National History Museum vs. Science Museum vs. Museum of Art

 

National History Museum vs. Science Museum vs. Museum of Art

Serendipity plays a big part in the writing of these blogs. Today is a good example of that. My husband does computer repair for a lovely woman named Shirley C. Strum. Dr.Strum is an expert in olive baboons and spends part of every year in Africa studying them. She is Professor of Anthropology and Professor of the Graduate Division, School of Social Sciences at UCSD and Executive Director of the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project in Kenya.  Last year her second popular book came out, Echoes of Our Origins: Baboons, Human, and Nature. She gave us a copy of the latest book and I found it fascinating. I am not going to go into any details about it except to say that Dr.Strum is a creative, out of the box thinker, rigorous in her research and quite brilliant. I highly recommend the book.

The question this book made me ask in its latter chapters: what is the difference between Natural History and Science? I am buried deep in the visual arts and it had simply never occurred to me to think about this. Although I have visited the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Science Museum and written numerous stories about both in the past, I never really thought about why Natural History was just not part of Science and vice versa. Why were there two buildings to house these subjects?

This was an easy Google fix: “Natural history is the observational study of organisms, environments, and natural objects in their natural environment, often focusing on description, classification, and "what" is happening. Natural science is the systematic, experimental study of the physical world, aimed at discovering general, reproducible laws through testing and analysis. This includes biology, earth science, atmospheric sciences, .oceanography, planetary science, chemistry, physics and astronomy.” In other words, one is observing, the other is experimenting. Of course, you need both, but I did not know the relationship has been rather a rocky one because of human egos.

As an artist married to a physicist, you would have thought this topic had come up. I know that the arts are not just storytellers, recorders of events, emotions, trends and topics. The arts are harbingers and thus are making hypotheses about the future. One is not better than the other. They live in harmony, just as he and I do.

In 2014, the SDVAN project The DNA of Creativity gave four grants for art and science projects.  The most relevant to this article are probably  Urban Succession (preserving wildlife in urban settings through artist constructed habitats)and  Sea Changes: Act (a project featuring climate change, plastic pollution, acid seas, and dwindling fish populations and offering emotional motivation to create changes in these areas affecting our oceans ). But all four projects were tasking the artist involved not to just be story tellers of scientific experiments, but encouraged artists to be creatively involved in the same way that scientist were innovative. The other two projects were as equally guided to this end.  SD View Art Now (a smart phone app to locate local arts events near you) and PAMM - PolyAesthetic Mapping: The Muses (ways to think about assessment criteria and the collaborations that artists and scientist might experience).

I write about all of this as Dr. Strum’s book left a lasting impression that there are things we can and should be doing to determine our evolution. And when I say “our” I mean the entire world.  How do we co-exist, not dominate. How is there a place for experimental behavior which might carry us forward, but also an imperative for order, compassion and trust that stabilizes our civilization?

A Day in the Life of Patricia Frischer

 

Patricia Frischer: Me, Too. Paper Doll Insurrection Series, 2025 

A Day in the Life of Patricia Frischer (as might be reported by Dorothy Parker, if she had AI)

• 6–8 a.m. – I wake early, though I refuse to rise before eight on principle. While the rest of the world rushes toward productivity, I conduct bed exercises and read a mystery on Libby. I heroically resist Instagram scrolling, which has the curious ability to devour sixty minutes in three bites. Messages on text, WhatsApp, and Instagram are inspected periodically—one must keep abreast of modern gossip.

• 8–10 a.m. – Breakfast is yogurt with chia seeds and fruit, which sounds healthier than it feels. On chilly mornings I sit in the sun with The New Yorker. I read the art pieces, the cartoons, and anything else that seduces me before my tea gets cold. After that comes the ordinary theater of civilization: dressing, makeup, and persuading the bed to look less like a crime scene.

