MUSEUM FUN GUIDE | SEPTEMBER 2022 - San Diego Museum Council

San Diego’s endless summer stretches across September bringing with it a host of new exhibitions and events. Check out our September Fun Guide for great ideas throughout San Diego.

Men Seldom Make Passes by Alexis Smith, 1985.

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
Alexis Smith Opens Sept. 15

La Jolla

Humor and social commentary collide in Alexis Smith: The American Way, the first retrospective of the California artist in 30 years. The exhibition of mixed-media collages opens Sept. 15 at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego at its beautifully renovated and expanded La Jolla location. Be the first to see the show while supporting the museum’s programs with tickets to The Gala @ MCASD on Sept. 10.

The Long Canal by Alfred Sisley, 1884. (Bemberg Foundation).

San Diego Museum of Art
Monet to Matisse Extended

Balboa Park

Missed the original run? You now have a second chance to view Monet to Matisse through Oct. 10 featuring extraordinary impressionist masterpieces at the San Diego Museum of Art. While there, don’t miss the newly opened Picasso: Drawings & Print featuring 20 works from the museum’s permanent collection and TERRA by Chilean ceramic sculptor Fernando Casasempere closing Sept. 5.

Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) North
New Season Celebration

Encinitas

ICA San Diego launches its new season Limitless Growth, Limited World on Friday, Sept. 9 with a free community celebration (RSVP here). Meet new Artist in Residence Yaw Owusu whose first San Diego solo show A Penny, for What It’s Worth opens Sept. 9 and Los Angeles-based artist Caroline Caycedo whose newly opened show Aesthetics of Commodity runs through Oct. 30, both at ICA San Diego / North. The new season explores human values, what we consume, and its impact on the environment and culture.

The New Children’s Museum
Breathing Room Reopens Sept. 10

Downtown

Breathing Room, a sensory friendly installation by Oceanside’s Michelle Montjoy, reopens Sept. 10 at The New Children’s Museum with the completion of its second phase. Shown here are the original calming blue, grey and white sculptures made of repurposed T-shirts gently moving to replicate breathing cycles. Newly added are Hugs, oversized stuffed sweater forms with arms, and Pods, knitted forms kids can climb into.

SanDiego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Automotive Museum

Balboa Park

The San Diego Model Rail Road Museum and the San Diego Automotive Museum are proud to celebrate, honor and thank the first responders who serve and support our community. For First Responder’s Month, in recognition of their service, both Balboa Park museums are offering FREE ADMISSION to First Responders all September long. The Railroad Museum is offering free admission to the First Responder and three guest and the Automotive Museum is offering free admission to the First Responder and four guest. Call for more details.

The Tijuana Estuary offers free visits to elementary, middle and high school groups.

Tijuana River Estuary
Explorers Paradise

Imperial Beach

Experience Southern California’s largest coastal wetland, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Visitor Center is a good place to map out your adventure with a guided nature walk, a free talk, or a hike along the various trails.

Teacher’s Note: Registration is now open for Tijuana Estuary Explorers teacher training for grades 3, 4 and 5 (required to bring students to programs). Virtual classes are open on Sept. 12 and 13 and in-person classes on Sept. 16. Email here by Sept. 8 to register.

Terminal Mirage 5 by David Maisel, 2003.

Museum of Photographic Arts
Friedman Closes Sept. 11

Balboa Park

Only a few days remain to see Legacy: Larry Friedman Collection at Museum of Photographic Arts. The museum also hosts the LGBTQ Film Festival Film Out San Diego on Sept. 9 to 11, and a film screening of Courage sponsored by the USS Midway Museum on Sept. 18.

San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts
Say Their Names Memorial Exhibition

New York City

San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts‘ landmark exhibition honoring those lost to racial injustice will make its New York City debut on Saturday, Sept. 17. The inaugural “Say Their Names Memorial Exhibition” will be on view for one month in the historic Seneca Village area that had been one of the largest African American settlements in the country prior to being dismantled in 1857 to make way for Central Park. Last July, the memorial made its San Diego debut at The New Children’s Museum park.

San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild
2022 Fall Membership Exhibition

Balboa Park, Spanish Village

You can catch the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild Fall Membership Exhibition live at Gallery 21 at Spanish Village from Sept. 13 through 26. You may also view the online gallery virtually throughout September here. Plus you can meet some of the artist for the gallery reception on Sunday, September 18 from 2-4 p.m.

