Came across Kwangho Lee’s recent collaboration with NAMELESS – he’s taken the woven installations we love so much and created environmental installations. Looking forward to watching this project develop!

While 30th Street has developed over the past decade into one of the best craft beer corridors in the US (perhaps the world), the irresistibly sensual wonderland of craft cocktails have been all but absent until now.

Besides Jayne’s Gastropub, it’s been difficult to find a spot along 30th to slide into a discreet corner with your date and share in the warming indulgence of finely crafted spirits (keyphase, finely crafted) paired with an equally delicious meal. Luckily for locals exploring a nightlife, El Take It Easy recently obtained their liquor license, ushering in an evolved era for 30th Street.

Read more about the cocktails, developed with Dean James of San Francisco’s Alembic. We recommend trying the Paloma with hand-squeezed grapefruit juice and 100% Agave. You can thank us later.

Pop Gallery in Culver City is hosting a closing reception Friday, June 10th for SUNSET CIRCLES — a show feat. a group of San Francisco artists, including the talented Jay Nelson (see above). This reminded us of our enlightened wanderings around The Sunset district of San Francisco last winter, where we encountered one of Jay’s custom built bicycle mobiles at Mollusk Surf Shop (also home to some ambitious indoor treehouses and an art ‘store’ by Thomas Campbell). Within a couple blocks, you’ll run into the General Store and Trouble Coffee (for coffee, coconuts & toast of course). So worth a visit.

Bike to Work week continues with a nod to those traveling across international borders for work. If you’re in San Diego and looking for a good way to spend your afternoon, join the cycling community of Tijuana for a symbolic international ride.

Details posted here by Tijuego.

What a rad undertaking by the supper club A Razor, A Shiny Knife. On the 1st of May, they served up a 6 course luncheon on the L train of the New York Subway. Their noble objective, “to challenge a habitual experience.”

Amen.

Photo by Yana Paskova for The New York Times

What a lovely way to start the day! Jaime from Spanish textile brand peSeta sent us this documentary about a very special series of bicycle caps they’ve designed+manufactured for the New Museum of New York City. We think you’ll like it…

What’s not to like? Bicycle caps made by a bicycle powered sewing machine: available at the New Museum shop (235 Bowery, NYC).

Check out their site for sweet little pieces – from bowties to the Ukelele Bag for Marc Jacobs.

Our friends at Sheepless are co-hosting a screening of The Greenhorns on Tuesday April 19th, 6:30pm, at The Loft at UCSD. Directed by Severine von Tscharner Fleming, and grown out of a grassroots non-profit organization of the same name, the film’s mission is to recruit, promote and support the new generation of young farmers in 21st century America. Following the film will be a panel discussion with some of San Diego’s most provocative advocates of small-scale sustainable agriculture — including Robin Taylor & Lucila De Alejandro of Suzie’s Farm and Jay Porter of The Linkery and El Take It Easy.

Zanzibar at The Loft is working with the folks at Suzie’s Farm to produce a local tasting experience to accompany the film. The dinner will feature multiple small plates created with fresh, local, and seasonal produce from Suzie’s Farm. Packaged tickets for the film and dinner includes a reserved seat, dinner, choice of beverage, and admission to the screening of The Greenhorns. Package or film-only tickets available via Ticketmaster or by contacting the Box Office directly at 858-534-8497.

Check out more details at Sheepless.org.

Ryan and Don Clark of Invisible Creature

Josh Higgins of Neat Neat Neat brings designers to San Diego to inspire, and inspire they did. Don and Ryan Clark of the Seattle-based (and Grammy nominated) graphic design studio Invisible Creature descended upon San Diego Saturday, April 2nd to lead a design talk at The Casbah, followed by a live performance by The Black Heart Procession. Having spoken in many a hall and classroom before, the artist-musician brothers called this a welcome opportunity to share their design inspirations in a rock club — and at the legendary Casbah no less.

With their iconic album cover designs and monster-filled works, the brothers Clark seemingly live in a surreal world – which is perhaps a key to their appeal. But we’d also attribute their charm to all they have to say about the world around them; their passion for the creative process is addicting. Visit the Union Tribune Arts blog post to read more about the inspirations we walked away with.

