Rob Thorsen will play bass and flute and Holly Hofmann will play flute and alto flute.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum is closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29, 2024 in observance of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Thank you for understanding!
The series continues Sunday, December 1, with the Billy Childs Quartet, featuring Childs on piano, Matthew Stubbs on clarinet, Dan Chmielinski on bass, and Benjamin Ring on drums. Multi-Grammy-winner Billy Childs has been a favorite performer on the Athenaeum series going back to his debut at the library in 1996. He remains one of the most diversely prolific and acclaimed artists working in music today. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Kronos Quartet, the Dorian Wind Quintet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the American Brass Quintet, the Ying Quartet, the Lyris Quartet, and Anne Akiko Meyers.
The Stanton Street Duo is a chromatic harmonica and 7-string guitar ensemble based in San Francisco. Since their participation as finalists in the CAG Elmaleh Competition in NYC, the duo has performed across the US and Mexico. Praised for their virtuosity, intensity, and musicality, the Stanton Street Duo continues to attract a diverse range of audiences through their dynamic and electrifying live performances. Beyond their focus on elevating and reimagining traditional Latin American music styles, the Stanton Street Duo demonstrates their versatility and range in their performance of classical and film composers as well as their own original compositions.
On Monday, December 2, Grammy-nominated pianist Andrius Žlabys will perform a varied program of works by J.S. Bach and César Franck and his own composition Echoes of Light, an homage to Mozart. Žlabys states, “At the center of the piece, there are two fragments from Mozart’s Requiem. [What follows is] influenced by Carl Sagan’s writings. I imagine fragments of Mozart’s Requiem continuing to echo through space and time, perhaps never again detected, yet always present.” Žlabys has received acclaim for his appearances with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony, and Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
SDNVW (San Diego New Verbal Workshop) is a contemporary vocal ensemble inspired by the experimental music tradition of the late 20th century. They perform, improvise, and compose as a collective and frequently work with living composers to explore the unique sonic capabilities of the human voice in concert with instruments, electronics, and movement.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Join us at the Athenaeum Art Center on December 6, 2024, at 6 p.m. for the hilarious and beloved "Brian and Ryan's Kitschmas Pageant"! Back by popular demand, this whimsical holiday extravaganza promises to bring laughter, joy, and a healthy dose of kitschy cheer.
The Executive Director & Board of Trustees cordially invite members of the Athenaeum to the Members’ Holiday Party. Join us for music, refreshments, and piano-side caroling to celebrate the holiday season! The Athenaeum is transformed with décor that will leave you feeling bright and gay, including a traditional European Christmas Village display. Enjoy eggnog, sweets, and grandiose cookie displays by Girard Gourmet. Sing along to carols with pianist John Evans, and listen to live jazz music.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's Annual Holiday Bookstore in the La Jolla Art Studio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Find a great gift for yourself or a friend! The number of shoppers will be limited according to guidelines. Masks and physical distancing are recommended.
Please join us as students of the School of the Arts Writer's groups share their recent work—poetry and short prose. Our featured reader will be Kathleen Principe. This is a free event.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Jazz bassist Rob Thorsen maintains a diverse and busy schedule in Southern California as a performer, educator, clinician and composer. He has found his true voice in the upright bass and performs regularly as a leader with artists including the Mike Wofford/Holly Hofmann Quartet, Gilbert Castellanos, Charles McPherson, Steph Johnson and a host of others.
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's Annual Holiday Bookstore in the La Jolla Art Studio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Find a great gift for yourself or a friend! The number of shoppers will be limited according to guidelines. Masks and physical distancing are recommended.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum will close early at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 19 for a private event. Thank you for understanding!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's Annual Holiday Bookstore in the La Jolla Art Studio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Find a great gift for yourself or a friend! The number of shoppers will be limited according to guidelines. Masks and physical distancing are recommended.
The Athenaeum is closed on Wednesday, December 25 and Thursday, December 26, 2024 in observance of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Thank you for understanding!
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's Annual Holiday Bookstore in the La Jolla Art Studio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Find a great gift for yourself or a friend! The number of shoppers will be limited according to guidelines. Masks and physical distancing are recommended.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum is closed on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in observance of New Year’s Day. Thank you for understanding!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
In addition to honoring their longtime collaborator composer Stuart Saunders-Smith with a performance of Notebook for ensemble, NOISE performs solo works by Matthew Burtner, Salina Fisher, and others.
