JAZZ & NEW MUSIC CONCERTS
Jazz, Chamber, New Music & Acoustics
The Athenaeum’s jazz series concludes in December with Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O. Described as “An ambassador of good feeling” (New York Times), drummer Matt Wilson’s joyous trio project celebrates the holiday season with his own characteristically humorous and eccentric sendups of holiday classics. Also, in January, the annual soundON Festival returns with lineup that showcases cutting-edge contemporary music. Through three nights of captivating music, San Diego New Music will travel the enigmatic terrain of Mythography.
CHAMBER CONCERTS
Jazz, Chamber, New Music & Acoustics
In the Karatz Chamber Music Series, enjoy a special “lineage” program by Andrés Cárdenes (violin), Steven Doane (cello), Ines Irawati (piano), featuring romantic lyricism alongside playful folk melodies, culminating in Dvořák’s riveting “Dumky” piano trio. Also, pianist Conor Hanick will debut at the Athenaeum in an adventurous solo recital featuring Charles Ives’s monumental first sonata and two Schubert Impromptus paired with a new revision of Samuel Carl Adams’s Three Impromptus (a West Coast premiere) inspired by Schubert.
ART CLASSES & LITERARY CLASSES
Winter 2026 Session
Winter art classes are now available! Join School of the Arts Book Club in the library. Discover CUT > PASTE—CREATIVE COLLAGE 2-DAY WORKSHOP with Graham Moore and create Abstracts! Painting with Fabric, Paper, and Collage with Susan Osborn in the La Jolla Studio. Learn Encaustic Intensive Workshop with Lisa Bebi in the AAC Art Studio. Explore Art as a Solution for Reality online with Jill Badonsky. Enjoy Etching Workshop with Sfona Pelah in the AAC Print Room. Register today!
The Athenaeum offers a wealth of resources that are unique to this region. The library, devoted exclusively to music and art, has an outstanding and ever-expanding collection of books, periodicals, reference material, CDs, DVDs, sheet music, and librettos, as well as one of the most significant collections of artists' books in Southern California. Members have access to a wide variety of materials that range from rare, historic items to the latest in video technology.
Explore the concerts and lectures the Athenaeum has to offer. Enjoy intimate jazz, chamber, and new music concerts, as well as artists’ talks, art history lectures, and music lectures.
The Athenaeum Art Center (AAC) in Logan Heights has four exhibition spaces, an event space, a fully equipped print studio, a kiln, and art studio. It offers a unique set of bilingual programming that includes the exhibition of national and international artists, music concerts showcasing the distinct sounds of our binational region, participation in community festivities, free after-school art programs, art classes, and a variety of unique experiences in collaboration with local organizations.
Exhibitions
INSITE is pleased to announce Nolan Oswald Dennis: Demonstrations (i) at the Athenaeum, on view this fall and winter. Informed by the study of geological and planetary systems—and situated within African and diasporic relations to the land, cosmos, and anti-colonial political structures—Dennis’s work approaches the world as it is while mapping possibilities for transforming it. Demonstrations (i) marks the West Coast premiere of Isivivane, an ongoing project by Dennis that replicates rock specimens from geology museums and university departments in South Africa and parts of the world where the work has been shown.
The show will be on display in the Joseph Clayes III Gallery from October 25, 2025 through January 17, 2026.
Murals of La Jolla is a project of the Athenaeum. The mural project enhances the civic character and vitality of the community by commissioning public art projects on private property throughout La Jolla. Each work is on view for a minimum of two years. Since 2010, thirty-seven large-scale artworks have appeared in a variety of locations throughout the village of La Jolla, some prominently displayed while others are tucked away in more discreet locations.
The Athenaeum's
Erika & Fred Torri
Artists’ Books Collection
Artists' books are works of art in book form. They are published in small editions or as one-of-a-kind objects. The Athenaeum's artists' books collection has become one of the most important collections in its holdings and is a driving force in the library's development. Among its holdings, it contains the complete collection of artists' books by Ed Ruscha, Ida Applebroog, Allen Ruppersberg, John Baldessari, Bruce Nauman, and other artists.
Join the Athenaeum
Becoming a member is the best way to enjoy everything that the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library—San Diego's only membership library—has to offer. For only $50 a year, members may check out materials from the library, receive exclusive discounts on our programs, and more! An Athenaeum Music & Arts Library membership supports art and music in San Diego.
The Athenaeum is supported by members like you!
