SAN DIEGO – February 20, 2014 – San Diego City Council President and former Interim Mayor Todd Gloria will deliver the keynote address at Aesthetics & Authenticity, a unique art and culture symposium taking place March 8–9 at the new Central Library in downtown San Diego. Organized by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the symposium will feature cross-disciplinary sessions on how intentional planning and implementation of art and culture on a civic scale impacts quality of life in our communities.
Council President Gloria represents District 3. As a strong supporter of civic projects and the arts, he will kick off the symposium’s opening session Saturday morning. The Symposium schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 7
- Art & Architecture Tour of The Green Build, the new Terminal 2 expansion at San Diego International Airport, followed by a reception. Tour and reception open to first 75 registrants.
- Meet and mingle with artists behind several of the works featured in The Green Build
Saturday, March 8
- Keynote address by San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria at new Central Library
- Cross-disciplinary sessions led by renowned artists and cultural leaders
- Continental breakfast and lunch included
Sunday, March 9
- Cross-disciplinary sessions continue at Downtown Central Library
- Continental breakfast and lunch included
The cost to attend the symposium is $65 general admission and $35 for students with ID. The registration fee includes the March 7 tour and reception (limited to the first 75 registrants), all sessions on March 8-9, and continental breakfast and lunch on March 8–9. To register – and learn more about the sessions and presenters – click here and register through Eventbrite or visit aestheticsandauthenticity.eventbrite.com.
Aesthetics & Authenticity comes on the heels of the airport’s Green Build Terminal 2 expansion, which reflects a noteworthy effort on the Airport Authority’s part to further integrate art into the airport environment. From the beginning of the planning process, the Airport Authority involved artists in order to maximize the impact of aesthetics and design at the airport. The effect of these site-specific artworks reaches beyond the footprint of the airport; it extends into the greater San Diego community. In October 2013, the Airport Authority received an Orchid Award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation for the public art and interior architecture of The Green Build.
Speakers and session participants at the symposium will include, in alphabetical order by last name:
Dr. Edward L. Abeyta, Director of K-16 programs, UC San Diego
- Seyed Alavi, Oakland-based conceptual artist
- Tom Borrup, Minneapolis-based cultural community developer
- Thella F. Bowens, President/CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
- Jim Campbell, San Francisco-based contemporary artist
- Robert H. Gleason, Board Chair, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
- Todd Gloria, Council President, City of San Diego
- Judit Hersko Visual and Performing Arts Program Professor, CSU San Marcos/Installation artist
- Michelle Hyun, Curatorial Fellow, UCSD Art Gallery
- Janet Kagan, North Carolina-based civic curator
- Stuart Keeler, Toronto-based artist/curator of public spaces
- Roy McMakin, Seattle-based artist, designer and furniture maker
- Merge Conceptual Design, Los Angeles-based artist team
- Norie Sato, Seattle-based visual artist
- Bennett Peji, Principal, Bennett Peji Design
- Dana Springs, Interim Executive Director, City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture
- Camille Turner, Toronto-based media/performance artist and cultural producer
- Po Shu Wang, San Francisco-based representative of artist team Living Lenses
- Constance Y. White, Arts Program Manager, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Additional speakers may be announced.