Artist Studio And Garden Tour
On May 10-11, The San Dieguito Art Guild presents its annual Mother’s Day Weekend Art Studio and Garden Tour. Off Track Gallery will offer extended hours, and a self-guided tour will feature five homes from Del Mar to Encinitas (many award-winners for their gardens or design), as well as Trish Kydd’s Secret Garden. Each home will feature several artists and will offer refreshments, and some will also have entertainment. The art will all be for sale and will include paintings, prints, ceramics, sculpture, glass, textiles, and jewelry._The San Dieguito Art Guild has been a community organization since 1964. Tickets are $20, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a San Pasqual Academy. (760/942-3636, www.offtrackgallery.com) — Jane Shiomi

Imagine
Almost three decades after his death, John Lennon’s dream of world peace is yet to be realized, but a new exhibition of Lennon’s artwork takes its name from 1971’s "Imagine," Lennon’s famous utopia-yearning anthem. Imagine All The People..., May 16-18 at Flower Hill Promenade, features a number of previously unseen Lennon drawings. More than 120 serigraphs will be on display, along with song lyrics and a complete portfolio of Lennon’s 15 "Bag One" lithographs, all signed by the beloved Beatle. One of the only other places to see this collection in its entirety is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Lennon’s whimsical line drawings are poignant and wise, and together with his unforgettable lyrics, give a time-capsule view of who he was. This exhibition, which runs for three days only, is produced by the Pacific Edge Gallery with the cooperation of Yoko Ono and the John Lennon estate. (www.flowerhill.com)
— AnnaMaria Stephens

A Little Night Music
Run to Cygnet Theatre in Old Town to see the current production of A Little Night Music, as it closes May 11. How such a young theatre company with limited resources has produced this astonishingly solid piece of work is a wonderful mystery. Cygnet certainly has a respected track record in its short history, but the Stephen Sondheim music and lyrics of Night Music are unusually challenging. Sondheim, of course, gave us scores for Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the lyrics for West Side Story and Follies. In short, his stuff isn’t easy to do, and most artists should never try. A Little Night Music features absolutely gorgeous melodies and oh-so hauntingly clever lyrics. Following the closing of Night Music, the newly acquired Old Town venue will be renovated by Cygnet. The target date for completion of the makeover is November. Then, Cygnet will begin to produce alternate productions between its current Rolando space and the Old Town Theatre. (619/337-1525, www.cygnettheatre.com) — Darlene G. Davies, photo by Randy Rovang

Humphrey’s Summer Hits
There are new and returning artists in the lineup at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, which officially begins its 27th season on Friday, May 9, with a performance by Kathy Griffin. We count an addition 48 scheduled acts, most for one performance, but several for two evenings. Returning favorites include Boz Scaggs, Lyle Lovett, and The Beach Boys. There is also comedy on the edge via George Carlin, as well newer artists, such as Feist and Erykah Badu. In addition to Griffin, there are three more shows in the month of May: Joe Jackson on May 11, Jesse Cook on May 15, and Craig Ferguson on May 30. (619-220-TIXS, www.humphreysconcerts.com) — Darlene G. Davies

Mainly Mozart 2008
From June 10-22, the Mainly Mozart festival takes the stage as resident ensemble of the beautifully restored Balboa Theatre. That gorgeous building, which blends Mediterranean, Moorish, and Spanish Revival styles, will come alive with the June 10 inaugural concert, which will offer all five Beethoven piano concertos in one evening. In addition to the work of Mozart, of course, ensuing performances will feature music by such diverse composers as Ravel, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Weber. Music lovers will find much to admire in this performance feast. After all, this is one of the nation’s largest Mozart festivals, and the only bi-national one. The former movie palace boasts preserved decoration, including two fully functional waterfalls to the sides of the elegant stage. No doubt about it, Mainly Mozart has found a perfect home for its extraordinary music. (619/239-0100, www.mainlymozart.org) — Darlene G. Davies

Culture Calendar

May

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. In addition to presenting their work, the artists will also be demonstrating in various media. Admission is free. (www.carlsbadinnart.blogspot.com)

