San Diego’s busy summer season may be winding down, but that hardly means the region’s artistic and cultural machines come to a screeching halt. If anything, it’s ramping up. This fall, galleries, museums and art centers throughout the county are opening their doors for new exhibits. Here’s a sampling of some of the most anticipated shows and exhibitions coming this autumn.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps: ‘Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base’
An “immersive, multi-sensory art and science installation” lands at Birch Aquarium at Scripps in November. The new exhibit will reimagine “the historic Aquarius Reef Base — the world’s only undersea research habitat — as an underwater meditation retreat for humans and marine life,” organizers say. Utilizing a mix of archival footage, sculptures and sound, the installation aims to educate and entertain using a blend of fiction and science. Birch Aquarium at Scripps, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. $24.95 to $39.95. 858-534-3474, aquarium.ucsd.edu
Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center: ‘Fragmentos Del Barrio’
This exhibition celebrates the life and work of Ramsés Noriéga and “traces the artistic journey and political legacy of one of the early pioneers of the Chicano Movement (El Movimiento).” It’s curated by Rafael Barrientos Martinez, who, according to the museum, designed an exhibit that “explores the deeply rooted duality at the heart of Noriéga’s practice, uniting his Mexican and American identities, personal reflection and political resistance.” “Fragmentos Del Barrio” opened to the public on Aug. 29, the 55th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium — “a pivotal protest in 1970 that called for collective action against the Vietnam War, addressed the high number of Mexican American deployments and casualties, and highlighted issues of police brutality, educational inequities and economic disparities faced by the Chicano community,” according to the museum. Through Feb. 28. Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, 1960 National Ave., San Diego. $8, general admission, $4 for students and teachers, $3 for community residents, free for those 18 and younger. 619-501-4242, chicanoparkmuseum.org
Coronado Historical Association: ‘From the Front Lines to Coronado’s Backyard: 250 Years of Military Service’
The Coronado Historical Association joins the party with an exhibit commemorating the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. “From the Front Lines to Coronado’s Backyard: 250 Years of Military Service” will feature 21 pieces — drawings and watercolor paintings — that “capture the dramatic events of the Normandy invasion on D-Day,” according to the museum. The pieces — on loan from the Naval History & Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. — are by Navy combat artists Dwight Shepler, Mitchell Jamieson and Alexander Russo, who were all in Normandy. The exhibition will also bring it all home by sharing the story of Staff Sergeant Tom Rice, described by the museum as a “Coronado local who served in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the renowned 101st Airborne Division.” Nov. 1 through Feb. 15. Coronado Historical Association’s Coronado Museum, 1100 Orange Ave., Coronado. Free. 619-435-7242, coronadohistory.org
Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego: “Las Hermanas Iglesias: wontloversrevoltnow”
Through the end of December, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego’s North campus will host the works — both old and new — of sisters Lisa and Janelle Iglesias, who collaborate artistically as Las Hermanas Iglesias. The exhibit, which can be found throughout ICA’s sprawling space in Encinitas, explores the depths of human experience — from birth to loss — using materials, language, symbols and space. The show is meant to engage “visitors into a conversation about care and community” and is part of ICA’s 2025 exhibition season, which is centered on the theme “On Healing.” Through Dec. 27. ICA San Diego North, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Free, donations welcome. 760-436-6611, icasandiego.org
Mingei International Museum: ‘Boundless: Reflections of Southern California Landscapes in Midcentury Studio Ceramics’
A portion of the Mingei’s permanent collection — nearly 150 pieces, to be exact — is coming out of the vault, so to speak, for this nine-month exhibition using the work of mid-century ceramic artists to explore Southern California landscapes. The pieces, set against the backdrop of large-scale photographs, will examine how the art of ceramics was shaped by, as the museum describes it, “the physical, social and political landscapes of the area.” Sept. 27 through June 7. Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. Free to $15. 619-239-0003, mingei.org
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego: ‘A Decade of Pop Prints and Multiples, 1962–1972: The Frank Mitzel Collection’
