Unknown Frontiers at Techne Art Center

 by Patricia Frischer 

Jonathon Schipper 

Crash and bang are the first sounds I heard entering TECHNE Art Center for the Unknown Frontier exhibition. But this was not an accident. It was sound coming from the falling works by sculptor Jonathan Schipper. In Schipper’s world, time isn’t just the ticking of a clock—it’s a sly accomplice. He makes you watch the world fall apart… slowly, artfully, and with impeccable timing. The framed art in the center of his wall, lifts straight out of the wall, a mechanical arm emerges with a life-like finger which then rotates and upsets the other works, one by one. Is that central work of mirror image cathedrals the robot winner of the wall? Maybe or maybe Schipper just has a fondness for reminding people that time will have its way with us all.

The humor of this work, literally knocking the art off the walls, set the tone for this show and I found myself looking for humor and finding some in much of the art on display. Hurrah…beauty and humor are valuable commodities in today’s world and we need as much as we can find. 

Jonathon Schipper 

Jonathon Schipper 

Jen Hitchings creates a meditation on the age-old romance between humankind and nature—a relationship as mystical, mythological, and codependent as any doomed love affair. 

Tim Murdoch art is hand (or foot)-worked, repurposed, and lightly seasoned with humor and exists as aesthetic public mischief.

Tim Murdoch- detail

Tim Murdoch

Will Hutnick is looking through a queer, ecologically tuned lens that refuses to play nicely with binaries.

Will Hutnick

Delilah Strunkel explores imaginative micro-worlds and patterns—those hidden little universes you didn’t know were lurking inside you, like houseguests who never left. 

Frank Webster paints the natural world the way a poet might transcribe an avalanche—delicately, yet with a sense you may not get out alive. 

Kate Stone's works is perfectly timed for Halloween. A simple piece of beige carpet, but look close and it is so creepy and funny at the same time as the teeth are very similar to the pile of the rug.

Kate Stone - detail

Christopher Lin is building the future’s ruins while we’re still tripping over today’s.

Christopher Lin

David Kramer takes the chatter in his head: disclaimers, distractions, and self-deprecating jokes that elbow their way onto the surface of his hooked rugs. 

Briana Miyoko Stanley Lane has given us part memory palace, part obstacle course, and part séance for the things we’ve lost. In short, she has built a world you can walk through—though she might gently suggest you watch your step.

Briana Miyoko Stanley Lane

Hwang (Bo) Kim has dabbled in everything—drawing, assemblage, printmaking, photography—before settling down with oil paint, the way someone might finally surrender to sensible shoes. So comfortable, reliable and and you want them to last forever.

Chuck Thomas, is owner and curator of this show and it is always a thrill to see his studio open and the work on view. I find the motion and the color in his work, just pure joy. 

Unknown Frontier
TECHNE Art Center
Curated by Chuck Thomas
On view until Dec 5
Other artists featured include artists Jeff Feld, Sylvia Fernandez, Nathanael Flink, Jason Clay Lewis.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday 1-6pm
1609 Ord Way, Oceanside, CA 92056

Omni Intelligent at Mandeville Gallery at UCSD

by Patricia Frischer

Lou Cantor’s The Oracle, 2023

Ceci Moss in her last curated exhibition for the Mandeville Gallery before taking up her new position at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is presenting Omni Intelligent. The premise of this show seems to be how we will be communicating with A.I. in the future, but the twist comes as artists are also challenged to think about how A.I. will deem to communicate with us.  Two of the artists brought the sense of smell into their work, but most are visual and although there are textures, we are still in the ‘do not touch” the art world. There is sound, of course, as we are now used to seeing headphones attached to the art works.  

 
Lou Cantor’s The Oracle, 2023 greets you at the door and sets the stage for the rest of the exhibition. The pair of lips is suspended in the air and although you have to put on the headphones to hear the disembodied voice of A.I. you are most intrigued by how this is created. A closer observation reveals that it is LED light mounted on fan blades. You can see this more easily in the photo and film, but in real life the lips are un-interrupted. Humans are definitely the lower order in this dialogue

Rhonda Holberton Other Known Tomorrows, 2025

Rhonda Holberton Other Known Tomorrows, 2025

Rhonda Holberton Other Known Tomorrows, 2025

 
Other Known Tomorrows, 2025 by Rhonda Holberton is a three-part installation, a video of brain-wave activity which records stimulation by a “perfume” essence you are invited to sniff. And a 3-D printed rock that actually holds the bottle.  This was art meets science collaboration with researcher Dr. Ying Choon Wu, who directs UC San Diego’s Insight lab at the Institute for Neural Computation. Watch for the AI-manipulated video on the front of the gallery. 

