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San Diego weekend arts events: DNA forensics, Miles Davis, books and more
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Melissa Walter and Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez-Delgado
Visual art, Science | Local artist Melissa Walter and the New Mexico-based mixed media artist Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez-Delgado will both open separate exhibitions at Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego-North campus in Encinitas.
Rodríguez-Delgado will show installation work that are self-contained survival systems made out of found electronics and materials, inspired partly by Star Trek, partly by the U.S. Space Program and also by Puerto Rico’s late-1980s bid to host the 2004 Olympics, and the slogan “We can do it.” His exhibit is called “Futuros Itinerantes.”
Courtesy of ICA San Diego-North
Melissa Walter’s work is always fascinating and science-informed, and for this show she is also debuting some experimental animation and ceramic sculptures — her first foray into both forms. This exhibit, “Plexus,” is informed by her study of DNA-based identification processes in the criminal justice system, and the evolution from early technology to the AI-based systems on the horizon. Her art is often paper-based, and the (often beautiful) visual imagery represents abstractions of the science and data she’s studied.
The more Walter, a 2020 San Diego Art Prize recipient, studied the evolution of forensic science, the more her own relationship with the work evolved too.
Courtesy of ICA San Diego
“I was starting to think about it a little more from a psychological perspective of the people that might have been affected by the lack of DNA analysis in the, you know, progression of their lives or the presence of DNA analysis. And so some of the newer pieces are a little more emotional in that sense, but they’re still very abstracted. I mean, all my work is very abstracted because I love this idea of taking these very complicated conversations and ideas and theories and technologies, and then boiling them down to their visual essence,” Walter said.
One series in the exhibit reflects early DNA technology, a series of smudgy, black watercolor dots on white paper — arranged in rows but still messy, a reflection of the messiness and inexactness of early forensic science.
A large piece draws from further along in the DNA technology evolution, by the present and future of DNA forensics, and based on a technology that uses AI to draw a picture of what someone may look like just based on scraps on DNA found on gum or a stray hair on the floor. Walter’s piece captures the decision tree of the technology as it determines eye color, and includes a mirror to reflect the viewer.
Both exhibits open with artist walkthroughs at the C You Saturday party this weekend. Tours begin at 5 p.m. Also on the agenda is a musical performance from locals Please Ask For Paul, a ceramics sale and kid-friendly survival device art-making activities inspired by Rodríguez-Delgado.
Details: Opens with a reception from 4-8 p.m. on Aug. 17. On view through Dec. 29. ICA San Diego-North, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Free.
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts Newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
Booked for the Weekend
Books | Join KPBS at the San Diego Central Library downtown for a special mini book festival as we announce the 2024 selections for One Book, One San Diego. If you’ve missed the reveal of the finalists, you can find the longlist here. The first 300 attendees will go home with a free copy of one of the selections, or you can purchase any of them at the event. The announcement will take place to kick things off at 11 a.m. in the Neil Morgan Auditorium on the first floor. Guests can then peruse the many libraries, literacy organizations and local presses set up in the outdoor courtyard, and there’s a 12:30 panel on how to use the One Book program for literacy at home and in the classroom.
Details: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17. San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., downtown. Free.
SummerFest: ‘California Dreamin’
Music, Classical | Part of La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, this performance spotlights pianist Conrad Tao and is inspired by Rachmaninoff, his time in California, and other composers with ties to the Golden State.
Tao will perform a selection of works by Rachmaninoff, and a set of chamber ensembles will perform additional works by composers like John Adams, John Williams, Reena Esmail, Rozsa and Terry Riley.
SummerFest continues through Aug. 24, and in addition to the ticketed concerts, a handful of free events remain, including lectures, coaching workshops, an open rehearsal and an artist lounge. Find the list of free events here.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17. The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $43-$85.
‘Cleopatra’
Theater | Co-produced by Moxie Theatre and Loud Fridge Theatre Group, “Cleopatra” is adapted by — and stars — former local Joy Yvonne Jones, based on Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” This is the play’s world premiere production, and it digs into the life of Cleopatra: the tragic Egyptian queen typically remembered more for her lovers and eyeliner than her actual influence on politics or her interior life. This production is directed by Andréa Agosto.
With the play, Moxie is launching a new “Equiticket” program, where up to a quarter of each night’s seats will be sold at “pick your price” rates.
Details: Opening night is Aug. 16. On stage through Sept. 7. Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando. $5-$90.
‘Velour: A Drag Spectacular’
Theater | Drag queen, performer, author and activist Sasha Velour (winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race!) comes to La Jolla Playhouse for a play inspired by her own origin story. Co-created by Velour and playwright Moisés Kaufman, this is a co-production with Kaufman’s New York-based Tectonic Theater Project.
Details: On stage through Sept. 15. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., UC San Diego. $25-$75.
