Pick up a new hobby and enjoy the sunshine at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station this July. As the summer season begins, the lively arts and culture hub offers a wide variety of experiences and activities perfect for your summer itinerary.

Embrace your inner artist with interactive experiences at the ArtWalk Liberty Station Summer Series, uncover your green thumb at San Diego Craft Collective’s Garden workshops, dance the night away at the return of the Outdoor Summer Music Series and much more! Regardless of your age or skill level, there is something for everyone, with endless options.

First Friday at ARTS DISTRICT | July 7

Wander and observe all there is to offer in the ARTS DISTRICT with various art exhibitions, workshops and more for this month’s First Friday. You can view the entire lineup of events here with a few highlights listed below.

ArtWalk Liberty Station Summer Series is a partnership between ArtWalk and ARTS DISTRICT.  An event welcoming people of all ages to enjoy an intimate experience with the creative community. Over twenty ARTS DISTRICT tenants will exhibit both outdoors and in their studios to showcase their creative side with a hands on collage making class with June Rubin and much more!

• Apt 4 Music’s First Friday at Carruth Cellars is coming back on July 7! From 4:30PM to 8PM, attendees of all ages are welcome to stop by and enjoy a free evening of live music featuring musicians from ARTS DISTRICT’s own, Apt 4 Music.
  
• Leslie Pierce is excited to be hosting a Color Theory Bootcamp and Palm Tree Paint-along in her studio for beginners and experts. Visitors will learn so much more about color and leave with an 11×14” painting they created. There will be two sessions running from 5PM to 6:30PM and then a second from 7PM to 8:30PM.
  
• San Diego Watercolor Society is pleased to present the opening of a water-based media exhibition titled “Where the Fun Is.” The opening reception will take place Friday, July 7 from 5PM-8PM and will feature over 95 ready-to-hang original paintings as well as refreshments.
  
• Mockingbird Improv is thrilled to be hosting “All Hands on Deck,” a wild and wacky improv game show from 9PM to 10:15PM. General admission for the show is $15.
  
• San Diego Craft Collective will have their doors open for a community mending event taking place from 4PM to 7PM. Since July’s theme is buttons, interested parties can gab an item from home that needs fixing and learn how to re-style or mend clothes that need some hands-on love. Kids are also welcome to stop by the studio from 5PM to 6PM for a free Button Art kids craft.
  
• Art in Flexion is excited to be hosting performances and demonstrations from Circus artists! During the open studio, each performer will share about their journey through development with Contortion and Hand Balancing, followed by a Q&A which will dive deeper into what it takes to be a Circus Performer.

BIPOC Artistic Collaboration Discussion | July 8

Immerse yourself in an evening of artistry, dialogue, and the celebration of new beginnings. Join San Diego Writers Ink and Trixi Anne Agiao for an intimate evening of artistic exploration and collaboration at ‘Creative Alchemy: A Night of Shared Creations.’ Bringing together eight exceptional BIPOC writers and choreographers, this special event explores the collaborative processes present within their art through demonstration and discussion.

After the collaborations are shared, the artists will host an insightful Q&A session allowing the audience to intimately connect with these remarkable BIPOC writers and choreographers.

The event will take place at 7PM on Saturday, July 8 at the Inspirations Gallery, located at 2730 Historic Decatur Rd #204, San Diego, CA 92106. Admission is free and attendees can RSVP here.

ARTS DISTRICT Summer Music Series | July 9

Let the music move and groove you this summer with the return of ARTS DISTRICT Summer Music Series happening Sunday, July 9 from 4PM to 7PM on the North Promenade. Guests, friends, and family will be able to dance to the beat of the music, bring a picnic blanket and enjoy the free concert, or sip on cold beverages from Stone Brewing’s outdoor patio area.

Click here for more details.

Jazz Tuesdays at Carruth Cellars | July 11, 18 & 25

Sip back and relax with wine, cheese and smooth jazz at Carruth Cellars in Liberty Station from 5PM to 8PM every Tuesday. With new performers and musicians each week, Carruth’s Jazz Tuesdays offer the perfect atmosphere for tasting wine with good company.

Montly Garden Club | July 14

San Diego Craft Collective invites the community to join their garden club on the second Friday of every month. Founder, Steffanie Dotson, saw an opportunity to transform an underutilized plot of land outside their studio into a living, learning lab! Through the support of a Collaborative Grant by NTC Foundation, the new Edible & Pollinator Garden serves to teach the community about how gardening in a small space can be quite abundant.

Learn how to grow your own organic fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables, plus all the benefits of eating healthy, being outdoors and giving back green space to our planet. Participation is $10 and free for military. To sign up, click here.

Summer Exhibit at Dick Laub Command Center | Now on Display!

Artistic works from ARTS DISTRICT’s very own artists are now on display through September 30. The Summer themed exhibit will feature a collection of paintings, photographs and other artistic mediums in the lobby of the Dick Laub Command Center.

Additional exhibits on display include Joe Pisano’s The Art of Immortalizing Heroes, Joe Frangiosa’s Nautical History Gallery & Museum, and art by Lisa E in the Conference Room off the lobby, which is part of an NTC Foundation exhibit showcasing works by Lauren LeVieux. The Summer Exhibit is open daily from 11AM to 4PM.

Summer Camps

Milk Oolong Pottery: Learn skills on the pottery wheel, sculpting, hand-building, and surface decoration to create a variety of projects. Offering nine 5-day sessions, summer camp classes are available through August 18 from 1:30PM to 3:30PM.

Banyan Tree Educational Services: Avoid Summer slide and get your kids ahead for the next school year with 6 weeks of targeted literacy and math instruction with a credentialed teacher. Running through July 28 from 8AM to 12PM, students entering second to sixth grade will learn important skills necessary for navigating their path to success. Additional personalized and one-on-one learning opportunities are available through August 25 at their Liberty Station location.

Bilingual Kids: Enjoy weekly themed weeks through August 12 featuring Spanish, Mandarin and ESL. Each week will conclude with a Fiesta/派对/Party. In each session, your children will embark on new experiences, and make friendships, all the while learning and enhancing their language skills. All levels are welcome and there are Full Day, Half Day and Single Day options available. Weekly camps run through August 11.

Monart School of Art: Embrace your inner artist with half-day drawing and mixed media art camps. Weekly camps run through August 25 with each week featuring a different theme including ocean fun, cartoons, amazing animals, fantasy & fiction and more.

San Diego Craft Collective: Kids are welcome to enjoy fun, hands on projects in a specific area of interest at their wide variety of kids camps this Summer including woodworking, wood & clay, fashion design, sewing basics and gardening. Weekly camps run through August 11.

About ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station

ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station is San Diego’s largest Arts & Cultural District located in historic buildings at the former Naval Training Center in the Liberty Station neighborhood, near Downtown on San Diego Bay. With 100 park-like acres, the ARTS DISTRICT is home to over 100 museums and galleries, artist studios, dance companies, fine dining, creative retail and other organizations that showcase San Diego’s creative community and provide innovative experiences for the public. Click here for more info.

See you there, San Diego!