San Diego presents the San Diego premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s La Rondine, the only operetta he ever wrote. Soprano Kathleen Hahn will be joined by tenor Chad Johnson in this star-crossed romance. (619/231-5714, www.lyricoperasandiego.com)

2/20-3/25: The Farnsworth Invention
In a race that will change humanity forever, two men battle for honor, glory, and a place in the history books. Written by The West Wing creator, Aaron Sorkin, this new drama put on by the La Jolla Playhouse uncovers the story behind one of the world’s most powerful inventions: television. (858/550-1010, www.lajollaplayhouse.com)

2/23-25: Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series Presents Andrés Cárdenes And Anton Nel
Violinist Andrés Cárdenes and Pianist Anton Nel will perform Mozart’s Violin Sonata in A, K. 305; Violin Sonata in B flat, K. 378; Violin Sonata in G, K. 301; Violin Sonata in E flat, K. 481; Violin Sonata in B flat, K. 454; and Rondo from "Haffner" Serenade on February 23 and 24 at The Neurosciences Institute. They’ll then perform a slightly shorter program on February 25 at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. (619/239-0100, www.mainlymozart.org)

2/28: Texas Songwriters Show
With Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, And Guy Clark DreamCatcher at Viejas (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

3/1-4/1: Hothouse
Susan Street Fine Art Galley presents paintings and sculptures by Eleanor Miller, Will Robinson, Barbara Rogers, and Nancy Sansom-Reynolds. An artists’ reception will take place on Thursday, March 15 from 6-9pm in conjunction with Cedros Gallery Night. (858/793-4442, www.susanstreetfineart.com)

3/2: Christina Aguilera
ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)