Balboa Park Beat

Featured Venue: San Diego History Center

posted on: 05/23/2013 - 2:51pm by ksingh

The San Diego History Center offers two historic museums, the Junipero Serra Museum and the San Diego History Center Museum, to host your next private event. Space is available for a plethora of different events, including weddings, social or corporate events, and birthdays.

The San Diego History Center (shown above): Photograph Courtesy of The San Diego History Center

The Junipero Serra Museum (shown above): Photograph Courtesy of The San Diego History Center

The Junipero Serra Museum is located...Read The Rest

POP Thursdays Return to MOPA

posted on: 05/21/2013 - 9:44am by ksingh

Want to have a chance to travel back in time and relive the first days of MOPA? Now you can! To help celebrate its 30^th anniversary, the Museum of Photographic Arts is hosting a 1983-themed POP Thursday event on May 23^rd, 2013!

In correlation to the original 1983 “Push Pin Party”, the public is encouraged to bring in their own pictures to hang on MOPA’s walls. This is a rare opportunity for photographers of all levels to have their photographs hung on the walls of an internationally renowned photography museum.

MOPA is also including a Mobile Photography Challenge as part of the event. Users of Instagram and Eyeem have sent in images, tagging them with the hash-tag “#MOPA30”. The submissions reflect the theme, “What does 30 mean to you?” In turn, thirty of these images, selected by MOPA’s assistant curator, will hang on the walls during the event. The MOPA galleries will also showcase one piece of artwork from each of MOPA’s thirty years.

The event will also feature a screening of a film from 1983. But which movie? The choice has been narrowed down to the following three movies: Valley Girls, The Outsiders, and Risky Business. The decision has been based off of popular choice. If you are a ‘80s film buff, take a look...Read The Rest

Preview: Summer Events 2013

posted on: 05/14/2013 - 1:02pm by ksingh

The Twilight in the Park Summer Concert Series is one of the most popular summertime events in Balboa Park. The concerts will take place every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6:15-7:15pm from June 18 till August 29^th. They are free to the public and take place right at the heart of Balboa Park at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Below are just some of various concerts to look forward to this summer.

June 18: Bi-National Mambo Orchestra – Latin Big Band

June 25: Stars on the Water–Tropical Rock ‘n’ Roll

July 2: Mariachi Chula Vista – Traditional Mexican music

July 16: Screamin' Primas - Louis Prima tribute band

July 23: San Diego Youth Symphony – Balboa Park’s own resident youth symphony

See the entire listing of concerts coming up starting June 18.

In addition to these free concerts at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, there is an International Summer Organ Festival and a Summer Shakespeare Festival.

The International Summer Organ Festival features ten performances every Monday night at 7:30 pm starting June 25^th. The festival features a variety...Read The Rest

The San Diego Museum of Art Displays Young Art

posted on: 05/12/2013 - 1:18pm by ksingh

Discover student artwork from local San Diego County schools in The San Diego Museum of Art’s biennial exhibition, Young Art 2013: The Story of Me. Dive into the minds of local San Diego youth as they explore their personal identity through artwork. The exhibit features 200 pieces of artwork from students in grades K-12^th, ranging from photographs, paintings, and even items of clothing As you walk through the exhibit, you can see large numbers next to each piece that tell you which grade each artist is in. You can also see which school each student attends.

While you enjoy and stimulate your visual senses, grab your smartphone or borrow an iPod from the front desk to listen to the audio tour presented by the artists. The audio tour features 17 students describing their individual pieces of artwork and how each piece was made.

In addition to the featured artwork from students, pieces of modern art from professional artists like Beverly McIver make appearances throughout the exhibit. Professional artists, like McIver, examine their own personal stories and tell deep stories about their own inherent struggles with identity.

The exhibition is available now through May 26, 2013, at The San Diego Museum of Art! See more...Read The Rest

Around the World in Four Hours

posted on: 05/06/2013 - 3:10pm by LCanilao

Guest post from a Balboa Park visitor, Haley Clemons:

You don’t need a passport to travel the world. In one afternoon, I learned that Denmark invented Legos, mythical trolls can be found in Norway’s forests and Austrian hot chocolate is indisputably the best. With no luggage in hand and no ticket in my pocket, my voyage began on the outskirts of Ukraine. It wasn’t long before I waved goodbye, and the aroma of Irish cream and coffee beckoned me forward. Luckily, the Emerald Isle was only a few steps away.

The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, nestled within Balboa Park, is a four-hour adventure that leads participants through 32 different nations and ethnicities by way of atmosphere, food and genuine artifacts. The rich history of each country comes to life as visitors flock from cottage to cottage, experiencing the atmosphere and diet of locals from each land. Every Sunday between noon-4 p.m., the cottages open their doors in the name of “goodwill and understanding” and “peaceful coexistence.”

...Read The Rest