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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261030T193000
DTSTAMP:20260827T215500Z
CREATED:20260827T192727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T215500Z
UID:883195-1793383200-1793388600@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:Artistic Practice: Roxana Velázquez in Conversation with Artist Betsabeé Romero
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, October 30\n6:00 p.m.\nSpeakers: Roxana Velázquez\, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO at The San Diego Museum of Art\, and Betsabeé Romero\, Artist\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nPresented in conjunction with the Museum’s Día de los Muertos celebration\, this special conversation introduces internationally acclaimed Mexican artist Betsabeé Romero. In dialogue with SDMA Executive Director and CEO Roxana Velázquez\, Romero will discuss her artistic practice\, the themes of memory\, migration\, identity\, and cultural heritage that define her work\, and the inspiration behind her site-specific project for the Museum. This conversation offers audiences an opportunity to meet the artist behind one of the season’s most anticipated installations and to discover how contemporary art can bridge tradition and innovation. \nFollowing the lecture\, guests are invited to enjoy a guided tour led by our docent team. \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. \n  \nFeatured at top right: Photo of Betsabeé Romero at Green Carpet: The 12th Player event on August 8\, 2026\, at The San Diego Museum of Art.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/artistic-practice-roxana-velazquez-in-conversation-with-artist-betsabee-romero/
LOCATION:Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art\, 1649 El Prado\, San Diego\, CA\, 92101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artist Talk,Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/10-26-Betsabee-Romero_0808269X-00186_web-resize.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261119T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261119T120000
DTSTAMP:20260921T193528Z
CREATED:20260921T181817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T193528Z
UID:908884-1795082400-1795089600@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:Malice in Wonderland: Cecil Beaton’s Life and Work
DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, November 19\n10:00 a.m.\nSpeaker: Hugo Vickers\, Author and Historian\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nCecil Beaton (1904-1980) was a total self-creation. Through photography he rose to become one of the great observers of the twentieth century. His portraits of the British Royal Family and of stars of both the stage and screen are legendary. He became a designer of costumes and sets for stage\, screen\, opera\, and ballet; an artist; a wicked diarist; an arbiter of taste; and a man who moved easily in many varied worlds. He portrayed the great figures of the age in dazzling photographs as well as in drawings. \nIn this talk\, Hugo Vickers\, the biographer and literary executor for Cecil Beaton\, explains how Beaton turned himself into this extraordinary figure. Guests will meet the world of the Bright Young Things\, Hollywood\, the British Royal Family\, World War II\, Gigi\, My Fair Lady\, and the Peacock Revolution of the 1960s. \nHugo Vickers is well known as a biographer\, lecturer\, and broadcaster. He is also an acknowledged expert on the British Royal Family. Vickers has also published his own diaries about researching Cecil Beaton\, entitled Malice in Wonderland: My Adventures in the World of Cecil Beaton (2021). \nFollowing the lecture\, guests are invited to enjoy a guided tour led by our docent team. This special Guest Lecture complements Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World\, on view at the Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA) through January 10\, 2027. \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n  \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThe Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World exhibition and this lecture are generously sponsored by The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation. \n\n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council \n  \nFeatured at top right: Cecil Beaton\, Cecil Beaton in Hollywood (detail)\, 1930s. Gelatin silver print. The National Portrait Gallery\, London. © National Portrait Gallery\, London.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/malice-in-wonderland-cecil-beatons-life-and-work/
CATEGORIES:Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Cecil-Beaton_150_x40537_web-resize.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270219T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270219T113000
DTSTAMP:20260923T000236Z
CREATED:20260827T194422Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T000236Z
UID:883213-1803031200-1803036600@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:Building Balboa Park: John D. Spreckels and the Shaping of San Diego’s Cultural Heart
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, February 19\n10:00 a.m.\nSpeaker: Sandra E. Bonura\, PhD\, Author and Historian\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nJoin The San Diego Museum of Art and Author Sandra E. Bonura\, PhD\, for a behind-the-scenes look into the monumental legacy of John Diedrich Spreckels\, the titan who shaped San Diego’s iconic Balboa Park. While history often casts Spreckels as an industrialist\, he was at his core a passionate patron of the arts who believed deeply in the power of civic beauty. When San Diego took on the gamble of hosting a world-class exposition\, Spreckels stepped up as its financial backbone\, personally underwriting the effort through two turbulent years to guarantee its success. From gifting the majestic Spreckels Organ Pavilion\, a grand musical monument to the public that remains a cultural cornerstone today\, to laying the civic and artistic foundation for what became The San Diego Museum of Art\, Spreckels proved that true empire-building went far beyond rail lines and sugar docks. It was about creating a vibrant\, enduring home for the human spirit. \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. \n  \nFeatured at top right: Detail of Empire Builder: John D. Spreckels and the Making of San Diego book cover.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/building-balboa-park-john-d-spreckels-and-the-shaping-of-san-diegos-cultural-heart/
LOCATION:Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art\, 1649 El Prado\, San Diego\, CA\, 92101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2-27-Sandra-E-Bonura-Book-Cover_Building-Balboa-Park-John-D.-Spreckels-and-the-Shaping-of-San-Diegos-Cultural-Heart_square.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270319T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270319T113000
DTSTAMP:20260923T000516Z
CREATED:20260827T195026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T000516Z
