ARTS + CULTURE
Church of Sound RADY SHELL
Perch to Crush Popcorn ROOFTOP CINEMA CLUB Movie lovers bask under the stars with a breathtaking view of the city and San Diego Bay—rows and rows of cushioned adirondack chairs, headphones to solve the problem of outdoor sound systems, and big, silly, indulgent flicks like Top Gun , Magic Mike , and The Greatest Showman . rooftopcinemaclub.com
Up-and-Coming Art House OYA ART GALLERY & BOUTIQUE
Rookie of the year, for sure. The city’s $98 million al fresco answer to the Hollywood Bowl or Sydney Opera House is one of the planet’s premier outdoor music experiences. A view of the downtown skyline. Gentle, bay breeze. Even better is the inclusiveness: public park by day and pay-nothing seats along the edges. Anyone else think it also kinda looks like a Dyson fan? (A compliment.) theshell.org
Controlling the narrative is exactly what Kim Phillips-Pea and Raquel Rhone have done for the last several years as the Southeast Art Team. The Black-focused art gallery located on Commercial St. features fine art, portraits, prints, and jewelry created by Black artists. Their work extends into the streets, adding murals to walls that need some art.
Rebirth of Art Cool MCASD LA JOLLA
Hand-wringing has a history of looking silly in the rearview. And hands were nearly dislocated in the wringing over the $105 million, four-year remodel of MCASD La Jolla. The result? A world-class reorientation toward the sea, doubling the size of the museum and quadrupling the exhibition space (which now has room for a permanent collection). mcasd.org Long Wait Worth It THE HOLDING COMPANY Shortly after OB’s three-story music venue/restaurant/bar opened, the world shut down. Now that venues are open again, the stage is finally living its heyday, hauling in bigger acts like Buckcherry, Mickey Avalon, and Too Short. Looks like we’ve got the next beachside music venue. theholdingcompany.com
Bookstore as Art Form LANG BOOKS
Homegrown Theater Program LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE The big news this year was the return of La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW Festival— when global artists take over the city streets. It marked the return to regular programming for our own Broadway factory. The second half of its 2022 season features Shakespeare’s As You Like It , co-directed by LJP’s Tony- winning artistic director Christopher Ashley, and the world premiere of The Outsiders . Stay on cue, Ponyboy. lajollaplayhouse.org
National Festival, Local Roots WONDERFRONT
Daniel Lang has never lived outside San Diego, but thumbing through the pages of hardcover art books, quarterly glossies, and more-than-DIY zines, you’d think he was a seasoned ex-pat. Lang always has brand-new imports, like Japan’s Brain Zine , or a well-curated trove of used tomes. If you miss buying Purple magazine at Paras News in North Park, this shop’s for you. lang-books.com
Massive music festivals are often national-company pursuits. But this November, San Diego native and longtime promoter Ernie Hahn brings 80-plus bands (Gwen Stefani, Zac Brown Band, Kings of Leon, G - Eazy, Cage the Elephant, etc.) for a three- day music and arts fest that’ll take over the Downtown waterfront and parks. wonderfrontfestival.com
99 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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