Thru 5/4: Matrix II
Austrian-born artist Erwin Redl’s room-size installation, Matrix II, is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s La Jolla location. The work uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to create a complete sensory experience, offering viewers a space that seems to multiply and recede in all directions, as if the walls were mirrored. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

Thru 5/5: Photography At The Poles
Intriguing images of the Arctic and Antarctic by leading National Geographic photographers will be on view at The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Photography at the Poles will explore the spectacular landscapes, the mass breeding grounds of King Penguins, and the abundant wildlife found in the coldest, most remote areas of the Earth. Works by past and present National Geographic photographers Kim Heacox, Ralph Lee Hopkins, Frans Lanting, Paul Nicklen, and Art Wolfe will be on display. Travelers to the poles, including Bill Atkinson, David Cothran, Richard Daniels, Abe Ordover and others, will also show imagery. (858/720-1121, www.ordovergallery.com)

Thru 5/11: Mornings at Seven
North Coast Repertory Theatre presents a heart-warming, funny, and emotionally satisfying play that was first produced on Broadway in 1939. In 1980 the play won a Tony Award and in 2002, more than half a centry later, won again. It deals with ramifications within the family when two of four sisters begin questioning their lives and decide to change a few things before it’s too late. (858/481-2155, www.northcoastrep.org)

Thru 5/16: Jewish Women: A Lifetime of Art
This exhibition presents four mavens of the San Diego Jewish community, all accomplished artists, matriarchs and community leaders, who have enhanced our community with their extensive collections of work and lifetime of experience in the world of art. Additionally, a special photographic exhibit, Light Years, by Jeffrey Roth, will be on display in the Galleria. The Gotthelf Art Gallery, part of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. (www.sdcjc.lfjcc.org)

Thru 5/18: The Face of Rajasthan And Hidden Death Valley
The Ordover Gallery in Solana Beach presents its first show of fine art photography by Lou Montrose, who will exhibit works from his portfolio entitled The Face of Rajasthan. Located in India’s northwest desert, Rajasthan is a collection of autonomous feudal princely states with a strong caste system and warrior ethic. Hidden Death Valley, a show of new work by John D. Clark, will also be on view. While Clark usually creates imagery of dramatic landscapes in the large format tradition, with this body of work he turns his lens toward the details and patterns found in Death Valley. (858/720-1121, www.ordoverproject.com)

Thru 5/18: The Voysey Inheritance
Lamb’s Players Theatre presents David Mamet’s adaptation of the Granville-Barker classic is an engrossing and eloquent blend of suspenseful drama and morality tale. (619/437-6050, www.lambsplayers.org)

Thru 5/18: The Glass Menagerie
The Old Globe’s "Classics Up Close" series continues with the play that established Tennessee Williams as one of the most riveting voices in the American theatre. Amanda Wingfield, played by two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Mare Winningham, reminisces about a tranquil Southern childhood and fights to provide a better life for her grown children Tom and Laura, while they struggle for a future that seems unlikely to fulfill their mother’s hopes and dreams. But a change in fortune suddenly seems possible with the arrival of the long-hoped-for "gentleman caller." (619/23-GLOBE, www.theoldglobe.org)

Thru 5/18: Rhythms Of India: The Art Of Nandalal Bose (1882-1966)
The San Diego Museum of Art has organized the first comprehensive traveling exhibition outside of Asia to survey the expansive repertoire of Nandalal Bose, the father of modern art in India. The exhibition features close to 100 of Bose’s finest paintings, which are executed in a variety of styles and media and reveal how Bose contributed to the success of India’s non-violent struggle for independence from colonial rule through his close association with Mahatma Gandhi. (619/232-7931, www.sdmart.org)

Thru 5/23: The Art Of Photography Show 2008
The Art of Photography Show 2008 is an international exhibition of photographic art taking place at the elegant Lyceum Theatre Gallery downtown. (858/793-0900, www.artofphotographyshow.com)