Wes Bruce hit the ground running at the end of 2010 in his new role directing the MCASD’s Teen Art Council, booking several field trips around town for TAC. We had the pleasure of meeting some of the group recently when Wes brought them by The Bakery for a visit. With boundless energy and a willingness to get their hands dirty, the TAC crew planted a bunch of winter seedlings at the Farm Proper under the warm glow of a few shop lamps and the encouraging rhythm of norteño music.

If being down to do some farm work on a cold night in the barrio wasn’t impressive enough, the TAC also showed surprising attentiveness while Sean shared some Set & Drift lore on a tour through The Bakery. With the guidance of Bruce, we’re excited to see what this group of young arts leaders accomplishes in the new year and beyond.

Side note, the seedlings exploded over the past several weeks with the rains and the lettuce is absolutely tasty! A big thanks to our friends over at Suzie’s Farm for providing the broccoli, bok choy, lettuce, chives, kale, and other scrumptious crops. And of course, THANK YOU to the members of the TAC for cruising by The Bakery, hope to see you again soon!

We continue to find reasons to be proud of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Joining the Smithsonian protest is just the latest in a series of decisions at MCASD that show us an organization creating dialogue, embracing the community, and evolving into a new era.

Don’t get us wrong, Viva la Revolución was rad, but it wasn’t the exhibition itself that most impressed us. It was when they brought in prolific local artist (not to mention talented community builder!) Mike Maxwell, who gathered 26 street artists for the Live Free Wall featured at the Viva-edition of TNT in August. It was when they found solid ways to support Sezio, ourselves, and Turista Libre during the Tijuego Street Art Bike Tour. And more recently, it was when they called up our Barrio Logan neighbors, The Roots Factory to put on a live screen-printing session at the TNT in October.

But perhaps our proudest moment was the unexpectedly visionary hiring of local artist Wes Bruce to run the MCASD Teen Art Council. Bruce is a natural born teacher, a dedicated community builder, and a tireless creator of inspiring work that has captured the imagination of many people, young and old, over the past few years. He’s a great fit to lead TAC, and we think it’ll have a big impact on the young art leaders growing up around us in San Diego.

You set the bar high in 2010, MCASD. So with a new year ahead of us, what’s next?

Update: Wes brought his teen group to the Bakery for a visit, and we’re really excited to see these young art leaders push the envelope in the coming years.

Hosted by the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, the exhibit included 100 Japanese advertising posters, selected from amongst the thousands of works submitted each year for the most prestigious awards. These 100 were selected by a committee made up of two contemporary masters of graphic art, Kazumasa Nagai and Shin Matsunaga, in collaboration with the International Hokusai Research Centre.

Here’s a few shots of the 100:

It was only a matter of time until the San Diego Union Tribune caught on to what’s going on at The Glashaus. A big congrats to our neighbor Greg Brotherton for the so well-deserved recognition. If you haven’t checked out his work, you simply must! Here’s the UT’s take on the Barrio Logan art scene. Read it if you will…then come down and check it out for yourself. You are welcome here!

Details on the September 4th Barrio Logan Art Openings at The Glashaus, The Bakery, & Voz Alta here!

Oaxaca based artist and tattooist Dr. Lakra just got into town for tomorrow’s opening at MCASD. He’s painting into the night on the West wall of the Miriello Grafico building at the edge of the infamous Barrio Logan neighborhood. Some of you might recall the art show we held at this building a couple years ago.

Barrio Logan is an appropriate location for the artist with its rich tradition in Latin American street art including Chicano Park, one of the most densely concentrated areas of murals in the entire country and the site of a crucial show of civil disobedience by the local community.

Dr. Lakra was a very nice, soft spoken dude. With our studio just around the corner from “The Logan” building, we couldn’t be happier having his art so close. The full shot below shows what’s left to paint tonight, and apparently he’ll keep painting toward the right (if he has time).

There were plenty of onlookers during the second day of work on the OBEY GIANT mural in South Park (San Diego) by Shepard Fairey and his crew (day one here). The crowd was a good mix of photogs, hipsters, fixie riders, random curious ladies taking neighborhood walks…and along came a man who seemed to be plucked straight out of a Quentin Tarantino film.

He moaned some nonsense about how he “owned most of all this…” property next door to the mural, and whined, “I gotta look at this every day!?” The hipsters had some fun chatting with him as Grandpa Grumpypants kept staring up with fire in his eyes at the scissor-lift while Fairey & co. cut huge stencils of a cloaked figure.

