Art San Diego returns to the San Diego Convention Center Nov. 3-5 with a robust calendar of dynamic programming. Attendees will have the chance to view and interact with works by preeminent international, national, and local artists, and enjoy exhibitions that showcase the thriving art and design landscape of San Diego and beyond.
This year’s Art San Diego features five unique Art Labs showcasing the best of San Diego’s art scene, including a collection from John Lennon’s archive, original creations from students at Monarch School, plus more.
Highlights of this year’s Art San Diego programming include:
ART LAB: THE LENNON ART COLLECTION
Give Peace a Chance
For the first time in over a decade, The Lennon Art Collection will be displayed and available for purchase at Art San Diego. This extraordinary exhibition, fully sanctioned and endorsed by The Estate of John Lennon, will showcase over 50 remarkable originals, lithographs and prints by the iconic musician and artist, John Lennon. Universally celebrated as a musical legend, John Lennon was also an accomplished author and artist, with his work reflecting his philosophies of peace and love. In his artworks, John created vibrant expressions of his beliefs and dreams (and sense of humor).
ART LAB: ACCESS TO ART
Hide and Seek: A Surrealistic Celebration of Colors and Dreams
Through Access to Art, Art San Diego, in partnership with UBS Financial Services, works with selected charities and those they serve to share opportunities in art, design, business development, and more. Art San Diego’s 2023 Access to Art partners are Monarch School, Humble Design, and Arts District Liberty Station.
Guests are invited into a colorful room of the imagination created by students and families from Monarch School in collaboration with professional artists from Arts District Liberty Station and Humble Design. As you navigate the exhibit, unexpected juxtapositions of texture and design, alongside hidden messages of symbolic shapes and three-dimensional objects will surprise and delight. Partake in an interactive scavenger hunt and dream about a world filled with intentional beauty and imaginative design. To create the art, student and parent artists were exposed to a variety of techniques such as upcycled furniture art, botanical dyes, figurative still life, graffiti art, and sculptures made from non-traditional materials. All artwork is available to take home by making a suggested donation to Monarch School Project. Proceeds go directly to the community of students and families who are impacted by homelessness.
ART LAB: REFLECTIONS OF HOPE
A Community Art Project by Sarah Stieber
San Diego artist Sarah Stieber is debuting an expansive collection of paintings made entirely out of tape at Art San Diego 2023. Stieber’s new collection inspires the community art piece that debuts at Art San Diego. The Art Lab invites visitors to reflect on the advice they would give their younger selves, and then embed their messages directly into the community artwork and cover them with tape. There are also special tape art kits for kids for Saturday’s Family Day — the first 200 families will be given a tape painting kit full of sparkling, shiny, and glow-in-the-dark pieces to create their tape painting to bring home.
ART LAB: THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
sister + sister
The Butterfly Effect is an immersive installation that encourages visitors to step inside and explore the profound impact on the natural environment. This installation serves as a catalyst for conversations about climate change and responsibility towards nature, urging to contemplate how choices influence the sensitivity of the natural world. Using various natural materials, sister artists Kate Taylor and Helen Utsal have crafted an environment that visitors can enter and explore. As viewers move through the space, they activate the sculptural elements, emphasizing how tiny motions, even unintentional ones, can ripple through larger ecosystems.
ART LAB: SAN DIEGO ART PRIZE
Founded in 2006 by the San Diego Visual Arts Network, the San Diego Art Prize awards a cash prize and exhibition opportunities to established and emerging San Diego visual artists whose achievements merit the recognition—and each year the Art Prize recipients have a featured exhibition at Art San Diego. This year’s winners are Anya Gallaccio, Janelle Iglesias, Joe Yorty, and Mely Barragan.
Event Details:
Dates: Nov. 3-5.
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Hall E, 111 W Harbor Drive.
FIRST LOOK FRIDAY – Friday, Nov. 3 | Noon-5 p.m.
COLLECTORS’ VIP OPENING – Friday, Nov. 3 | 6-9 p.m.
WEEKEND FAIR HOURS
Saturday, Nov. 4 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 5 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.