 
 

agustine zegers vaho arborescente, 2025 

agustine zegers vaho arborescente, 2025 is simply a small sample of scent. When you smell it, you are invited to envision a forest, maybe after an electric storm because she has suggested that future trees are actually able to communicate with A.I. We know that trees communicate with each through their roots and that there are electrical elements with all plant matter so even though this was a minimal visual experience this was conceptually so interesting.

Star Feliz,  in Siren of Oblivion, 2024

Star Feliz,  in Siren of Oblivion, 2024 gives us one of  the most easily interpreted work. The water vessel from an ancient society is hooked up with cables and its middle now is communicating through a digital screen. The vessel reminds us of an earth mother and there is something siren like about the sounds that go with this piece.

 

CROSSLUCID  Red the Ocean Around U, 2024 

CROSSLUCID in their game design Red the Ocean Around U, 2024 instead of writing prompts for A.I. to respond to, the game asks the questions for the gamer to answer. U is the character and Claude is the A.I. and the adventures begins.

Eglė Budvytytė Songs from the compost: mutating bodies, imploding stars, 2020 

Eglė Budvytytė created a film Songs from the compost: mutating bodies, imploding stars, 2020 peopled by alien and human dancers responding to the real setting of a sand dune  shared by Russia and Lithuania.  There is a life cycle aspect but besides aliens, it was unclear how this related to A.I. The rainbow color is not present in the actual film, this was divine intervention by the android phone!
 

Ánima Correa

Ánima Correa - detail

Ánima Correa presents the Repeater sculptures which represent the undersea cable which first started to connect universities via internet and the Espejitxs paintings which are bit a like big brother watching from on high.

 

Amia Yokoyama 

Amia Yokoyama has been working with stop-motion clay animation but for this work those figures have been converted into 3D holograms  in ceramic frames. She explains: “I am exploring what happens when something exists in multiple dimensions simultaneously….”

 
 

Marcus Zúñiga brown archaeoastronomy, 2025 

Marcus Zúñiga named his art work brown archaeoastronomy, 2025 to reference the stars in the sky. The structure  which reaches up, references symbols from New Mexican weavings. There is something reassuring about how the sky does not change through time and might hold mysteries yet to be discovered.  

           
 
Omni Intelligent
Mandeville Gallery
University of California San Diego
On view until Dec 6, 2026
Wed-Sat, 12-8pm

The Designer Who Rocks the Frocks in Cygnet’s Follies

 By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt

The new Cygnet Theatre takes a new look at 1970’s Follies. 
(Karli Cadel Photography)

This month there’s a great event at Liberty Station: the grand opening of “The Joan”, Cygnet Theatre’s  brand-new 32,000-sq.ft. Performing Arts Center named in honor of the late arts patron/philanthropist Joan Jacobs and built on the spot where the old Naval Exchange used to be.

In 1997, when the Naval Training Center (NTC) was decommissioned, nobody knew what to do with this space, so it remained empty until last year when Cygnet Theatre, formerly based in Old Town, decided to turn it into its new home--The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center…a major undertaking.

They wanted to open with what Artistic Director Sean Murray called “a statement piece” so they chose Follies, a musical with book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim that premiered in NYC in 1971 and won many awards, including a Tony for Sondheim’s musical score and a Tony for Best Direction of a Musical for Harold Prince and Michael Bennett.

Sean Murray begins Cygnet’s exciting new phase by directing this show about a group of showgirls from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s who get together for a reunion in a crumbling old theater where they all once performed. They and the producer/director of their Ziegfeld-like Follies plus some of their attending husbands and sometime-lovers appear onstage …along with the young ghosts of their former selves.

“It’s a memory play, very interesting and beautiful, with people remembering what their lives used to be, and the ghosts of their pasts are present,” said Costume Designer Elisa Benzoni, when we interviewed her in her Costume Shop a few weeks before Follies opened.

 

In the Costume Shop with Elisa Benzoni. (Maurice Hewitt)

“This is my home,” she said, as she showed us some of her works-in-process, most of which were not yet ready for photo ops. 

She’d been doing extensive research on the styles of the periods involved and loved having a chance to play with feathers and beads and glitter and sparkle, but anytime she felt historical accuracy overwhelmed the storytelling, she went with the storytelling.

“The characters come to this reunion presenting their best selves, so there are bright colors and patterns, but the play soon shows what’s happening underneath,” she said.  “My hope is that the costumes help clarify the moments in the present along with the moments we dive inside their minds.”