It was interesting to see the artists cutting their stencils directly on the cinderblock building. Seems like a mundane detail, simply a time-intensive task required to get a huge mural up on the side of a building – and indeed it is.

But it’s also a reminder that the patronage of a museum like MCASD (or for that matter, lending our own wall to Mike Maxwell) can make a world of difference for what an artist is able to do with a public work. Having several days to underpaint, create background patterns, wheat-paste in several layers, and overlay figurative images with enormous grid-based stencils is a lot different than showing up at 3am with a pre-cut stencil and a couple cans of aerosol.

Both modes of operation have their owns merits, but they are vastly different when it comes to decorative complexity or the context created by risking arrest.

We’re pretty happy about the freedoms granted to the artists of Viva La Revolucion, and hope the extra time they’re spending on these pieces will open more dialogue with Grandpa Grumpypants or anyone else who’s a stranger to street art.

After putting up an enormous mural in Hillcrest (check Carly Ealey’s beautiful photos for Sezio here), Shepard Fairey and his crew were back at it, this time in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego. They have the underpainting and some stenciling out of the way, and we’re excited to see the progress in the coming days.

With MCASD commissioned works popping up all over town (officially or otherwise), it’s been like a street art Disneyland in San Diego over the past several weeks. Undoubtedly, the carpet-bombing from Space Invader, Barry McGee mural, Os Gemeos’ human step ladder, and the large-scale OBEY GIANT murals underway are creating tons of excitement leading up to the Viva La Revolucion exhibition opening this Saturday.

But the hype is a little uncomfortable, and immediately stirs up the dialogue that came out of the brilliant (mock or doc- umentary ?) Exit Through The Giftshop. But the excitement is also simply a good reminder that art should be a part of everyday life.

We also can’t help being stoked to live 4 blocks away from an in-process OBEY mural.

More updates from the field soon…

The upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), entitled “Viva La Revolucion,” has generated a tremendous amount of dialogue around the idea of street art, and with that dialogue – controversy. This came to a head with Barry McGee‘s (TWIST) mural across the street from the city hall. Mike Maxwell has been documenting as well as contributing to the explosion of murals showing up on walls across the city, and caught some great footage of McGee’s team attacking an enormous wall while under scrutiny.

Although it’s a common practice to commission walls for artist murals, and we totally understand the value of MCASD grabbing some walls for these artists, we find it a little ironic that an exhibition specifically about the street art movement includes officially sanctioned walls for artists (especially if the MCASD backs down under local criticism).

The beautiful thing about the museum’s exhibition is that while some walls are “official”, some are very much unofficial works done by the artists under their own accord. You may be able to take the street artist off the street, but you can’t take the street out of the street artist.

We’re looking forward to watch this play out over the coming weeks (the exhibition opens to the public on July 18th), and see how MCASD handles ongoing criticism and subsequent education/outreach. One thing is for certain so far: this museum is doing their job by starting dialogue and pushing this city to consider what contemporary art is or should be.

Watch the preview.

& Purchase tickets here.

See more photos here.

He also gave this wall a 70 foot mustache at 14th & J with his so-called “Everything That Has Ever Existed”. Awesome:

What we’re harvesting: Aztec spinach, strawberries, wild arugula, pole beans, magenta lambsquarter, purple radishes, beets, kale, tatsoi.

The Farm Proper is an experimental project created by a collaborative of artists, designers, and backyard growers to inspire urban cultivation and pocket farms. Using abandoned/defunct shopping carts as our medium, we have designed a scenario to take over a temporarily available industrial lot to provide the community with organically grown food.

Our intention was to start a conversation and indeed it’s begun with some welcomed coverage via Fast Company and designboom of Milan, Italy.

Check in on the farm at Facebook or Flickr for an evolving set of photos. And don’t be a stranger – we’ve got some events planned for this summer at the farm. Sign up for updates here.

On 15 May 2010 Set & Drift hosted a Seed Bombing Potluck at The Farm Proper.

The Farm Proper is an experiment in the urban landscape.
Set & Drift, in collaboration with mi-workshop, have repurposed an industrial dirt lot outside The Bakery in the Barrio Logan neighborhood of San Diego, California. The farm is comprised of abandoned/defunct grocery carts filled with vegetables cultivated organically by a collective of artists, designers, backyard growers, and other creatives. It’s a project meant to inspire urban cultivation and pocket farms. Using abandoned shopping carts as our medium, we’ve designed a scenario to take over a temporarily available industrial lot to provide the community with organically grown food. The designer is the new farmer!