UID:883231-1805450400-1805455800@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Saved the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, March 19\n10:00 a.m.\nSpeaker: Sandra E. Bonura\, PhD\, Author and Historian\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nJoin us at The San Diego Museum of Art for a fully illustrated\, interactive presentation with award-winning biographer and historian Sandra E. Bonura\, PhD\, author of The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Built the San Diego Zoo. When the Fine Arts Gallery (now The San Diego Museum of Art) opened its doors in 1926\, Belle Benchley was stepping up to run the neighboring San Diego Zoo. Over the next three decades\, as SDMA cultivated the city’s artistic soul\, Belle transformed the living world next door into a landmark of its own. In 1925\, a middle-aged\, divorced mother with zero animal training took a temporary bookkeeping job at a struggling local zoo. Through sheer grit\, administrative genius\, and media-savvy marketing\, Benchley didn’t just keep Balboa Park vibrant; she revolutionized animal welfare and built a global conservation powerhouse in our own backyard. Through a rich multimedia showcase featuring rare archival movie clips\, historic radio broadcasts\, and 1920s photography\, Dr. Bonura brings Benchley’s world vividly to life. \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. \n  \nFeatured at top right: Detail of The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Saved the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park book cover. Artwork by Wagner Humphreys.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/the-zoo-lady-how-belle-benchley-saved-the-san-diego-zoo-and-balboa-park/
LOCATION:Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art\, 1649 El Prado\, San Diego\, CA\, 92101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/3-27-Sandra-E-Bonura-Book-Cover_The-Zoo-Lady-How-Belle-Benchley-Saved-the-San-Diego-Zoo-and-Balboa-Park_square.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270416T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270416T113000
DTSTAMP:20260923T000535Z
CREATED:20260827T204732Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T000535Z
UID:883235-1807869600-1807875000@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:Art in the Public Realm
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, April 16\n10:00 a.m.\nSpeaker: Lara Bullock\, PhD\, Civic Art Project Manager with the City of San Diego\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nArt extends beyond museum walls to shape the identity of cities and the lives of the people who inhabit them. Drawing on histories of public art and monument-making\, her research on street art\, and her experience working with the Civic Art Collection and contemporary public art in San Diego\, Lara Bullock\, PhD\, considers the complicated relationship between artistic intervention\, institutional authority\, and the shared spaces of the city. Instead of asking “what public art should be?” what happens when we ask “what public art can do?” This talk examines the public art from objects that boldly represent collective histories to practices that invite varied forms of participation.  \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. \n 
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/art-in-the-public-realm-guest-lecture/
LOCATION:Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art\, 1649 El Prado\, San Diego\, CA\, 92101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/4-27-Lara-Headshot-Public-Art_web-resize.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270521T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270521T113000
DTSTAMP:20260923T000554Z
CREATED:20260827T200734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T000554Z
UID:883253-1810893600-1810899000@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:The Neuroscience of Art
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, May 21\n10:00 a.m.\nSpeaker: Ying Choon Wu\, PhD\, Associate Project Scientist\, Institute of Neural Computation\, UC San Diego\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nCan works of art change the way we think and feel? Drawing on years of collaborative research between the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and The San Diego Museum of Art\, research scientist Ying Choon Wu\, PhD\, presents groundbreaking findings on the neurological impact of aesthetic experiences. Discover how art influences attention\, emotion\, memory\, and well-being while gaining new scientific insight into the important role museums play in learning\, empathy\, and human connection. \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. \n  \nFeatured at top right: Photo of Dr. Ying Choon Wu.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/the-neuroscience-of-art/
CATEGORIES:Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/5-27-YingWu-Photo-1_web-resize.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270618T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270618T113000
DTSTAMP:20260923T000612Z
CREATED:20260827T201147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T000612Z
UID:883258-1813312800-1813318200@www.sdmart.org
SUMMARY:The Surprise Artist
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, June 18\n10:00 a.m.\nHosted by: Deidre Guevara\, Director of Community Engagement\, The San Diego Museum of Art\nMOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater \n  \nEvery artist has a story\, but this one remains a surprise until the evening begins. In this signature program\, Deidre Guevara welcomes a contemporary artist whose identity will be revealed shortly before the event. Through an engaging conversation about artistic practice\, creative process\, and personal inspiration\, audiences will enjoy an intimate\, behind-the-scenes look at the ideas shaping contemporary art today. Each edition is unique\, making the element of surprise part of the experience itself. \n  \nPlease note\, this lecture is in-person only and held at the MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater in Balboa Park. \n$15 members and students | $20 seniors and military | $30 nonmembers \nGet Tickets \n  \nThis lecture is presented as a part of the Guest Lecture Series\, which offers a platform for renowned scholars and experts from the art world to share their insights and knowledge on topics related to art history\, art theory\, and the museum’s collections. \nSponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council.
URL:https://www.sdmart.org/event/the-surprise-artist/
LOCATION:Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art\, 1649 El Prado\, San Diego\, CA\, 92101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artist Talk,Guest Lecture Series,Lecture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.sdmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/6-27-Surprise-Artist_istockphoto-162254820-612x612-1.jpg
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