A character side by side with her former self. (Karli Cadel Photography)

Another character alongside her former self. (Karli Cadel Photography)

This is what you might call a bittersweet musical, with everyone’s follies exposed, and many late-life regrets. But a high point in Follies is “I’m Still Here,” the show’s most memorable song sung by well-known performer Leigh Scarrett, wearing one of our favorite Elisa Benzoni designs.

Leigh Scarrett, looking great in her costume and singing her heart out.

Elisa’s Confession: The most challenging part of the show is the last 40 minutes, when there are six costume changes for each of the 27 characters! 

About the Designer:  Elisa Benzoni was born in Milano, Italy, moved to Southern California at age 10, and ended up with a Master’s Degree in Costume Design from UC San Diego. She was happy to discover a vibrant theater scene here and has become a significant part of it. She’s been with Cygnet for two years now and is the mother of a two-month-old baby boy. “I wear the baby with me for all my fittings!” she said.

Follies
Cygnet Theatre
Just extended through October 12, 2025
2880 Roosevelt Rd. San Diego, CA 92106
Tickets and info: 619-337-1525.

 

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Diego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net

Next Gen at Institute of Contemporary Art Central

 by Patricia Frischer

Coralys Carter, MFA, University of California

We have the ability to recognize male and female attributes of a created work that are generally accepted. Curves read  as female, sharp corners as male. These are passé statement in 2025 as we now live in a gender fluid age. This is quite evident in the Next Gen exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary on view until Feb 1, 2026.

All the artists are said to have “strong feminist perspectives” declares one of the jury of selectors, Talia Heiman, Assistant Curator, REDCAT, Los Angeles. The other selectors are Kibum Kim, Partner, Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles, Christie Mitchell, Executive Director, Atheneum Music & Arts Library, San Diego, and Karla Niño de Rivera, Curator, Museo Anahuacalli, Mexico City. It is a big bonus that these VIPs in the art world were able to see the work of these emerging artists and many  others that were nominated.

Although three artists are obviously communicating about female issues, the other four artists are not so identifiable from the work presented. Coralys Carter uses some traditional female materials in her practice.   Maya Rosado uses photography to document issues centered on all aspects of the womb and Adele Gaburo focus on body size issues. Nykelle DeVivo used video to express social anger issues.   Emily Greenberg presents a commentary on social media.  Maddie Butler utilizes hardware from media technology and Nanzi Muro highlights the mistreatment of students.

These different voices are all reaching out to us. Trying to communicate messages, explain challenges or are even pleas for help. There is no real single way to tie them together. We just need to observe and wait for the next generation to find its way forward. 

Coralys Carter, MFA, University of California

Maya Rosado, BA, University of California

Nykelle DeVivo, MFA, University of California

Nykelle DeVivo, MFA, University of California

Emily Greenberg, MFA, University of California

Maddie Butler, MFA, University of California

 

Maddie Butler, MFA, University of California

Nanzi Muro, MFA, San Diego State University

Nanzi Muro, MFA, San Diego State University

Adele Gaburo, BA, San Diego State University

Adele Gaburo, BA, San Diego State University

Next Gen
On view until Feb 1, 2026
ICA Central
1439 El Prado (Headquarters), San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-0011 info@icasandiego.org
Thursday–Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 pm (last entry at 4:30pm)
Monday–Wednesday Closed

Alfredo Castañeda: Beyond Surrealism at SDMA

by Patricia Frischer 

After seeing the expansive show of  Eduardo Chillida Convergence at SDMA on the first floor and the intense detailed miniature work of Marianela de la Hoz and Marc Urselli: Palpitations with its soundscape on the second floor, then Alfredo Casteñeda: Beyond Surrealism in the next room is not really beyond surrealism, it lands you smack in the middle of this artist imagination inspired by Rene Magritte. The large photo portrait of this Mexican artist starts this show can be referenced as he used his own image in every conceivable scenarios of his convoluted dreams. 

These 35 paintings shown for the first time in the USA, cover 50 years of the artists life (1938 – 2010). There is wit in the art and a very unusual patterning in many of the works which is quite contemporary. His smooth painting technique is reminiscent alter painting and it becomes difficult to place these works in time. But they are easily identifiable as a body of work because of his image in all of them.  

What sets Casteñada apart is his overlying attention to a religious fervency; Nuns, alters, sacrificial lambs. The connection to Rasputin the Russian mystic and faith healer comes to mind, but maybe because of the beard. Many of the canvases and images are fragmented or repeated. Multiple personalities in one body or multiple bodies in one personality….

 

Portrait of the Artist

Alfredo Casteñeda: Beyond Surrealism
On view until March, 1, 2026
San Diego Museum Of Art
1450 El Prado Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 10AM - 5PM
Sunday Noon to 5, Wednesday Closed