Above: An assemblage of artists and designers discuss and farm: Mike Maxwell, Kevin Joelson, Patrick Kenney, Sean Kelley, Scott Ballum & Stacy Kelley

Project details here.

Full Flickr set here.

Below: Architect Miki Iwasaki of mi-workshop builds architecture for the pole bean climbers.

Art and Copy, A Film by Doug Pray, is coming to Birch Theater in North Park June 24th.

ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation…

Details found here.

More than just a movie about British graffiti artist Banksy, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” tells a story that reminds that art, in all its forms, is a constant, very human conversation.

The movie is an insiders’ look at the street art scene, which ends up documenting the journey of the impromptu filmmaker “Thierry Guetta” himself. It’s a study for everyone who’s both fascinated and confused by art. At the end of the movie, someone sums it up by wondering aloud who the joke is on… or whether there even is a joke. The story it tells is entertaining while it hits on some of the same issues as Ryan McGinness’s Sponsorship, which considers the complex consequences that are born from the mingling of money and art.

It’s playing in LA and comes to San Diego April 30: locations here.

It’s April, making this officially month #4 at The Farm Proper. Established at The Bakery in collaboration with mi-workshop, The Farm Proper is Set & Drift’s experiment in mobile, urban agriculture.

This bit of a “farm” that’s taken over the dirt lot behind our studio is dedicated to food production: Everything planted (with the exception of some marigolds and cosmos to attract beneficial insects) is vegetable and future food. We’re putting this out there as a replicable model to propagate pocket farms; we hope you and yours will design a takeover of unused land. So we’re sharing every failure and success along the way as our impromptu group of artists, designers, and backyard growers try our best to make this stuff grow.

Month #4 at The Farm Proper

POLE BEANS. We started the pole beans first so by now they’re on their way. They’re finally climbing up the wires, being more agreeable with the architecture we’ve designed for them. We planted some nasturtiums (edible leaves) and kale in between the beans. It’s getting a little crowded so hopefully the beans head up the teepee and clear some air for the plants below. A tip — plant beans. They’re so easy to grow – it’s a good plant to make you (or your kid) feel like a proper farmer. We started the seeds in small containers then transplanted, but they’re so hearty you could plant them direct.

Also coming up: Red Aztec spinach (below) and magenta lambsquarters (an iridescent edible wild spinach)

{For the whole lot of Farm Proper photos, visit Flickr.}

We’ll be hosting seminars and cookouts at the farm so send us a note to partake & receive info!

We are very much looking forward to Only In Your Fondest Dreams, the Brian Flynn opening next Friday (4/9/2010) at Subtext. While Flynn’s graphic edges couldn’t be more crisp, the line between art and design is starting to blur in a rather beautiful way, opening the door for new dialogue.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Did you catch Sezio’s show at the Boat House? We were delighted to partake as artists in this one-night takeover, and we were in quite good company too. Here are some shots of our eucalyptus bearded piano man – we hope you enjoyed him. Peep some more event pics including works by Mike Maxwell, Niko, Exist 1981, Tocayo, and so many more at Flickr. Thanks to Mr. Brian Deppe for the photos!

Installation by Set & Drift’s Stacy and Sean Kelley

Can’t help but finding Jules Buck Jones’s artwork interesting and endearing.

Heard of Kickstarter? He’s posted a project to document his artist residency in Everglades National Park in a multi-media art book. His stats as of today, Feb. 20:

+Raised $4,947 of the $7,500 goal

+42 backers

+82 days to go

How does it work? You give him money, and he makes a kick ass book to unleash on the printing press. You support creativity unadulterated and straight from the source, plus you get something in return. ($50 scores you a copy of the final book and an audio CD).

Kickstarter is a great way to gather small amounts of funds from various backers to get these projects off the ground. If the goal isn’t met, your donation is reimbursed. Set & Drift collaborator Acamonchi has a project for Sketching New York City going as well – check it out.

Browse the projects and be a patron! Your fellows will thank you.

