The Hill Street Country Club (HSCC) is proud to announce that the California State Coastal Conservancy has unanimously approved funding for the Hill Street Arts Hotel Feasibility Study, a major milestone in the effort to create a new lower-cost, arts-focused coastal accommodation in Oceanside.
Read MoreSan Diego weekend arts events: Community painting, Shua, Hugo Crosthwaite and printmaking - KPBS /
Festivals, multidisciplinary happenings and more:
Oceanside Printmaking and Zine Fair
More than 40 zine makers and vendors will share their work at this celebration of print media, featuring printmaking and other art-making opportunities and DJs throughout the day. Libélula Books will host a pop-up bookshop on-site. Presented in collaboration by The Hill Street Country Club, Oceanside Public Library and Papercuts Zine Club.
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 | Junior Seau Beach Community Center, 300 S. The Strand, Oceanside | Free | MORE INFO
San Diego arts picks in March: Contemporary ballet, short films and a City Heights love letter - KPBS /
Visual Arts
Gracie Moon and Sean Sarmiento: 'All the Places We Belong'
Collage artist Sean Sarmiento and sculptor and artist Gracie Moon are the current Emerging Artists in Residence at Arts District Liberty Station. To commemorate their residency, Gallery 201 is hosting a dual exhibition, "All the Places We Belong."
Sarmiento's collages are sculptural while also being strikingly minimal, often using sparse text and Polaroids. One of Moon's works in the show is a series of massive chains suspended from the walls — almost like giant-sized beaded necklaces. Each "bead" is a Jell-O mold filled with Japanese snack wrappers set in colorful resin. Curated by The Hill Street Country Club's Dinah Poellnitz, this unique space is open every day.
An artist reception will be held during the First Friday event, from 4 to 8 p.m. on March 7.
20 free art exhibits to check out in San Diego this weekend - KPBS /
Marisa DeLuca at The Hill Street Country Club
Don't miss the final exhibit in this Oceanside art space before it closes its doors for good in the current location. DeLuca's paintings are powerful representations of buildings and spaces on their way out — abandoned, run-down or otherwise overlooked. One work, "She's Not There," is a painting of the Oceanside Pier on fire, using charcoal and remnants of the pier collected from the beach the day after the blaze.
"My work has always been kind of a love letter to Oceanside and to the ancestors of Oceanside. And when that fire happened, it really put an exclamation point on the rapid change in the region," DeLuca said. "The remains that I picked up were, I kind of felt, you know, the remains of a loved one. So, it becomes like a reliquary painting — in the same way the relics of saints hold divine energy. I feel like the paintings that I've made here in the gallery hold that same memory."
Longstanding Oceanside art space faces Eviction and Closure - KPBS /
After the Oceanside Pier fire in April, artist Marisa DeLuca gathered fistfuls of charred wood from the beach — charcoal she could mix with oil paint. With the resultant pigment, her city is now both inspiration and material in her art.
Artist Marisa DeLuca is shown at The Hill Street Country Club on Dec. 14, 2024. Photo by Julia Dixon Evans
"My work has always been kind of a love letter to Oceanside and to the ancestors of Oceanside. And when that fire happened, it really put an exclamation point on the rapid change in the region," DeLuca said.
Now on view at The Hill Street Country Club is DeLuca's solo show "What Goes Up Must Come Down." Featured is "She's Not There (After Andrés Ximenez)," a striking black-and-white painting of the pier on fire, created with paint born from the fire itself.
San Diego weekend arts events: Poetic and artistic farewells, binational music and holiday highlights - KPBS /
Visual art | Marisa DeLuca's "What Goes Up Must Come Down" will mark the final exhibition at the long-running Oceanside art space, The Hill Street Country Club (HSCC). This exhibit serves as both a farewell and a symbolic funeral for HSCC, which has hosted 14 years of art and community programming. The group recently received a no-fault eviction.
"She's Not There (after Andrés Ximenez)" by artist Marisa DeLuca uses oil paint and pyrolized remains of Oceanside's pier. It's part of "What Goes Up Must Come Down," opening Dec. 14, 2024 at The Hill Street Country Club.
DeLuca, an Oceanside-based artist, frequently explores themes of home, memory, gentrification and displacement in her work. Her paintings and mixed media pieces often feature abandoned or deteriorating buildings and architectural details, like dirty grout on a tile wall or stacks of wood planks in a backyard.
"What Goes Up Must Come Down" opens with an "Awake Service" and reception on Saturday. The exhibit will remain on view until escrow closes on the space, with additional "Burial Site Programming" planned for January. Ultimately, HSCC plans to continue programming in Oceanside and will reveal more of their reopening plans in the future, including work and space in Barrio Logan.