• 10 a.m.–noon – The email avalanche arrives—60 to 90 notes, all demanding wit, diplomacy, or patience. I answer questions, remind people to list on SDVAN, and occasionally pretend I will get around to my own art career. I have two exhibitions this year, both featuring my Paper Protest Dolls. Invitations to juror shows are declined (mercilessly); invitations to sit on panels are accepted (foolishly). Running the San Diego Art Prize consumes hours with artists, selectors, writers, committees, catalogs, lesson plans, videos, and social media approvals. It is a miracle I remember my own name.

• Noon–2 p.m. – Sometimes I attend a County Commission for Arts and Culture meeting on Zoom, where I raise my digital hand and contribute my two cents—an amount that, if compounded, should soon be worth a dollar. I root enthusiastically for their success.

• 2–3 p.m. – Lunch with my husband Darwin, the day’s principal meal and often its happiest. Leftovers become stir-fries; his chili becomes my chili-mac. There is always salad. Desserts, if they survive dinner parties, are reincarnated as truffle balls dipped in chocolate. One per day keeps decadence respectable.

• 3–4:30 p.m. – A meeting of the North County Arts Network, where I serve as chair. We discuss art, culture, creativity, and how to encourage the entire county to notice them.

• 4:30–7 p.m. – If daylight allows, we attend an art opening. San Diego offers so much art that choosing among it feels like turning down suitors. I arrive early, take photographs before crowds obscure the view, and later write reports for the Picked RAW Peeled blog.

• 7–9 p.m. – The dull but necessary acts of adulthood: laundry, dishes, scheduling doctors, taxes, nonprofit paperwork, accounts, websites. Glamour, thy name is paperwork.

• 9–11 p.m. – Television murmurs in the background while I work in the studio. Mysteries, cooking shows, or anything funny will do. With my hands busy I make art—Paper Protest Dolls or decorated sheets that become greeting cards. No two are alike. Glitter is welcome. A girl must sparkle somewhere. Instructions for Unrest: Art Against Complacency opens at  Space 4 Art @ Art Produce Gallery in North Park from April 18 to May 14. This is a grouping of contemporary protest art reflecting some of the angst of our current political state.  More info: 619. 500-ARTS. Golly, gee whiz, I am in this show!

• 11 p.m.–2 a.m. – The late shift: more emails, editing photographs from exhibitions, posting videos to Instagram (which apparently prefers motion to stillness), researching the shows I’ve seen, and writing blog posts while the impressions are fresh. If sleep interrupts the process, the morning usually brings the missing thought.

Not every day looks quite like this—I pace myself when possible. I celebrate occasions, adore champagne, attend weekly yoga, and walk with Darwin to collect fallen limes from the alley so he can make an excellent whiskey sour. I employ a cleaner and a gardener because my back has begun filing complaints.

Life also includes the occasional drama: a sick friend, a leaky roof, a confused bird trapped in the living room. But as a fully volunteer arts organizer, the days are never empty.

I try to do less. I suspect I never will.

After all, life is not a rehearsal—it’s opening night, and each of us insists on top billing. 

A shout out to my dear friend Kira Corrillo Corser, who has written this song and put together this video for her Compassionate Art project. Fragile Planet Blues is part of Compassion Corridors mapping project. Let her know if you have a project for compassion and would like to be included. Charter for Compassion

Robert Williams is Fearless Depictions at Long Beach Museum of Art

This exhibition of Robert Williams is a wild ride. His images are hyper-detailed almost shockingly so. But that is because of the subject mater with is provocative, nightmarish and humorous all at the same time.

His career started in 1965 with designs for hotrods, but in 1967 he was working at Zap Comics. By 1994 he had started Juxtapoz Art and Culture Magazine. The 54 works in this show are all from 2007 to the present but although the look is of comics, they have no panels, no strips…they are all one compact image. This is a master draftsman merging fine art with a cartoon style. 

