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Balboa Park Beat

Understanding San Diego’s Van Gogh
posted on: 10/28/2012 - 2:29pm by mdougherty

Ariel Plotek, Assistant Curator at The San Diego Museum of Art, discusses his research into American Post-Impressionist Artist Charles Reiffel and the San Diego artist experience

Ariel Plotek sits with his cup of coffee on the shaded west side of Giuseppe’s Sculpture Court Cafe. With his fitted linen shirt, mustache, and shades tucked neatly into his collar, you might think he’s fresh out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, or some hip arrondissement of Paris. But like Charles Reiffel, the artist he has been researching for the past two years, Plotek came to San Diego to make his mark in a community that’s far from the more concentrated artist circles in New York and Europe.

“There are certain things that are more easily done when you are out of the center than when you are in it,” Plotek says. He studied in London and earned his Ph.D. from New York’s Institute of Fine Arts before moving to California.

“Having lived in New York, there’s a sort of myopia that sets it and it’s actually very provincial to be focused on one’s own place. Maybe being aware of where you are is a healthier state of affairs than to believe that the world revolves around you and your scene. I don’t think anyone in San Diego really believes that -- and that’s alright.”

As Plotek talks, I wish that Reiffel were here to offer his perspective on San Diego’s art community as it was 80 years ago, when he was one of the region’s most acclaimed visual artists. A leader of...Read The Rest
Throw your holiday party in Balboa Park
posted on: 10/11/2012 - 4:18pm by mdougherty

I know I know, it's not even Halloween yet, but hey, we've been working on December Nights since the summer! With the holiday season approaching, it seems worth mentioning that there are beautiful venues in Balboa Park for corporate holiday parties and other special events. Following are a few of the chic locations you can find at the park's museums.

The San Diego Natural History Museum has multiple venues for seated dinners, presentations, and cocktail parties. TheNAT's Sefton Atrium (pictured below) has a four-story translucent ceiling, a granite floor, and extra space along the second-story mezzanine. It can accommodate up to 700 people for receptions. 

Social media special: Mention “Balboa” when you book your holiday party between now and 11/02 and receive 10% off. Call 619-255-0316.

SDNHM

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center hosts parties throughout its galleries and in the 314-seat IMAX dome theatre. The first floor of the main gallery holds up to 1,000 people; guests have access to three fun exhibit galleries. Outdoor space is also available next to the Bea Evenson Fountain in front of the Fleet.

...Read The Rest
Chuao chef talks chocolate in advance of theNAT’s decadent exhibition
posted on: 10/10/2012 - 3:51pm by mdougherty

Michael of ChuaoYou wouldn’t know we’re feet away from rocks and fossils as the sweet smell of chocolate wafts through the south lobby of the San Diego Natural History Museum. It’s like Valentine’s Day at a sorority house. Your mom’s oven the day before a cookie exchange. Not a museum.

As exhibit designers adjust the displays within theNAT’s newest exhibition, “Chocolate,” I spot a man in chef’s attire. It’s Michael Antonorsi, co-founder and chef of San Diego-based Chuao Chocolatier.

After we spend a few minutes meandering through displays about chocolate history and traditions, we sit on two bonbon-shaped ottomans to discuss the cacao of Venezuela (absolutely perfect), his entrepreneurial journey (he’s still loving every minute), and Chuao’s upscale Halloween treats that can be found at the doorstep of some San Diego homes (50-calorie mini-bars infused with flavors like chipotle and sea salt).

Originally from Venezuela, Chef Michael majored in bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, and worked in telecommunications for 14 years before enrolling in cooking school in Paris to pursue his culinary dreams. In 2002 he and his brother Richard...Read The Rest
"Flight of the Butterflies" IMAX opens at the Fleet
posted on: 10/07/2012 - 1:29pm by mdougherty

The newest IMAX film at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, “Flight of the Butterflies,” takes audiences into remote, mountaintop sanctuaries in Mexico that serve as winter havens for millions of Monarch butterflies. The migration of the butterflies from these forested mountains to Eastern Canada and back is one of nature’s great mysteries—a journey of more than 2,000 miles that UNESCO calls “the most dramatic manifestation of the phenomenon of insect migration.” 

Monarchs

The documentary focuses largely on the beauty and wonder of butterflies while weaving in the story of Dr. Fred Urquhart, a man obsessed with Monarchs who enlisted thousands of volunteers to tag hundreds of thousands of butterflies to track their migration route. This project ultimately helped Dr. Urquhart and his team to discover, in 1975, that millions of butterflies migrate annually to the state of Michoacán in Central Mexico.

Prior to the film’s opening at the Fleet, I met up with Bill Toone, a San Diego man whose passion for butterflies parallels that of Dr. Urquhart. A conservation biologist who previously served as director of applied conservation programs for the San Diego...Read The Rest
Balboa Park Top Dog Hits the Waves
posted on: 10/02/2012 - 1:25pm by mdougherty

Cats may rule the internet but dogs rule the surf.

This summer, we carried out the annual Balboa Park Top Dog photo contest. San Diegans entered dozens of gorgeous photos of corgis, retrievers, pugs, and other pups posing in the park to win big prizes such as a luxury surf vacation at Loews Coronado Bay Resort.

This year’s Top Dog Jedi clearly enjoyed his San Diego staycation with his family: Kristyn, Matt, and Korra.

Jedi Top Dog

Jedi, our favorite model/surfer

Jedi Top Dog

The adventurous life of a Top Dog

Jedi Top Dog

A four-legged Kelly Slater

Jedi Top Dog

Top Dog autograph

Jedi Top Dog

Vacations are...Read The Rest
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