San Diego weekend arts events: Bones, zines and fries - KPBS /
MCASD Free Third Thursday: 'Gentrifries'
Visual art, Storytelling, Food | This Far South/Border North project is a partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, The Hill Street Country Club and artist Alejandro Arreguin Villegas. "Gentrifries," a portmanteau of "gentrification" and "french fries," turns stories about families, archives, community and neighborhoods into an actual vessel for food.
"Santo Luis" by Alejandro Arreguin Villegas is part of The Hill Street Country Club's Far South/Border North project "Gentrifries." Photo courtesy of Alejandro Arreguin Villegas
The event features a photo and audio archiving booth, where visitors can contribute their own family stories and photos to the living project.
This is part of the MCASD's Free Third Thursday. The museum is free to all visitors and open late, until 8 p.m.
Details: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17. Gartner Court, MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: 'For Dear Life,' Samara Joy and Design Week /
Vanessa Rishel: 'Safe Haven, Dark Corners'
Visual art | Vanessa Rishel's solo exhibit opens this weekend at The Hill Street Country Club in Oceanside. Rishel's style is really captivating: hitting somewhere between fine art's pleasant softness and the quirk and disruption of the anime characters and cherub statues and trinkets she uses has her inspiration — and the grayscale colors.
Detail of artwork by Vanessa Rishel is shown in an undated photo.
Details: Opens with a reception from 12-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. On view through Nov. 10. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 South Coast Hwy., Oceanside. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: An 'urban art takeover,' Kate Bush theatrics and 'Interlaced' - KPBS /
Christian Garcia Olivo: 'Interlaced'
Visual art | I love the way San Diego-based artist Christian Garcia-Olivo uses "paint skins" as material in his sculptures, and he has a new exhibit at Liberty Station's Gallery 201 curated by The Hill Street Country Club and Dinah Poellnitz. Poellnitz is currently the inaugural curator-in-residence at Arts District Liberty Station.
Artwork by Christian Garcia-Olivo from "Interlaced," opening Sept. 14 at Gallery 201.
In this exhibition, "interlace" indicates the complex and delicate interaction and cause-and-effect that exists between identity and culture — and a disruption of the boundaries surrounding identity. In one work, Garcia-Olivo has woven what appears to be drizzled and dried strands of paint, forming a striking acrylic textile.
San Diego weekend arts events: Border Blasters, Chopin and so much visual art - KPBS /
Artist in Practice: Cole Douglas
Visual art | The Hill Street Country Club's current "artist-in-practice" is Cole Douglas, and you can get a peek at the work he's doing in their gallery during an open house this Saturday. Douglas is a former engineer, and uses painting to reimagine Black future. In the HSCC space, Douglas has been painting some large-scale, abstract works with a fascinating use of mark-making and scale.
Details: 2-6 p.m. Saturday, July 13. On view through July 22. Gallery hours are 3-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: A new spin on 'Thelma and Louise'; Richard Keely and more - KPBS /
The Hill Street Country Club and Queer Surf Present: 'Gaza Surf Club'
Film | "Gaza Surf Club" is a 2016 documentary that followed a group of surfers in Palestine for five years. In partnership with Queer Surf, The Hill Street Country Club will host a screening along with Palestinian food for sale. Event information. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside. $0-$10 donation-based.
THE HILL STREET COUNTRY CLUB AND MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO PRESENT: SOUND AND LIBERATION /
[La Jolla, CA] Join us at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Thursday, June 20th from 6:30- 8:00 pm for Sound + Liberation, a live performance series developed by the Hill Street Country Club. Through this collaboration, HSCC and MCASD are proud to host Afro-Caribbean conceptual word artist Def Sound and invite guests to experience an intentional, intimate gathering offering, “music as medicine.”
Def Sound (they/them) is a post-binary contemporary hip-hop artist, producer, poet, and award-winning academic born and based in South Central LA. Def synthesizes Hip Hop, poetry, Black critical theory, and storytelling into healing mechanisms decorating time and space. Def is a word worker whose favorite medium is memory. When speaking about their practice Def spoke, “Every truth is a dare. Let's dare to tell it. I believe that being a writer is a daily practice of deciding to be a better person.”
When: June 20, 2024
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
700 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037
Price: Free
Def will be joined by special guests including Arty Johnson on drums, Jace Holmes on keyboard, Ghalani Crenshaw on bass, Chris Lightfoot on guitar and more. This scenic performance space is located on the west side of MCASD’s flagship location in La Jolla with panoramic views of the ocean and outdoor sculpture garden. Take advantage of MCASD’s Third Thursday and explore the galleries ahead of Def’s performance for free starting at 10 am.