A close look at these images, and you see a subversive personality. Read the complex explanation of the wall text written by Williams and you soon realize that the joy of making the image is paramount. He doesn’t really care what you think, or what the images even mean to him. I think the joy of letting it all lose on the canvas is what feeds him. The first images here are all about the artist who is creating and how damned they are.  The next set makes fun of the fantasy of a perfect life and corporate greed. There are also two large scale sculptures and  small sculptures called Miscreants that are 3-D printed and lots of magazines. But it is the painting that are his Fearless Depictions.  

I was so drawn to this work, that the stop in Long Beach on our way home from Los Angeles, was a delight. I highly recommend taking a day trip (an hour and a half if the traffic is good). We enjoy our take away from The Original Thai Barbeque...huge portions and wonderful coconut soup. And the view from the Museum of the Pacific Ocean is a delight. 

 

Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions
Long Beach Museum of Art
Showing until May 31, 2026
2300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA
(562) 439-2119
Thursday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm

State of the Arts Jan 2026: Shifts and Drifts

 

For the last 6 months of 2025 and now in 2026, there have been lots of shifts in management in the visual arts institutions. But first a little reminder of the San Diego Visual Arts project coming up in 2026:

San Diego Visual Arts Network presents the 2026 SD Art Prize  recipients Danielle Dean, Ingrid Hernandez, Tatiana Ortiz Rubio.. The exhibition will be held for the first time at Oceanside Museum of Art opening in Sept 19 from 5 to 7 in 2026 and showing until February 2027. Donate Now to Support the SD Art Prize KBPS’s Julie Dixon Evans reports San Diego Art Prize 2026 Winners: Three working mothers question what’s real and what’s possible (print and podcast) and Video,  Oct 2025.  

The Business of Art Scholarship is a unique opportunity for an artist who has a body of work to showcase and is interested in selling their artwork during Mission Fed ArtWalk. San Diego Visual Arts Network and Mission Fed ArtWalk partner to  select one emerging artist to receive mentoring, a booth at the festival and more.  One scholarship recipient will be announced in early 2026. Deadline for Application Extended: Friday 12AM, Jan 30th, 2026

Advocacy for the arts is one our our main concerns. Please remember the following ways you can have input. 

The California Arts Council and their statewide series of  Town Hall gatherings to gather broad and diverse input from arts and culture.  San Diego Jan 30^th  from 9 am – 12:30 pm at the San Diego Made Factory Register Here. Also, virtual online event for SD & Imperial Counties  Feb 3 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm Register Here. We are featuring this on our homepage.

San Diego ART Matters is bringing back Creative Conversations and the first event in 2026 will be at the  California Center for the Arts, Escondido on Feb 24 from 9 to 1 pm. The focus is The Arts in Rural and Unincorporated San Diego County. This information gathering meeting is free and in connection with the newly formed north county inland’s  Art and Cultural Alliance which is the group formed by some of NCAN’s Fallbrook Advisory committee members. (Note: I am the chair of NCAN right now!) 

It is worth re-reading my blog from earlier this year: A+ Art Blog by Patricia Frischer: SD County Arts and Culture Commission retreat Key Note Speech, June 5, 2025 Plus, Plus, Plus Arts Advocacy News

Now for shifts and drifts:

We are happy to hear from Terra Lawson-Remer’s office that “we deeply recognize that artistic expression, cultural practices, and creativity are essential to the health and wellbeing of San Diego County. The San Diego Arts and Culture Commission plays a critical role in both expanding opportunities and advancing equity through the arts.” Chairperson of the County Supervisors, Lawson-Remer was reassuring us that the funding for the staff of the commission would NOT be directed to any other environment issue (i.e. sewage problems in the TJ/SD River). We also want to acknowledge support from Supervisor Montgomery Steppe. Thanks to all who came forward to stop this mistake. Nice to know we can rally and make a difference. You can watch a recording of the proceeding that took over an hour. Words from Arts Matters about the value of the arts start at minute 52 and include Lawson-Remer finishing assurances at hour 1.06.