San Diego New Music and the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library present the 2025 soundON Festival, exploring cutting-edge contemporary music from around the world. Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of San Diego New Music and the 25th Anniversary of San Diego New Music's ensemble-in-residence NOISE with all-time favorites alongside brand-new works. Enjoy three nights of concerts in two separate locations in San Diego!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
In their first concert 25 years ago, NOISE performed a classic of the mid-20th century, Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître. On the 10th, they reprise this work, along with a selection of pieces performed by guest artists Duo Entre-Nous, visiting from Arizona.
Check back soon for more information!
San Diego New Music closes the festival with a concert featuring Christopher Adler’s groovy classic Ecstatic Volutions in a Neon Haze and a world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Sidney Marquez Boquiren.
Known for her expressivity, virtuosity, and versatility, Indonesian-born pianist Ines Irawati is in demand both as a solo recitalist and a collaborative pianist. Ms. Irawati is currently serving as the music and artistic director of San Diego Opera's Young Artist Training Program, as well as its community outreach concert series, Opera Exposed! Concerts. She has served as a vocal coach and pianist at the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and she was the head vocal coach and collaborative piano faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University from 2004–2017.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The fall series concludes Thursday, January 16, with the Athenaeum debut of the Alex Kautz Quartet, featuring Kautz on drums, Chico Pinheiro on guitar, John Ellis on saxophone, and Joe Martin on bass. Renowned for his musicality, groove, and knowledge of various genres, Kautz stands out as a distinguished percussionist, educator, and composer. With an unwavering passion for jazz and world music, he has crafted a captivating and distinct musical voice. A Brazilian artist based in New York City, Kautz has been an important part of the city’s music scene for the last decade and has played and/or recorded with some of the top artists in the industry today, including Tim Ries, Magos Herrera, Nilson Matta, Chico Pinheiro, Steve Wilson, Lenny Andrade, Fabio Gouvea, Helio Alves, Victor Prieto, and Lionel Loueke.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Check back soon for more information!
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
As an example of experimental archaeology, in 2009, Dr. Schwab and six students collaborated with a professional hairstylist to test whether or not the six Caryatids’ hairstyles could be recreated with a positive result. Tools and hair products, just like today, were important in the domestic sphere. The arrangement of hair became a clear signal of rites of passage and status within the community. Locks of hair were often dedicated in temples or cut before warriors left for battle. Together we will explore a range of ancient Greek hairstyles and their meanings for both individual and society.
In this four-part lecture series Dr. Katherine Schwab will explore topics that help us discover a deeper understanding of the people and times in Ancient Greece. Using hairstyles, coinage, athletics, and jewelry, she will highlight objects to consider how a society over two millennia ago thought about adornment, objects, and activities that are quite familiar to us in our own lives today.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
We carry pocket change as currency. The idea for these coins or coinage came from the ancient Greek world. The earliest coins, made of electrum at Sardis, rapidly evolved into silver coins of different weights and values. One drachma (the Greek monetary unit at the time) equaled a day’s wage. Both the front and back of the coin displayed designs, resembling miniature relief sculptures. Artists sometimes added their signature to the coins. Cities and islands developed unique images, an early form of advertising and branding. Once in circulation, Greek coins traveled great distances throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond. Even today, many of these ancient coins are admired in museums and sought by collectors for their beauty and rarity.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Several customs, traditions, and events in today’s modern Olympics can be traced back to the ancient competitions held at Olympia. Today’s victors are celebrated for their athletic prowess, as they were in ancient Greece. This lecture will focus on the important role of athletics in ancient Greece, the four Panhellenic sites, and the unique Panathenaic Games celebrated in Athens. As they are today, athletics were popular in ancient Greece, where boys and young men devoted time to working out in the palaestra (gymnasium) to maintain fitness and ultimately to be ready for combat. Even the passage of time was organized around the four-year interval between Olympic Games known as the Olympiad, and specific Olympiads were numbered as markers of the events and political developments associated with those times.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