Accessibility
All public areas of MCASD are wheelchair accessible and all entrances are equipped with ramps and power-assist doors for visitors with mobility devices and strollers. A limited amount of wheelchairs are available upon request at the front desk (sanitized with every use). All-gender restrooms and baby changing stations are located on the Floor 1 Prospect Wing and Floor -2 Coast Wing. The Photo Gallery on Floor –3, terraces, and Edwards Sculpture Garden are sensory friendly spaces that offer a calm and accommodating environment, subdued or natural lighting, and minimized crowds.
This program is hosted in coordination with the special exhibition Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today, the first major group exhibition in the United States to envision a new approach to contemporary art in the Caribbean diaspora. Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today is organized by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Major support for Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s–Today is curated by Carla Acevedo-Yates, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator, with Iris Colburn, Curatorial Associate, Isabel Casso, former Susman Curatorial Fellow MCA Chicago now Associate Curator, MCASD, and Nolan Jimbo, Assistant Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is made possible by gifts to the annual operating fund. Financial support is provided by the City of San Diego through the Commission for Arts and Culture.
Funder Credits and About Free Third Thursday at MCASD
Free Third Thursday public programs at MCASD are made possible with generous support from The Conrad Prebys Foundation. Free Third Thursday is one of the museum’s free public programs, which happen every third Thursday of each month. Visitors receive free admission during extended open hours, which are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on these special days. Public programs take place during the evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and feature free artist talks, performance, film screenings, and much more.
The Hill Street Country Club (HSCC) The Hill Street Country Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to shaping the growing arts and culture scene in Oceanside and the surrounding North Country region. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse atmosphere that reflects the socioeconomic landscape of our community. To complement the traditional gallery space, we organize pop-up art shops, cultural events and art workshops around our community.
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region’s foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of today. Open since 1941, we welcome all audiences to reflect on their lives, communities, and the ever-changing world through the powerful prism of contemporary art. MCASD’s dynamic exhibition schedule features a vast array of media in an unprecedented variety of spaces, along with a growing dedication to community experiences and public programs. As a cultural hub, MCASD seeks to catalyze conversation in our region.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Arturo Garcia-Sierra, manager of marketing and communications at MCASD, by email at agarciasierra@mcasd.org and follow @thehillstreetcountryclub and @mcasandiego for updates on Instagram.
San Diego weekend arts events: Choreography by women, design and desert art - KPBS /
'The Bigger Picture: Guaranteed Income for the Future of San Diego'
Visual art, Photography | A new stop has been announced for this traveling photography exhibit, featuring 20 oversized photos by documentary photographer Michelle Zousmer. Zousmer photographed families who were part of San Diego's first Guaranteed Income Pilot program, through Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which was launched in 2022. These images are powerful and intimate.
Details: Event link. 2-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, March 18 through April 8. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: 'Nomad Concerto,' Pinar Yoldas, AFROTURE and more /
Sound and Liberation: Black History Month Edition
Music | The Hill Street Country Club's experimental performance series will host a night of Black musicians, including Joy Guidry, Niecy Blues and Myles Ortiz-Green. The gallery space will serve as a listening lounge, with refreshments on sale.
San Diego weekend arts events: 'Around the Way Girl,' Little Amal and more - KPBS /
Visual art
Delana Delgado: "Around the Way Girl"
Puerto Rican-American photographer Delana Delgado works with the analog aesthetics of film photography to capture images of femininity in Latina and Black communities.
"R3-UP" is a 2021 work of photography by Delana Delgado.
Delgado's work feels intimate while also possessing a documentary edge — part archive, part invitation to witness and understand. The exhibit, at the Gallery 201 space in Liberty Station, is curated by Dinah Poellnitz of The Hill Street Country Club.
Details: "Around The Way Girl." First Friday preview: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3; Opening exhibition 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. On view Nov. 4, 2023 through Mar. 31, 2024. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Gallery 201, 2820 Roosevelt Rd., #204, Liberty Station. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: New (and old) contemporary art, chamber opera and more - KPBS /
The inaugural Oceanside Zine Fair will make space for the growing zine movement in Oceanside this weekend, with dozens of zinemakers, artists, musicians and vendors descending upon The Hill Street Country Club — all celebrating an accessible, enduring and analog form of art, archiving and community.
A previous zine event at The Hill Street Country Club is shown in an undated photo.