Mingei International Museum
San Diego Design Week 2022

Balboa Park

Starting Sept. 21, the 3rd annual San Diego Design Week 2022 (SDDW) kicks off across the San Diego/Tijuana region. Presented by Mingei International Museum, San Diego Design Week brings together designers, performers, chefs, and other creatives from across San Diego-Tijuana to celebrate design in all forms. Browse the program selections and get tickets here.

Vanguard Culture
MASH UP: A Creative Industry Symposium

Barrio Logan

San Diego is on the verge of an arts renaissance unlike anything we’ve seen. With a recent designation as World Design Capital 2024, the San Diego / Tijuana region in particular is poised to showcase our creative industry workforce to a world audience in 2024.

Join Vanguard Culture, business and industry leaders from film, theatre, fashion, music, dance, opera, spoken word, and more for a 2-day experiential conference (Sept. 22 & 23) that challenges creative professionals to consider their collective power to change the future of their sector. Find out more and register here.

Marston House Museum & Gardens
Folk, Country & Blues on the Lawn

Balboa Park

Joyful, end-of-summer music returns to the Marston House Museum and Gardens. The historic rose garden is a beautiful setting for the round-robin style outdoor concerts of Americana, folk, country and blues showcasing some of San Diego’s most celebrated singer-songwriters. Concerts are set for Sept. 2, 16 and 30. Get your tickets here .

Kaleidoscope XVII Caribbean Blues by Paula Nadelstern.

Visions Museum of Textile Art
Symmetry & Surprise

Arts District Liberty Station

The kaleidoscope has been artist Paula Nadelstern’s inspiration for more than 35 years. See her intricate fine art quilts, now on display at Visions Museum of Textile Arts at Arts District Liberty Station. And register here now for the Sept. 7, ‘A Change of He(art)’ Textile Talk-Zoom webinar with San Diego artists Charlotte Bird and MartyO.

Whaley House Museum
After Hours Paranormal Investigation

Old Town

Explore the grim history of the legendary Whaley House Museum after hours with this brand new “After Hours Paranormal Investigation.” Recognized as America’s Most Haunted House and shrouded in mystery, ghost-hunters flock to the iconic Whaley House, grounds of the original Old Town gallows site. With the help of experienced guides you’ll attempt to find evidence of ghosts and other supernatural beings in this all-new after-hours, chilling paranormal investigation. You’ll have exclusive access to the very rooms where the Whaleys lived and died, not accessible to the general public tours. Find out more here.

San Diego History Museum
Raise Your Glass

Balboa Park

Cheers! Taste San Diego: Craft Community and Culture now open at the San Diego History Center. Learn and experience San Diego’s craft beer history, along with tastings from Little Miss Brewing. The Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Tasting experience with exhibition admission is $10.00 (ages 21+ only).

USS Midway Museum
Birthday and 1st Annual Multi-Cultural Celebration

San Diego Bay Front

Come aboard the USS Midway Museum for a FREE community gathering of music, dance, birthday cake, history and more on Saturday, September 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Enjoy the sights and sounds of local multicultural music and traditional dances on the flight deck of the Midway as we come together to celebrate 77 years of naval history and San Diego’s diverse culture aboard America’s Living Symbol of Freedom. Find out more here.

K9 Unit display from the newly renovated San Diego Police Museum.

San Diego Police Museum
Newly Renovated

College Area

Calling all cars….head on over to the newly renovated San Diego Police Museum. Experience a wonderful collection of artifacts dating from the late 1800s to the present. Vintage photos, badges, uniforms, clothing, police equipment, journals, letters, books and literally anything & everything related to law enforcement in San Diego. Plus all September, First Responder’s get in Free. The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m

California Center for the Arts Museum, Escondido
Street Legacy Extended to October 2

Escondido

Curated by Bobby Ruiz and Dr. G. Jim Daichendt, Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters features artworks from the diverse subcultures of Southern California, including lowrider, surf, skate, tattoo, and graffiti cultures. This exhibition puts street art in the galleries, highlighting some of the best-known street artists in SoCal. Get tickets and info here.

Gabriel Metsu, A Girl Receiving a Letter, c. 1658

Timken Museum of Art
Exchanging Words: Women and Letters

Balboa Park

Plan now to experience the upcoming exhibition at the Timken Museum of Art, Exchanging Words: Women and Letters in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting. Women and letters feature prominently in Dutch genre paintings from the second half of the seventeenth century. Captivating images show women reading, writing, and receiving letters, often in the company of books, and exchanging ideas with present or absent companions. Such scenes emphasize women’s engagement with the written word and demonstrate a remarkable interest in representing their intellectual lives. Plus you can register here for their next online lecture Making it “Modern”: Representing Women and Letters in Dutch Genre Painting to get aquatinted with the artists, period and the subject prior to the exhibit.

Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
Into the Archives

Gaslamp Quarter

Grab your friends and visit the newest exhibit “Into The Archives” at the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House in downtown San Diego. Their collections are made up of thousands of items relating to Gaslamp Quarter and the historic Davis-Horton house history from 1850 to modern day. Explore rarely seen photographs, documents, objects and special interest items. The exhibit will be on display until December 2022 and is included with your museum admission! Find out more about the exhibit and their guided Gaslamp Walking Tours here.

Centro Cultural de la Raza
Teo(tl)ría Xicana

Balboa Park

Explore the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park for the all-new solo exhibit, Teo(tl)ria Xicana, featuring the work of artist Celia Herrera Rodriguez and curated by Maria Esther Fernandez. Teo(tl)ría Xicana is a conversation about finding the way home that the Indigenous identified Xicana[x]s have held over the last half century. It is an engagement with remembering ancestral knowledges, relationships with the Peoples and guardians of the places where they move and live, and the Spirits that respond to collective prayers. Centro is open Friday, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. The exhibit runs through October 15. Also don’t miss the next Tianguis de la Raza on Sunday, Sept. 18 from noon to 5 p.m. Enjoy a full day of fun for the entire family that includes kids activities, crafts, workshops, food, music and more.

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Work on a Train

Campo

Ever dream about working on a train? Here’s your chance as Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo offers two-day, hands-on training classes for new volunteer brakemen on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 25. Get more information here. There will also be a general volunteer orientation on Sept. 19. Email Volunteer@psrm.org to attend. And get your tickets now for the Pumpkin Express! Come ride decorated vintage railcars through the San Diego county mountains as fall descends upon Campo, CA. Walk through Halloween themed displays, a pumpkin patch, and meet the creepy cast of ghosts and ghouls. Info and tickets can be found here.

Bonita Museum & Cultural Center
Bonitafest and New Native Narratives

Bonita

The annual Bonitafest Twilight Trail Parade takes place on Friday, Sept. 16. The trail parade starts at 6 p.m. from Sunnyside Saddle Club Arena, Rohr Park, and ends at the museum. During this fun local event you will find an opening art reception for New Native Narratives as well as Bonitafest activities at the museum including the always popular popsicles.

Featured artists include the Fernando Pellum Community Arts Center Youth Jazz Band.

WorldBeat Center
John and Alice Coltrane Day

Balboa Park

Save the Date! WorldBeat celebrates John and Alice Coltrane Day on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. with Azar Lawrence on sax and Mariea Antoinette on harp. Following on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m., Mama Charlotte returns as part of the Center’s current Pathways to Freedom exhibition speaking on her experience as a “maroon,” someone who fought and found freedom from racist oppression. Plus check out the Vegan Soul OneWorldBeat Café (open Friday – Sunday at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) featuring international dishes like African coconut peanut curry, a jerk rasta burger, and Costa Chica chile, plus fresh-pressed juices and more. Find out more here.

La Jolla Historical Society
The Smallest Show on Earth: Paper Theaters Explored

La Jolla

The La Jolla Historical Society is proud to present The Smallest Show on Earth: Paper Theaters Explored, which celebrates the long history and recent creative innovations in this unique art form. Paper theatres, also known as toy theatres, originated to promote productions in Victorian Era London.

Celebrate the opening of the Smallest Show on Earth: Paper Theaters Explored at the opening night reception on Sept. 26 from 6 – 8 p.m. Find tickets and more info here.

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum
KPBS Kids Event: Dino Train

Escondido

Take a trip back in time at the San Diego Children’s’ Discovery Museum in Escondido! Discover the age of the dinosaurs and the amazing creatures who lived with them with Dino Train on Sept 16 at 10 a.m. Participate in a socially-distanced photo opportunity*, special crafts, and storytime. This event is free with Museum Admission. Find out more here.

Living Coast Discovery Center
Coastal Cleanup Day

Chula Vista

Join the Living Coast and I Love a Clean San Diego for a clean-up at D-Street in Chula Vista on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9-11 a.m. Help beautify and remove litter from our parks and waterways to support local wildlife. Since 2015, they’ve removed 30 tons of waste and were awarded the Clean Champions award from the City of Chula Vista. Learn more and sign up now: thelivingcoast.org/team-up-to-clean-up.

SAVE BIG AND PLAY BIG AT SAN DIEGO MUSEUMS WITH KIDS FREE SAN DIEGO THIS OCTOBER!

With 100+ offers and warm weather without the crowds, big fun is in store for kids with savings that parents will love during Kids Free San Diego this October.