Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Join the free public opening of our newest special exhibition, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. Enjoy free admission, a double feature screening, and more! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g-DGCxXM. No reservations are required for Free Third Thursday admission. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 is the first exhibition to survey themes of illness and impairment in American art from the 1960s up to the COVID-19 era. Inhabiting seven galleries at MCASD, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 is accompanied by a rotating program of film and video. A lavishly illustrated publication published by Marquand Books and distributed by the University of Texas Press will be available for purchase. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 is among more than 60 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: 𝘈𝘳𝘵 & 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. #pstart Want an early preview of 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦? Become an MCASD Member today and get an invitation to Members’ Preview. [Joey Terrill, 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭-𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵, 2000. Courtesy of Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art.]

Sept 7: Join us at “Currents” — the annual benefit gala for The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. This year, the evening promises to reach new heights with a captivating performance by acclaimed singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter. Set against the shimmering waves of La Jolla, this night will be truly unforgettable. As the sun sets, enjoy craft cocktails and a seaside dinner curated by Chef Tim Kolanko of Urban Kitchen Group, all while Donavon’s soulful melodies provide the perfect soundtrack. Celebrate contemporary art, artists, and their profound impact on our region—the current that connects us all. Get tickets now at mcasd.org/gala 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 For nearly four decades Donavon Frankenreiter has been traveling the globe, first as a professional surfer and now as a musician. Born in Southern California, Donavon spent most of his youth chasing waves, turning pro at the age of 16. These days instead of surf competitions, it’s concert halls that bring Frankenreiter to town, where he entertains audiences with his unique blend of laid-back grooves, philosophical lyrics and soulful delivery. You can find him touring the world with his three-piece band and still catching waves anytime he can. Photography: Courtesy of Donavon Frankenreiter

MCASD Members: Join us on Thursday, August 29 to celebrate the six new pieces in MCASD’s Collection, acquired during 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 2024. From 5 – 7PM, hear from the David Copley Director and CEO Kathryn Kanjo and 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 artists Tidawhitney Lek and Sandy Rodriguez as we welcome these works into MCASD’s collection. Each year, Director's Circle Members gather for a vote to acquire new work from a selection of notable contemporary artists, and this year, for the first time ever, our Director's Circle raised additional funds that allowed the Museum to purchase all six pieces! RSVP for free today: https://lnkd.in/eG2arYWR [Tidawhitney Lek, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 2023. Shizu Saldamando, 𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮, 2020. Photography: Stacy Keck]

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 and its accompanying film program gather work by an intergenerational group of over 80 artists from across the continental U.S. to spotlight relationships between art practices, social movements, and medical events of the past and present. Key areas of focus include: *the sickbed as a studio *humor as a tactic for coping with illness *the Black Panthers and community health *work by artist-veterans of the Vietnam War *the overlapping epidemics of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and substance use disorders *the Americans with Disabilities Act and its aftermath *and artists’ support systems, past and present. Join us at the free public opening on Free Third Thursday, September 19 from 11AM – 8PM! 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 is organized as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide, an initiative of the Getty Foundation. [James Luna, 𝘈𝘈 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨/ 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 1990-91.]

September 19: This Free Third Thursday, join us for 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦/𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦, a double feature screening of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 (𝘉𝘋𝘗) (2024) by Liza Sylvestre and Christopher Jones, created in collaboration with Dr. Sarah Hayden of Voices in the Gallery, and 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 (2015) by Moyra Davey. We encourage to come early to grab refreshments from The Kitchen before entering the Museum. No RSVP required. Entry will be first come first serve. 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 (2024) is an audio description and captioning project that engages Derek Jarman's 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 (1993) via expanded and critical accessibility. The 𝘉𝘋𝘗 iteration features creative captions and audio description that have been sourced from numerous contributors. It attempts to convey, express, engage, respond, evoke, articulate, replicate, translate, transmogrify, channel, and transcend what Blue is/was/could be. 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 Moyra Davey's new 28-minute video is a lyrical film essay that interweaves various biographies-including those of Derek Jarman, poet Anne Sexton, writer Jorge Luis Borges, and the artist herself-to explore blindness, color, and identity. [Christopher Robert Jones, Liza Sylvestre, Sarah Hayden, Still from 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 2024. Courtesy of the artists. Moyra Davey, Still from 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦, 2015. Courtesy the artist, greengrassi, London; Galer ie Buchholz, Berlin/Cologne/New York. © Moyra Davey. ]

This Friday from 10AM – 12:30PM, delve into the many facets of portraiture with our community of lifelong learners at our new series of 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. From August 23 to October 25, we will examine the compositional and storytelling qualities of portraits and their power to communicate a message. Join with a friend today: https://lnkd.in/gvrHmWRu No prior art experience is required. Transporation will be provided if required. Registration grants access to all workshops (8 days). Reflections is designed for adults 55+ and is generously supported by E.A. Micelson Philanthropy. [Photography: Daniel Lang]

The Gala at MCASD, our annual fundraising benefit, returns on September 7 from 6 – 11PM! Guests will begin their night with cocktails and fine hors d'oeuvres, leading into a seaside dinner curated by Chef Tim Kolanko of Urban Kitchen Group. The night will come alive with an electrifying performance by singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter, complemented by vibrant live entertainment and dancing. Celebrate contemporary art, artists, and their impact on our community-the current that runs through us all. Get your ticket today: https://lnkd.in/g_7H5Apv [Photography: 1: Courtesy of Donavon Frankenreiter 2, 3, 4: Alan Nakkash 4: Stacy Keck]

Now serving Brunch, Lunch, AND Dinner at The Kitchen @ MCASD! Explore menus and flavors drawing from the Mediterranean. What we eat in a day in between gallery visits: *baby gem lettuce salad + zhoug cucumber + cherry tomato + shaved radish + herb feta vinaigrette *hamachi crudo + citrus + olive + toasted pistachio + saffron marinated fennel Discover the art of dining: https://lnkd.in/gbyfQXF6 [Photography: Guillermo Lopez]

Our next special exhibition 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘵, 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 opens next month on September 19. The exhibition highlights how sick and disabled artists of the 20th and 21st century find alliances, foregrounding relations of mutual dependence and practices of care, and investigates how illness and impairment — long confined to the private realm — have found increasing public presence in art from the 1960s forward. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 features a variety of works, including: *Intimate pictures made by artists in states of convalescence; *Video and photography works suited to agitation, archiving, and memorializing; *Major sculptures and installations; *Instruction-based “scores”; and *A rotating film program. Save the date today for our free public opening on Free Third Thursday, September 19 from 11AM – 8PM! [Howardena Pindell, 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺: 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 (𝘚𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦), 1986-1987.]

Tomorrow is Free Third Thursday! Join us in the galleries and at our upcoming programs: *Members’ Social Hour, August 15 from 5:30 – 7PM MCASD Members: We have reached capacity for complimentary drinks, but refreshments will still be available for purchase. All Members at Social Hour can also skip the Jazz Night entry line! *Jazz Night, Thursday, August 15 at 6PM Join us for a live jazz show with Future is Color Studio Sessions, featuring RIVA. A selection of burgers, fries, chicken fingers, cheese boxes, and other to-go snacks, as well as coffee and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, will be available for purchase from The Kitchen at the Strauss Plaza bar. Stay in the loop for all our programs by subscribing to our newsletter and clicking the events tab in our bio. [Photography: Courtesy of Future is Color.]