Thru 5/31: The Beauty Of Use — Mingei International Museum At 30
In commemoration of the museum’s 30th anniversary year, this exhibition features significant objects from many cultures shown in relationships that highlight similarities and differences among them. They have been chosen by Bonnie Roche, the museum’s director of exhibitions, and museum director Rob Sidner, this show’s co-curator. During three decades of collecting — mainly donations from hundreds of generous friends and some purchases in recent years, Mingei International Museum has formed a collection of art that now comprises 17,000 objects from 141 countries. (619/239-0003, www.mingei.org)

Thru 5/31: Dressing A City: Selected Styles From Marston’s Department Store, 1878-1961
San Diego Historical Society’s Museum of San Diego History will honor Marston’s by showcasing numerous costume pieces from its costume and textile collection. (619/232-6203, www.sandiegohistory.org)

6/3 — Solana Beach Reads, One-Book, One-City Event
The second event in the month-long schedule of programs to promote the One Book, One City event is the preview showing of local Rancho Sante Fe director, Glenn Palmedo-Smith’s movie “The Hungry Woman” (La Mujer Hambrienta) on June 3rd, in the Library at 6.30pm. The film explores similar issues and themes as the book chosen by the Solana Beach Reads project, “The Devil’s Highway” by Luis Urrea. wwwfriendsofthesolanabeachlibrary.org)

Thru 6/8: Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love
UCLA’s Hammer Museum offers the first comprehensive presentation on the West Coast of this remarkable African American artist’s career. The show originiated at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and has traveled to the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. 310/443-7000, www.hammer.ucla.edu)

Thru 6/15: A Day In Pompeii
The San Diego Natural History Museum transports visitors back 2,000 years in time to experience life and death in the ancient Roman Empire. A Day in Pompeii will reveal daily life in a city steeped in legend and mystery. After being forgotten for nearly 1,700 years, Pompeii was accidentally rediscovered by well-digging shepherds in 1748. Since then, its excavation has yielded extraordinary artifacts — from the rarest of art objects to the most common trinkets of daily use — and provided a comprehensive portrait of the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

Thru 6/30: Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes
Maya Lin presents a trip of large-scale sculptural installations that offer a different means for viewers to encounter and comprehend the landscape. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego downtown. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

Thru 9/7: Artful Armadillos
Mingei is currently featuring more than 50 armor-plated, burrowing mammals — members of the native American family Dasypodidae. Primarily small figures that come from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Suriname, Mexico, and the U.S., the armadillos are fashioned from materials that were easily available to their makers — many of whom were anonymous. Wood, clay, gourd, horn, coconut, metal, seashells, pine cones, straw and toothpicks form the animals’ bodies, while paint or glaze and, in one case, a felt pen decorate these charming creatures. Also on view are a handsome print portraying an almost abstract armadillo and a once-living, now-stuffed armadillo. (619/239-0003, www.mingei.org)

Thru 9/30: Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s IMAX Dome Theater’s newest offering presents an exhilarating river-rafting adventure down the Colorado River with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and anthropologist Wade Davis on a criticial mission of water conservation and river restoration. Narrated by Robert Redford and featuring music by the Dave Matthews Band, this film combines science, adventure, and natural beauty to deliver an uplifting message of hope and inspiration. (619/238-1233, www.rhfleet.org)

Thru 11/30: People, Posters, And Politics: China 1955-1999
This special exhibition features the work of the distinguished Chinese artist and scholar Yang Xianrang from Shandong Province. Yang implements the Chinese art of woodblock printing to create compelling portraits, landscapes, depictions of cultural activities, and political posters. His versatile style and broad aesthetic will inspire Museum visitors and provide them cultural perspective on China, the host country of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Kids can create and display their own woodblock art for all museum guests to see and to enjoy. (619/239-2001, www.museumofman.org)

5/1-6/30: Darlene Katz Exhibition
Carlsbad artist Darlene Katz works in a style that incorporates flavors of impressionism and realism. Her oil paintings are vividly colored and call to mind aspects of the work of some artists she admires: Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Vincent Van Gogh, and Edward Hopper. The show is sponsored by the Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild and is on view at the Rancho Santa Fe Library. (858/759-3545)