On Monday, February 10, the Grammy-nominated ensemble AGAVE returns to the Athenaeum with Reginald Mobley, a countertenor noted for his “shimmering voice” (BachTrack) and renowned for his interpretation of baroque, classical, and modern repertoire. AGAVE will present American Originals, a program based on their album of the same name that features music by brilliant yet underrepresented composers and explores how the blending of European, African, and indigenous styles created uniquely American sounds. The ensemble will include Mobley, Co-Director Aaron Westman on violin and viola, Anna Washburn on violin and viola, Kevin Cooper on guitar and theorbo, Katherine Kyme on violin and viola, William Skeen on viola da gamba and violoncello, and Co-Director Henry Lebedinsky on harpsichord and piano.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Ancient Greek gold jewelry is renowned for its intricate designs and goldsmithing techniques, such as granulation. Adornment applied to both men and women, even to statues and other objects. Gold jewelry accompanied an individual throughout a lifetime to the grave. Statues could be adorned with wreaths or earrings, and vases could be adorned with painted gold necklaces. Women dedicated jewelry to a goddess in her temple. Royal families amassed extraordinary examples of goldwork, all of it ornate and substantial in size and weight. Numerous gold wreaths with leaves and acorns or berries have been discovered in royal tombs. Today some of the finest jewelers in Greece have found inspiration from these artifacts when developing their own jewelry for the public. In this lecture we will explore some of the finest examples of ancient Greek gold jewelry.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Check back soon for more information!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The series continues Tuesday, April 8, with the Great Wall String Quartet performing a program of Mendelssohn, Schulhoff, and Beethoven. Its members share a vision to connect with more immediacy to audiences and to give guidance to the next generation of chamber musicians. In his role at the Deutsches Symphony Orchester Berlin, violinist Wei Lu is one of the youngest concertmasters in a major orchestra. Violinist Qi Zhou is a member of the prestigious chamber orchestra Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen. Xu Wenbo is the current viola and chamber music instructor at the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Academy in Hamburg. Hailed in New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” Yao Zhao performs with a dynamism that has secured him a successful career as the principal cello of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Check back soon for more information!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, walk into the Athenaeum’s Talk of the Town: Casablanca, Annual Benefit Celebration.
The series concludes Monday, May 12, with the New Orford String Quartet presenting works by Mozart, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Schubert (Death and the Maiden). Violinists Andrew Wan and Jonathan Crow, violist Sharon Wei, and cellist Brian Manke formed their ensemble with the goal of developing a new model for a touring string quartet: bringing four elite orchestral leaders and soloists together on a regular basis over many years to perform chamber music at the highest level. The Toronto Star has described this outcome as “nothing short of electrifying.” They have seen astonishing success, giving annual concerts for national CBC broadcast and receiving two Opus Awards for Concert of the Year and a 2017 JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. Recent seasons have featured return engagements in Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto, as well as their New York City debut on Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
From Paris, surrealism spread to Belgium, where René Magritte became a leading figure. In New York, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Dorothea Tanning represented surrealism at Peggy Guggenheim’s Gallery of the Century. In Mexico City Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera together with a group of exiles from WWII, like Leonor Fini and Remedios Varo, organized and showed surrealist art. Exhibitions sprang up in Belgrade, Cairo, Prague, Brussels, London, and San Francisco. A historical survey of Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism at MOMA in 1936 introduced the movement to a wider audience.
Breton’s death in 1966 left no heir to unite the divergent branches of surrealist artists all over the world and led to the end of surrealism as a unified movement, but its influence continues today.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Please join us for an artist talk by Los Angeles–based artist Amy Adler. Working across the disciplines of drawing, performance, photography, and film, Adler creates an interplay between mediums that focuses itself on the concept of the film still, realized through layered and nuanced hand-drawn images. Adler will share a special presentation of her career, process, recent projects, and 2024 mural for Murals of La Jolla, Location, on Tuesday, November 19. The 6:30 p.m. lecture will follow a reception beginning at 6 p.m.
As members of the San Diego Symphony, long time friends Jing and Julia were thrilled when kismet sent the matched set of long time friends Abraham and Nathan to join the orchestra at the same time. Through the pandemic the four discovered a remarkable shared musical chemistry, and recently have performed for a wide range of San Diego audiences—from thousands of migrant children housed at the convention center to symphony donors onstage at The Rady Shell.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
A year after publishing his Surrealist Manifesto, Breton organized the first group exhibition for La peinture surréaliste in the Gallery Pierre in Paris. It included work by Giorgio de Chirico, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, André Masson, Man Ray, Jean Tanguy, and Pierre Roy. New members joined the group in 1929: former Dadaist Tristan Tzara, Salvador Dalí, filmmaker Luis Bunuel, and sculptor Alberto Giacometti. A group of talented women artists have long stood in the shadow of their famous male peers. This lecture also explores the contributions of Leonora Carrington, photographer Dora Mar, Lee Miller, and Meret Oppenheim. The beginning of WWII scattered the surrealist group all over the world.
