Port and City of San Diego Celebrate Arts and Culture With Free Event

Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Contact: John Gilmore (619) 686-6222

More than 60 arts and cultural organizations are collaborating this Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, on Fall for the Arts - a free celebration of arts and culture at the Port of San Diego's Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, a venue on San Diego Bay.

Fall for the Arts will feature an eclectic mix of workshops and entertainment, including a ballet performance from Alice in Wonderland, African dancing and poetry, a battle scene from King Edward II, songs from "Little Shop of Horrors" and rock music.

The arts and culture festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the pavilion, located at 1000 North Harbor Drive on the San Diego bay front. Activities will take place both inside the pavilion and on the pier.

Parking is available in nearby public lots, but may be limited. Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation. Information about bus and trolley schedules is available at San Diego Metropolitan Transit.

"This will be something for the young and not so young," said Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Scott Peters. "They are going to see and hear some of the best that the San Diego arts and cultural community have to offer, and it's going to be a time for fun and learning."

For more information, please visit thebigbay.com.

Fall for the Arts coincides with the start of National Arts and Humanities Month. The Port of San Diego created the event with help from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Supporting groups include the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, The San Diego Foundation, Americans for the Arts and the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The event is one in a series of port events to encourage people to come to the waterfront and take advantage of its many amenities, including restaurants, specialty shops and venues such as the San Diego Maritime Museum and the Midway Museum.

The port's initial effort to "activate" the waterfront with fun public events was last month's "Mambo on the Bay," held at Cesar Chavez Park.

Activation events center on the entire waterfront around San Diego Bay and the five cities that are part of the port – City of San Diego, City of National City, City of Chula Vista, City of Imperial Beach and City of Coronado.

Here is a sampling of what viewers will see and hear:

The Westwind Brass begins the morning with a performance that promises music, stories and audience interaction. At the same time, a La Jolla Playhouse film, "Where American Theatre is Born," will look at some of the theater's upcoming productions and its contributions to the San Diego community.

San Diego State University's School of Theatre, Television and Film will present a clowning workshop that promises to "connect you to your inner child." Apprentices from the California Ballet will perform scenes from Alice in Wonderland and the City Ballet of San Diego will present an excerpt from "Romeo & Juliet."

A representative of the La Jolla Playhouse will describe the art of prop making, and the Women's Museum of California will stage a dramatic reading of the 1911 passage of the California Voters' Rights Amendment.

Performers from the Cygnet Theatre will present songs from the Little Shop of Horrors and cast members from the Diversionary Theatre will perform scenes from King Edward II.

The WorldBeat Cultural Center will host a children's drum, dance and song workshop; teachers and students from the Recreational Music Center in Liberty Station will perform pop and rock tunes from several decades; Evoeke Dance Theatre will feature a hip-hop dance workshop; and one of the final events will be a puppet parade by the San Diego Guild of Puppetry and other groups.

And there will be several ongoing activities including:

• A variety of musical instruments children can try out
• Workshops on how to create origami
• A free tour of the Maritime Museum of San Diego's 3 Voyages exhibit.
• Hands-on science activities provided by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
• Making a hood ornament at the San Diego Automotive Museum display
• Enjoying a tour with the Museum of Contemporary Art
• Creating a mini masterpiece with ArtReach

The Port of San Diego manages San Diego harbor and administers the public lands along San Diego Bay. The Port has operated without tax dollars since 1970 and has been responsible for $1.7 billion in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego. The Port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 17 public parks, various wildlife reserves and environmental initiatives, a Harbor Police department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub-tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.