5/2: Michael Bublé
Fresh off winning a Grammy Award for Call Me Mr. Irresponsible, Bublé comes to San Diego as part of his third major concert tour in the U.S. Bublé’s new CD, which he calls "my remark on the state of love," contains a depth of feeling that will surprise and delight long-term fans and impress those new to his music. Cox Arena. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

5/3: Belinda Gail & Curly Musgrave
Gail and Musgrave come together to sing classic country and western at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. This is a Wine & Song performance hosted by Stone Brewery. Patrons are invited to enjoy a complimentary beer tasting starting at 7pm. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

5/3-4: La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Performance
Music Director Steven Schick conducts the orchestra in two symphonies from Prague. Mozart wrote his Symphony No. 38 (The Prague) as a salute to the city that had welcomed him so warmly. A century later in that same city, Antonin Dvorak wrote one of his finest works, the dark and dramatic Symphony No. 7. The program begins with John Luther Adams’ environmentally inspired Dark Waves. Adams will be attending the concert. Pre-concert lecture one hour prior to concert times. Mandeville Auditorium at UCSD. (858/534-4637, www.lajollasymphony.com)

5/4: Say Goodnight Gracie
This production is a touching, fun-filled trip through the life, laughter, and love of George Burns and Gracie Allen brought to life by impersonator Don McArt. California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

5/6-7/5: Art Expressions
The public is also welcome to attend a reception on May 15 from 5-7pm at the Rancho Santa Fe Gallery.(858/759-3545, www.ranchosantafeartguild.org)

5/8: Lynch
Cinephiles have often pondered what dark forces might be at work in the mind of artist-filmmaker David Lynch. The documentary, directed by a filmmaker who goes by the pseudonym blackANDwhite, offers an insider’s perspective of the creative process of the maverick filmmaker behind such films as Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man. Shot during the making of Lynch’s recent experimental film, Inland Empire, the 90-minute-long Lynch shows viewers just how eccentric, beautifully original, and uncompromising this filmmaker can be on his surreal home turf of a movie set. MCASD La Jolla. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

5/8: The San Diego Symphony
Performs Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy, and Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

5/9-6/1: Soulos...Green
Eveoke Dance Theatre presents a dance theatre performance conceived and choreographed by Eveoke’s emerging choreographic artists, Ericka Aisha Moore and Yvonne Hernandez at the Tenth Avenue Theatre downtown. (619/238-1153, www.eveoke.org)

5/10-7/9: Todd Carpenter: Black-And-White Paintings And Color Photographs
Four Walls presents its third solo exhibition of Todd Carpenter’s work, featuring new black-and-white oil paintings and color photographs selected from his recent Los Angeles "scenery" series, which reveal the artist’s facility with capturing the subtly evocative properties of light. (619/501-0879, www.4wallsgallery.com)

5/11-11/2: Aerial Portraits Of The American West: Photographs By John Shelton
The San Diego Natural History Museum presents a black-and-white photography exhibition, a retrospective of Shelton’s work, that marks the first time works by the well-known geologist will be exhibited for the public. Shelton is the author of Geology Illustrated, considered by many scientists and professors one of the best geology reference books available. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

5/15: El Mariachi
The Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) celebrates a belated Cinco de Mayo with a screening of El Mariachi (1971). A tale of mistaken identity, this film is the first chapter in his Mariachi Trilogy. Guests can choose to watch the flick either from a seat in MoPA’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater or in the museum’s David C. Copley Atrium, where it is projected along the wall. (619/238 7559, www.mopa.org)

5/16-18: San Diego Museum Of Man’s 25th Annual Indian Fair And Market
This event features local, national, and international Native American artists who participate in juried competition and present their art for sale to the visiting public. Beautiful craftsmanship, entertainment, food, and activities for kids add to the fun. Museum exhibitions will be open to the public with tours available throughout the weekend. (619/239-2001, www.museumofman.org)