‘Exit, Pursued by a Bear’
Theater | Playwright Lauren Gunderson’s “dark revenge comedy” is inspired by one line of stage direction in Shakespeare’s “The WInter’s Tale” and follows a woman, Nan, and an unlikely set of best friends as they plan an over-the-top and, uh, grotesque “exit” from an abusive marriage. Directed by Kira Blaskovich.
Details: On stage Aug. 16 through Sept. 8. Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado. $24+.
Gilbert Castellanos: ‘Miles Davis: Kind of Blue’
Music, Jazz | This weekend marks the 65th anniversary of Miles Davis’ iconic masterpiece, “Kind of Blue.” To celebrate, local jazz trumpet great Gilbert Castellanos and his band will perform from the album at the Rady Shell. Maybe I’ve been working in local arts for too long, but if you gave me two seconds to name the first two jazz trumpeters to come to mind, I’d definitely say Miles Davis and Gilbert Castellanos.
Michele Zousmer
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San Diego Symphony
Bonus: Get there early to catch the mind-blowingly talented youngsters from Castellanos’ Young Lions Jazz Conservatory. Their pre-show set will begin at 6 p.m.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17. The Rady Shell, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $18-$70.
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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A local mother is raising awareness about holiday theft after her children’s Christmas presents were stolen from their family home.
Meanwhile, San Diego police are warning people to be wary of scammers and thieves this time of year when the department sees a rise in these types of crimes.
“All the gifts that were hidden from my children were all gone,” said Kristin Lyons.
Plans for a Christmas surprise are now a loss for her two boys. Just before 3 a.m. Friday, a holiday grinch was caught on camera walking up the family’s University Heights driveway.
“It was a male. Jeans, gray sweatshirt, black backpack, a brown Padres hat and he came in on a bike,” said Lyons.
The alleged thief used a flashlight to search their carport before leaving with arms full.
“It was a big bin full of like 30 or 40 gifts wrapped,” according to Lyons. She explained the gifts included a scooter, shoes, clothes, and toys for her 3 and 4-year-old sons.
“They may not be very expensive items, they were very sentimental and personalized for the kids,” said Lyons.
Her neighborhood is located off Park Blvd. and Adams Ave. “We’ve had a lot of foot traffic, which has increased a lot of the crime as well.”
She said she and her neighbors rely on security cameras for safety, but hope police increase patrols after filing a report.
“There’s crimes of opportunity,” said SDPS Lt. Cesar Jimenez. He added that typically thieves look for easy targets.
“They’re looking for homes that are empty. They’re also looking into windows, and if people have all their presents, they have their Christmas tree by a window with all the presents underneath, then that’s a big temptation,” said Lt. Jimenez.
He advised residents to avoid placing their Christmas tree right by a window and to make sure packages are secured and out of sight.
Meanwhile, Lyons said she wants others to learn from her experience and isn’t letting this bring her and her family down.
She added that a neighbor found a partially wrapped gift dumped in the area and returned it to her after they saw her Nextdoor post. She’d like others who may stumble upon more gifts to also post about it on the Nextdoor app in the University Heights area, and she will keep an eye out.
The Husker football program announced its second hire to the coaching staff on the morning of Dec. 19.
Though it was first reported on Dec. 11, the university took to social media Friday morning to make it official that former San Diego State edges coach Roy Manning would be following defensive coordinator Rob Aurich to Lincoln. Per his coaching bio on the Huskers.com website, Manning will be in the same assistant role at Nebraska for the 2026 season.
The news marks the first defensive assistant hire for Aurich as a Husker and comes roughly a week and a half after the dismissal of Terry Bradden as defensive line coach. While Manning is not a 1:1 replacement for Bradden, he is expected to oversee a smaller position group as the Huskers look to overhaul their defensive scheme under its new leader.
With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Nebraska football’s newest defensive hire.
Manning arrives in Lincoln with a dozen years of defensive coaching experience at the Division I level, spanning multiple power conferences included the Big Ten and Big 12. He has coached at three of the 10 winningest programs in college football history, including Michigan, USC, and now, Nebraska. Most recently, Manning worked under Aurich at San Diego State, where the two were instrumental in engineering one of the nation’s most dramatic defensive turnarounds in 2025.
At San Diego State, Manning coached the Aztecs’ defensive edge players as SDSU produced one of the best defensive seasons in program history. The Aztecs led the nation with three shutouts and ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 12.6 points per game. San Diego State also finished seventh nationally in total defense and first in the country in red zone defense, something the Huskers finished 2025 second-to-last in. He helped oversee a unit that made a 17-point improvement in scoring defense from the previous season.
Prior to his time at San Diego State, Manning spent two seasons at USC as the Trojans’ assistant head coach for defense and outside linebackers coach. Before USC, Manning coached cornerbacks at Oklahoma from 2019 to 2021, helping the Sooners win two Big 12 titles and reach the College Football Playoff. His defensive backs were a major factor in Oklahoma’s ability to generate turnovers and limit explosive passing plays, with multiple All-Big 12 selections and an NFL Draft pick emerging from his position group.