On October 15, 1924, André Breton published his first Surrealist Manifesto in Paris which gave birth to the surrealist movement. These two lectures celebrate the centennial of surrealism. Surrealist artists and writers were inspired by Sigmund Freud’s dream analysis and the exploration of the subconscious mind. They tried to express themselves without any restrictions of reason, moral, or aesthetic considerations. Surrealists under the leadership of Breton marked a transition from the anarchist Dada movement to the proposition of a superior alternative in Surrealism.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Please join us for an artist talk with Carlos Castro Arias. He will share a special presentation on his Athenaeum show, The Splinter in the Eye, and how it connects to his career and process. The reception will take at 6:00 p.m., followed by a lecture at 6:30 p.m.
There will be no mini-concert on Monday, November 11 in observance of Veteran’s Day. Thank you for understanding, and see you next Monday!
We are pleased to announce a Faculty & Staff Exhibition at the AAC Gallery. Athenaeum School of the Arts faculty and Athenaeum Music & Arts Library staff will submit a piece to display.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
It is very fitting to end the series by focusing on the work of Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, the San Diego native who recently passed away. He worked with both Sim Bruce Richards and Frederick Liebhardt before going on to design some of the region’s most dramatic buildings.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The series continues Monday, November 4, with clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan, pianist Alin Melik-Adamyan, and guest artist (and Co-Director of Chamber Music at the Athenaeum) cellist Alex Greenbaum. This program will include music from Debussy, Martinu, and Mangani and will close with Brahms’ beloved Trio for piano, clarinet, and cello. Allakhverdyan was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2016. The New York Times called his playing “inspired” and “superlative,” and the Los Angeles Times praised his “energetic, vibrant solos.” Melik-Adamyan is a prize-winning collaborative artist, soloist, and chamber musician praised for her “sensitivity unique in the piano world” (Musical Gourmet).
A versatile recitalist and chamber musician, violinist/violist Päivikki Nykter, is equally at home with standard repertoire as well as contemporary music. Cathy Blickenstaff holds a Master’s Degree in Flute Performance from the University of Colorado where she studied with Maralyn Prestia. Laura Vaughan began her study of music on the piano at age five with her mother, harpist and pianist, Donna Vaughan. She excelled on the harp at an early age and started studying with Sheila Sterling, former principal of the San Diego Symphony, at age nine.
Our annual fall series of Athenaeum Jazz will take place in the library’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room. Seating is limited, so early reservations are advised. Please join us for these three special evenings featuring internationally acclaimed jazz artists Ben Williams, Billy Childs, and Alex Kautz.
The fall series opens Saturday, November 2, with the Ben Williams Quartet, featuring bassist Williams with vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, and drummer John Davis. Since winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2009, Williams has made his mark as a producer, bandleader, arranger, and avidly sought-after accompanist for heavyweights in and beyond jazz, including Wynton Marsalis, Lauryn Hill, José James, and Pat Metheny (with whom he won a 2013 Grammy for the album Unity Band). As a bandleader, the Washington, D.C., native is a calmly charismatic presence whose music taps directly into the deepest wellsprings of African American culture.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Join us for our Día De Los Muertos Pop-Up Exhibition at the Athenaeum Art Center, celebrating the memories of loved ones who have passed. Submit your artwork inspired by this meaningful tradition and be a part of this special 2-day event.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Sim Bruce Richards drew from his respect for Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Irving J. Gill to design homes, commercial buildings, and sacred spaces of wood, glass, and adobe across San Diego County. His passion for Native American, Aztec, and Mayan culture, as well as Japanese architecture, landscape, and craft, greatly influenced over 200 projects unique to our region. Wishing to create living and working environments that delight all the senses, Richards imbued a number of his projects with built-in art by James Hubbell, Rhoda LeBlanc Lopez, and others. This presentation unveils his architectural spirit through tales of Richards’ unique client-architect relationships.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum and Murals of La Jolla present Kelsey Brookes, with a special presentation of his career, process, recent projects, and 2014 mural One Pointed Attention for Murals of La Jolla. The reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by an artist talk at 6:30 p.m.
Robert Zelickman, clarinetist, has been teaching and performing in San Diego since 1982. A versatile recitalist and chamber musician, violinist/violist Päivikki Nykter, is equally at home with standard repertoire as well as contemporary music. Lyricism, complexity, and dissonance characterize the musical interests of pianist Kyle Blair.