5/17-8/3: Enraptured: Works By Mitch Dobrowner
The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum is pleased to announce an exhibition featuring otherworldly images of the Earth’s landscape, from infrared images of luminescent foliage to rockscapes beneath furious skies. A free opening reception will be held on May 17 from 11am-1pm and is open to the public. (619/232-3821, www.sdnhm.org)

5/18: The Kingston Trio
California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

5/22-6/29: Simple Pleasures, Recent Journeys, And Garden Tales; And A Passion for Birds
The Ordover Gallery presents show of three new bodies of work by Donna Cosentino, as well as Sharon Anthony’s photographic series, A Passion for Birds. (858/720-1121, www.ordoverproject.com)

5/26: The Police With Elvis Costello And The Imposters
Coors Amphitheatre. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

5/31-6/1: The Wedding Singer
The musical comedy based on the hit movie comes to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. (800/988-4253, www.artcenter.org)

6/3: The Cure
Cox Arena. (619/220-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com)

6/12: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 science-fiction classic is a cinematic head-trip, launching viewers from the dawn of man to humanity’s future in the stars. Take the ultimate trip to the far corners of our galaxy where astronauts take a vast leap into the unknown for a close encounter with the cosmic riddle that is the enigmatic black monolith._MCASD La Jolla. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

6/7-7/12: Earth Songs
Dutch-American artist Luc Leestemaker returns to Madison Gallery with an exhibition of work that evokes a surreal sense of familiarity and comfort. The exhibition will feature a selection of new landscapes as well as a number of abstract works from the recent Voyager and Dreams series. Leestemaker’s paintings are exhibited throughout the world, increasingly becoming a part of major corporate and private collections. In addition, his collaboration with Hollywood’s film industry has led to a number of film and television projects including "Spiderman," "Bringing Down the House," "Erin Brockovich," "Simone," "Shopgirl," "American Dreamz", and more. Leestemaker will be present at the opening reception on June 7, from 7-10pm to greet collectors, talk about his work, and sign copies of his latest book, published by Skylark Press. (858/459-0836, www.madisongalleries.com)

6/13-9/7: Beyond Reasonable Drought: Water And Culture In A Changing Climate
This exhibition explores the long-term interaction of culture and climate, focusing on human adaptation and water from prehistoric to present times. It also accentuates the ways people manage water and politics locally and globally. The museum’s own collections will demonstrate the importance of water in the Southwest, the effects of changing ocean temperatures among the Chumash of the Channel Islands, and local water shortages and adaptive responses of indigenous San Diegans. San Diego Museum of Man. (619/239-2001, www.museumofman.org)

6/26: Planet Of The Apes
Revisit director Franklin J. Schaffner’s still-startling 1968 screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel of the same name, complete with talking apes and bewildered human astronauts trying to survive. The film still makes the audience’s collective pulse race with its Oscar-winning, special make-up effects; stunning action sequences; thought-provoking, social commentary on the human condition; and of course, Charlton Heston’s immortal line, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!" MCASD La Jolla. (858/454-3541, www.mcasd.org)

8/12-17: A Chorus Line
Broadway San Diego presents a winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical and the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. Mature language and themes. Civic Theatre. (619/564-3000, www.broadwaysd.com)

8/15-31: Spring Awakening
Starting as a workshop reading at La Jolla Playhouse and going on to win eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play and features an original score by Grammy-nominated recording star Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. It is a story of uncontrollable emotions and undeniable passions, of first love and lasting regrets. But most remarkably, it is a musical that answers the questions teenagers have been asking forever. Note: Brutally honest and ultimately optimistic, this show contains explicit language, brief nudity, scenes of sadism, sex, and suicide. Presented by Broadway San Diego at Civic Theatre. (619/564-3000, www.broadwaysd.com)

9/23-28: The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is a new musical comedy swooping in to town with tons of laughs and the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway. San Diegan Casey Nicholaw (Tony-nominated for Drowsy and Spamalot) directed and choreographed, with costumes by San Diego’s Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes. (619/564-3000, www.broadwaysd.com)