Manning’s coaching career also includes stops at UCLA, Washington State, Michigan, and Cincinnati, giving him experience coaching nearly every defensive position group, along with special teams and even offensive roles early in his career. A former Michigan linebacker and NFL veteran, Manning has been part of championship programs as both a player and a coach, contributing to conference titles in the Big Ten and Big 12 and appearances in multiple conference championship games. His winning pedigree now carries over to Nebraska as he joins Rhule’s staff, tasked with returning the Huskers to a top defensive unit in the country.
Rhule emphasized that Manning’s addition to the staff is about adding a coach who understands defense holistically. “Roy has experience coaching defense from front to back,” Rhule said. The versatility was a key factor in the hire, allowing Nebraska to add a coach who can connect the front seven with the back end of the defense with more seamlessness as Aurich invokes his new scheme.
Continuity was another major theme in Rhule’s comments, as Manning joins Aurich after the two brough whole sale improvements to the Aztecs this fall. “Along with Coach Aurich, he was a key part of the defensive transformation at San Diego State this past season,” Rhule said. Nebraska’s head coach highlighted the trust built between the two coaches and the value of bringing in staff members who have already proven they can work together at a high level, particularly when installing a new system and expectations from day one.
For Manning, the move to Nebraska represents both an opportunity and a responsibility tied to the program’s history. “Nebraska Football is one of the most storied and respected programs in the entire country,” Manning said, expressing gratitude to Rhule and excitement about joining the Huskers staff. Manning added that he’s eager to begin building relationships within the program and help spark the same improvements the Aztecs did in 2025 in his new defensive room.
With Manning’s hire now official, Nebraska appears to be adding a coach with a proven track record of defensive success. In 2025 alone, the duo of Manning and Aurich helped San Diego State record 32 sacks in 12 regular-season games. For context, Nebraska finished the 2025 season with just 19 of its own.
No matter how it’s framed, Manning arrives in Lincoln with the pedigree and experience to match. With 15 of Nebraska’s 18 listed defensive linemen currently underclassmen, Manning will have the opportunity to develop a young corps with the same traits that defined his most recent defensive stops.
While Nebraska is still expected to continue its search for a true defensive line coach, Manning’s addition gives the Huskers another proven developer with lengthy Power Four experience. The reunion of former San Diego State coaches Aurich and Manning brings immediate credibility to Nebraska’s defensive rebuild. For Manning, it represents a return to Power Four football. For Nebraska, it’s a hire that appears positioned to accelerate the program’s defensive progress up front.
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A member of the San Diego Unified School Board says someone poisoned her dog in her Sorrento Valley backyard last week.
Sabrina Bazzo says she found her golden retriever Bruno chewing on meat laced with poison and metal hooks on Dec. 12. Two handfuls of it were thrown into her backyard.
There are plenty of playthings in Bruno’s backyard, but nothing as dangerous as what the 2-and-a-half-year-old dog found that afternoon.
“When I first saw it, I was just so shocked, I couldn’t believe it,” Bazzo said.
She keeps what is left of two fistfuls of shredded meat tied up with string in her refrigerator.
“It had these blue-like crystals in there and these metal pieces, like metal hooks. That’s when I like freaked out,” Bazzo said.
Within 20 minutes of swallowing that poisonous bait, she brought Bruno to the animal hospital, where they induced vomiting. No further medical treatment was necessary, but timing was everything. Bazzo says had it taken longer, the outcome could have been much worse.
“The vet said if animals take in enough, a decent amount, there is nothing they can do,” Bazzo said.
Like all pets, Bruno is special, but for more reasons than the obvious. Bruno was just a puppy when he became part of the Bazzo family. It happened when her husband David was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. Her husband died last June.
“Now that he’s actually gone, I have Bruno here with me. He has been very comforting for the family,” Bazzo said.
Three months after her husband’s death, Bazzo received a letter in the mail. It was typed in bold red letters. It read, “Please shut your (expletive) dog up with all the barking day and night.”
“It was during a difficult time for us that makes this that much more sad. We never leave him unsupervised, just being outside on his own,“ Bazzo said.
She suspects the author of the letter is also behind the poison food thrown in her backyard.
In part of an email, San Diego Humane Society spokesperson Nina Thompson wrote: “San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement is currently investigating a recent incident of suspected animal cruelty. We are working diligently to investigate all leads.”
What was once a safe retreat designed and maintained by her late husband while still alive, now, seems more like a trap.
“To now feel like someone is watching me or knows my dog is in the backyard and wants to do him harm, it’s scary,” Bazzo said.
Bazzo says until she finds out who did this, she can’t be sure whether this has anything to do with her position on the school board or her dog.
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