This mid-fall exhibit will be the first time the public can see more than 60 Pop prints given to MCASD by Frank Mitzel, a Southern California-based collector. “Assembled by Mitzel over the course of three decades, this vibrant collection offers an impressive and valuable survey of Pop’s growth across the United States, England and Europe during an era of rapid transformation,” according to the museum. “Although it was never a monolithic or unifying movement, Pop art emerged in London and New York in the mid- to late 1950s in response to the simultaneous exuberance and unease of the postwar period.” The exhibit includes works by Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Larry Rivers, the Venezuelan American artist Marisol and Swedish expat Claes Oldenburg. Nov. 20 through May 25. MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Free to $25. 858-453-3541, mcasd.org
Oceanside Museum of Art: ‘The Resistance of the Echo & La Eco-Resistencia’
When Mexican-born artist Francisco Eme wanted to understand nature and our place in it, he didn’t have to look far. He literally just had to look at the space behind his suburban San Diego home. The sloped canyon became his laboratory. A years-long exploration and investigation has led to a new multimedia exhibition opening in late October that “explores the tension between urbanization and native ecology in San Diego’s suburban canyons.” The exhibition will feature “five years of photographs, videos, sound recordings and collected artifacts documenting one canyon’s quiet resistance to the sprawl surrounding it.” Oct. 25 through March 22. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. $15 adult; $10 seniors 65 and up; free for members, youth 17 and under, college students with I.D., and active military and dependents with I.D. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org
San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery and San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art: ‘Clothes Story’
Atlanta-based designer Kenneth Green has curated a new exhibition that “celebrates the lives and contributions of African American women.” The full title for “Clothes Story” is actually “Clothes Story: An Exhibit Highlighting African American Women’s Clothing from 1890 to 1963.” And in this new exhibit, San Bernardino native Green has replicated more than 30 garments and fashion accessories from that period — sequined 1920s flapper coats, body-hugging 1940s dresses, patterned 1960s mini-skirts and more. And each one, organizers say, “has a unique story to tell, whether revealing details about the maker, providing information about the historical context or teaching us about the person who wore it.” The exhibit can be seen at the San Diego Mesa College Art Galley, which is presenting it in collaboration with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. Through Oct. 16. Closing reception: 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Drive, FA-103, San Diego. Free. 619-388-2829, sdmesa.edu/art-gallery
San Diego Museum of Art: ‘Alfredo Castañeda: Beyond Surrealism’
A Latin American artist will be front and center the San Diego Museum of Art, which this month opens “Alfredo Castañeda: Beyond Surrealism,” the artist’s first museum retrospective in the United States. The exhibition — featuring 35 paintings from private collections in Spain and North America — will showcase Castañeda’s work from five decades. Born in Mexico City in 1938, Castañeda was “one of the most prolific and impactful champions of the Surrealist movement in Latin America and in the later 20th century,” according to the museum. “Marked by introspection, psychological investigation, whimsy, and an acutely self-aware sense of humor, Castañeda’s paintings have a magical realist quality and high degree of visual finish.” Through March 1. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, San Diego. $20 general admission, $15 for seniors 65 and over, free for youth under 17. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org
Santa Ysabel Art Gallery: ‘Visiones Latinas’
This gallery, in the heart of the Santa Ysabel Valley in northeast San Diego County, presents an exhibit that, as its curator says, “brings together the powerful voices and unique perspectives of Latino and Latina artists.” The exhibit — which opened Sept. 6 and closes Oct. 19 — gathers the work of artists in one space, “where personal history, cultural heritage, and contemporary expression meet. Whether through painting, mixed media, or poetry-infused imagery, these works tell stories that are often overlooked stories of migration, memory, celebration and struggle. The artists represented here challenge stereotypes and expand what it means to create from a Latino identity.” The artists featured are: Luz Taliana Alhucema, Esau Andrade, Robert Barros, Antonio Escalante, Ricardo Islas, Lorena Sliffe Preciado, Weston Riffle, Lupita Shahbazi, Espejo Viejo, Jesse Villa and Elizabeth Walters. Through Oct. 19. Santa Ysabel Art Gallery, 30352 CA-78, Santa Ysabel. Free. 760-765-1676, santaysabelartgallery.com