I spoke with Dinah Poellnitz, cofounder and artistic director of The Hill Street Country Club, and zinemaker Brookes Reeder about the fair, the history of zines and their importance in Oceanside.
Art, archive and community at the inaugural Oceanside Zine Fair /
A new festival will make space for a growing zine movement in Oceanside this weekend, with dozens of zinemakers, artists, musicians and vendors descending upon The Hill Street Country Club — all celebrating an accessible, enduring, analog form of art and archiving.
A previous zine event at The Hill Street Country Club is shown in an undated photo.
Pronounced "zeens," as in magazine or fanzine — zines are a form of DIY publication, sometimes about a single topic or scene (though not always). Generally, the zine aesthetic has an unpolished look to it; obviously photocopied shadows and tape marks are a feature, not a bug.
And zines are defined also by who makes them: anyone who wants to. An artist's ability to create and share a zine doesn't depend on finding a publisher, editor, agent or gallery.
San Diego weekend arts events: Urban art takeover, murmurations and surf R&B - KPBS /
Mark Chamness: 'Outside the Mall' opens at The Hill Street Country Club this weekend. The longtime Oceanside artist is a skilled, working carpenter with a CalArts degree. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his artistic practice evolved, particularly in the use of trash. He collects plastic bags — found along beaches, the side of the road, wherever — and turns them into thin strips that he then adds into tufted fiber works. The pieces are abstract and evocative, with just the slightest shimmer that hints at the darker environmental omen of the plastic.
Detail of work by artist Mark Chamness shows the blend of yarn and scavenged plastic trash tufted into the textile in an undated photo.
Details: Opens with a reception from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2. On view by appointment through Dec. 9. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 S. Coast Hwy, Oceanside. Free.
San Diego weekend arts events: Jezabeth Roca Gonzalez, 'The Kids Run This Place' and more - KPBS /
ezabeth Roca Gonzalez: 'Agridulce'
Visual art
The Hill Street Country Club will launch their first exhibition of the year with multidisciplinary artist Jezabeth Roca Gonzalez, who is based in Oceanside and is also currently in residence at the Hidrante art and project space in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
At the center of the exhibit will be Gonzalez's piece, "Isla Flotante/Floating Island," which features a multi-channel, dual screen video work that contrasts a nearly static video of their family with a dizzying, dynamic series of vignettes of nature, snippets of recorded speech and audio that stitches together a sort of speculative narrative. Additional works are soil prints, terrazzo tiles and other sculptures, honoring their family home in Puerto Rico and the available materials.
Details: Opens with a public reception from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18; gallery doors open at 1 p.m. The exhibition will be on view through April 2, and is viewable by appointment from noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The Hill Street Country Club, 530 South Coast Hwy, Oceanside. Free.
The Thriving Art Community of San Diego - Hyperallergic /
Attendees at Johnny Nguyen’s open reception for And If I Can Show You, You Would Never Leave Her at the Hill Street Country Club, 2019, with co-founders Dinah Poellnitz (right) and Margaret Hernandez (left) with artist Johnny Nguyen (middle) (photo by James Guerrero, courtesy Hill Street Country Club)
This year the Hill Street Country Club (HSCC) celebrates its tenth anniversary. Founded in 2012 by Margaret Hernandez and Dinah Poellnitz, who met working at the Oceanside Art Museum, the HSCC reflects and celebrates the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the San Diego-Tijuana region. “We are a place of liberation, where our artists can say how they feel when they feel it, and not be punished or shamed or told that it doesn’t sell,” Poellnitz said. Poellnitz and Hernandez became deeply involved in local politics, attending municipal government meetings to assess and increase the support for local arts infrastructure. Their experiences reinforced what they already knew: Traditional institutions and exhibition opportunities are often inaccessible to working class and BIPOC artists. “There are so many artists who don’t exhibit or don’t practice art in our community because they simply don’t have a place to let them know that they’re artists,” Poellnitz told me. “We had to organize.”
HSCC maintains a schedule of experimental exhibitions, collaborative pop-up events, and community programs. Ongoing initiatives include The Social, which comprises monthly group therapy meetings and a related art therapy summer camp program for middle schoolers, and Soft U, a digitally broadcast live music series. Through the HSCC, Poellnitz and Hernandez have created a community-based art model that is nimble, rhizomatic, and deeply personal. “Everything that Marge and I did was from personal experience,” said Poellnitz. “And then when we started to tell that story out loud, or organize behind it, we learned that there was a community that had a similar experience. The purpose of art in our space is to drop seeds of memories and conversations, so people can find out who their community is.”
Read the whole article by Jordan Karney Chaim for Hyperallergic