November is all about giving thanks and there is plenty to be thankful for this month in Balboa Park. From opportunities to get your om on to unique holiday shopping to new exhibits on lowriders, insects and reclusive critters, this month should give you plenty of gratitude for San Diego’s cultural heart.
San Diego’s Potters Guild Fall Show
Where: Spanish Village Art Center
When: November 9-10, 2019
Looking for a very potter weekend? Then head over to Spanish Village Art Center for the annual San Diego’s Potters Guild Fall Show. Each potter brings in a load of new work to display and sell in the Spanish Village’s colorful courtyard. The show offers the chance to get to know the guild members and learn more about their work while also getting a jump start on holiday shopping with an array of unique local gifts. The show runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Lowriders: The Art of Low & Slow
Where: San Diego Automotive Museum
When: Throughout November; Opening reception on November 14
Get the lowdown on the lowriders with an exploration of the connections this unique car culture provides. The exhibit looks at the worldwide appeal of lowriders, which have developed communities around the globe from Japan to Indonesia to Sweden to Brazil. Want to enjoy the lowriders with an adult beverage in hand? Then come to the exhibit’s opening reception on Nov. 14 where there will be food, beer and wine, and, of course, lots of low riders.
Cuba
Where: Fleet Science Center
When: Starts November 15, 2019
Experience the powerful story of Cuba at the Fleet Science Center’s IMAX Dome Theater. Filmed exclusively for the giant screen format, Cuba’s vivid photography details a land preserved in time yet poised for dramatic change. Through the eyes of Cuban artists, historians, and scientists, the film transports audiences across breathtaking landscapes, under the ocean surface to iridescent reefs and into streets throbbing with music and dance in the heart of Havana.
C-Note Pop-up Art Sale
Where: San Diego Art Institute
When: November 16-17, 2019
Discover some of the region’s best upcoming artists at the San Diego Art Institute’s annual C-Note art sale, which attracts budding collectors with its carefully curated selection of contemporary art. Featuring artists from both sides of the international border, the pieces are priced at $100, $200 and $300 and range from large-scale paintings to photography to multimedia work. Proceeds are shared between the artists and the San Diego Art Institute. The sale runs from noon to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Living Lab
Where: San Diego Natural History Museum
When: Opens November 23, 2019
Check out the creepiest, crawliest, most reclusive local critters at the Nat’s newest exhibit: Living Lab. The goal is to get visitors up close and personal by meeting some of the region’s hardest to experience animals and using a unique blend of science and storytelling to help visitors discover more about the world around us and the ongoing threats to our region’s biodiversity. Also, while at the Nat, don’t forget to check out its other new exhibition: Insects Face to Face, which opens on Nov. 9. The exhibit features 30 larger-than-life photographs, giving visitors a whole new perspective by revealing an intricate world of color, pattern and texture on all sorts of insects from honeybees to cockroaches to lace bugs.
Sound Healing Meditation
Where: Japanese Friendship Garden
When: November 24, 2019
Want to get centered before the holiday season really gets going? Then some soothing sound healing might be in order courtesy of the Light Vibrations Gong Ensemble at the Japanese Friendship Garden. Inspired by the planetary arrangement of the day, the meditation and sound healing journey features as many as 14 gongs, a variety of singing bowls, flutes, chimes and drums. There are two sessions from 4:00 to 5:15 PM and 5:30 to 6:45 PM.