Rachel Laing has become the new City of San Diego Assistant Deputy Director in the Economic Development Department, leading the City of San Diego’s efforts to cultivate a thriving creative economy. The arts in the city of San Diego are now under the department of Economic Development, perhaps one reason that Jonathon Glus moved to become a fellow at the Prebys Foundation with a remit to form a City Arts and Culture District with the help of the Downtown City Partnership.

Felicia Shaw has stepped down from the ED position at our leading arts advocacy organization for the county, SD ART Matters (SDAM), They have now appointed Bob Lehman as its new Executive Director. formally  Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council. Felicia Shaw new title is assistant Executive director of SD Art Matters. Bob and Felicia are also commissioners for the County Commission Arts and Culture.

Encinitas will be looking for a new arts manager of the cultural arts division of the City of Encinitas to replace Collette Murphy Stefanko, who has gone to a job in northern California. Luckily a recruitment company has been hired and this will be a national search. the application has now been posted with a due date of Feb 22.  

Alex Goodman, former director of the Brooks Theatre — Oceanside Theatre Company, has accepted the position as District Director for assemblywoman Tasha Boerner. Her district covers the cities from Carlsbad to Coronado. This gives us an incredible arts advocate at the state level. Be thinking about any ways this could be of benefit to the arts community suggests Jim Gilliam, chairman of the SD County Commission for Arts and Culture.

Sandi Landicho is the new Chief Financial Officer/Operations Officer of The New Children's Museum.

Jean Keane is the new Program Manager at The Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad

Luisa Martinez is the new Assistant Director, Athenaeum Art Center in Barrio Logan

Dra. Inez Gonzalez is the Interim Executive Director Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (CPMCC) but they are still  looking for a  new Executive Director. You can apply online or directly email your resume and cover letter to director@chicanoparkmuseum.org. There is no hard deadline, apply as soon as possible!

Another shift in arts leadership: Lucy Eagleson, Executive Director, will be transitioning from her role at Arts a Reason to Survive. The ARTS board chair Tom Reise assures us the programs will continue uninterrupted.  The former director of ARTS James Halliday  has now taken the place of Allan Ziter at the NTC Foundation which is now known at Arts District Liberty Station. Congratulation to them on this state wide designation. 

Kathryn Kanjo, The David C. Copley Director and CEO at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is stepping down to take up a position at UC Irvine and her replacement has not been announced.

Ceci Moss is stepping down as director of the Mandeville Gallery at UCSD. But no one will take her place. Instead, the art department will fill the space and it appears that will be mainly student exhibitions.

Sara Rodriguez is taking Carol Naegle’s place as the director of the Brook Theater Gallery in June, 2025.

Vanguard Culture has moved into a new office at UC San Diego Park & Market (Third Floor). But they will continue to hold events in county wide locations like Hera Hub, Carlsbad.

The CA State Cultural District grant project came back! With grants up to $10,000 over a two-year period, official state certification, technical assistance, and access to joint marketing and branding resources. But after a flurry of attempts at local applications, especially in North County, only Liberty Station became a new cultural district in San Diego County. We now have 4 (Oceanside, Balboa Park and Barrio Logan are the others).

Balboa Park parking: Bad news for everyone. We checked out the fees and the discounts are only for those living in the City of San Diego and not the county. So, if you do not live in the city, you will pay the full $10 for 4 hours or $16 a day in the closest lots to the Museum. You can park in Lower Inspiration Point for 3 free hours or $10 for the day and take the free shuttle.  Otherwise, you pay at the parking meter kiosks on roads in Balboa Park for $2.50 an hour. No need to sign up and waste the $5 as that is only for monthly, quarterly or year passes or to register is you are a resident of the city. If you work for a non-profit in the park, you can park for free or if you have a disabled placard. Museums have noted a marked decline in attendance so far, as well as non-renewal of membership, even cancellation of birthday parties… In response, a petition has circulated, calling on city leaders to revisit the policy. Organizers say they plan to present the signatures to the San Diego City Council, requesting adjustments or exemptions to reduce the burden on museums, visitors and volunteers.