Attention all artists and designers…

THE HAITI POSTER PROJECT
Just launched: A collaboration of artists and designers from around the world, benefiting victims of the earthquake in Haiti

Moxie Sozo, the organizer of the 2005 Hurricane Relief Poster Project, is teaming up with Josh Higgins, the organizer of the 2007 So-Cal Fire Poster Project to produce the 2010 HAITI POSTER PROJECT. We’ve had the great fortune of collaborating with San Diego based graphic designer Josh Higgins through Set & Drift events (remember his fantastic prints…) and we’re excited to spread the word and keep you updated. The deadline for submissions is March 15:

All designers and artists, please step up! THE HAITI POSTER PROJECT seeks limited edition sets of posters from artists, designers and design firms from around the world. The donated posters will be sold online to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. As designers, we have the collective ability to do what we love, AND to create a difference. THE HAITI POSTER PROJECT has been conceived as a collective effort by the design community to unite and effect change through our work. In order for this project to be successful, we are counting on designer participation.

Our goal is to raise at least $1,000,000 for Doctors Without Borders. Please help spread the word.

Website: thehaitiposterproject.com
Twitter: @haitiposters
Facebook: become a fan!

Josh Higgins prints from Set & Drift projects:

Tired bicicletas. These guys made the trek from the San Diego neighborhood of South Park down to Tijuana. (We gave them a break on the trolley on the way home.)

On 05 of December 2009 we set out by bicycle — joined by Jay, Katie, and Michael of North Park farm-to-table restaurant The Linkery — in the direction of Suzie’s Farm, an organic farms that supplies The Linkery with some of its produce.

Set & Drift also happens to be part of the Suzie’s Farm CSA program. Every two weeks we pick up one box of whatever is in season at the farm (from Grant’s Marketplace in South Park – oh so convenient). To give you a sense of what’s inside, we laid out a December box on our table.

So beautiful. Such variety. Building recipes based on what’s on hand is a new creative challenge.

Suzie’s Farm owner Robin was generous with the taste tests. We were also excited to hear that strawberries will make their way into the CSA box in early spring.

They’re trying out growing heirloom tomatoes in the greenhouse. Farm owner Lucila explained that sometimes it’s good to be rough with tomatoes. Perhaps if they think they’re on their way out, they’ll make babies faster. And those are some delicious babies.

Suzie’s farm is not far from the U.S./Mexico border. So close, in fact, that we decided to take the bikes across. We ended up at Tijuana ceviche restaurant Erizo: amazing. The quail egg was a nice touch.

After many shared plates and a few bottles of wine we decided to link up with Derrik on his Turista Libre outing. We found ourselves at TJ bar Garces, a fantastic lounge that pays homage to Mexican actor Mauricio Garces — fully outfitted with gold upholstered booths and mirrored tables. We spent a good amount of time with the Turista Libre crew, admiring their loot from the Tijuana shopping spree, before hitting the road.

So sore the next day but so worth it.

-buckminster fuller

::via Toxico Cultura

If there’s anything consistent about us creative types, it’s that we need inspired space — for architectural models, for interdisciplinary think tank meet-ups, for gallery shows, for filming. etcetera. We’ve seen a surge in the collaborative workspace concept here in San Diego, and over in London, they’ve created a non-profit version.

Village Underground is an innovative coupling: ex London Underground tube train carriages have become creative studios, piled above the expansive raw space of a restored Victorian warehouse below, which can be transformed into a flexible and multi-functional arena.

Half biomimicry, half psychogeography, Jarbas Agnelli’s response to this photo of birds sitting on telephone wires is a simple but provocative idea. The composer interpreted the image into musical notes using the positioning of the birds. It’s a nice little tune as well!

Read more on Agnelli here. Found via Utne Reader.

-Harry Bertoia

Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast…”

-Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Gracias once again, Toxico Cultura

Many of you may have heard about Manivela, San Diego’s first food bike delivery service. We haven’t tried it yet, but have been reading good things from Jay Porter at the Linkery so it’s only a matter of time…

–Friedrich Nietzsche

Vienna-based art collective Gelitin crafted the rabbit and has classified the project as a solo show, spanning 2005-2025.  After almost 5 years of knitting, the straw-stuffed toy rabbit has found its home in the Italian Alps. Visitors are encouraged to climb on the comfy 200 foot rabbit (which has been spotted by Google Earth).

The artists explain, “Behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy.” See their full project description below.

Rabbit from the sky:

Rabbit under construction (with visitors):

The creators, Gelitin:

“The things one finds wandering in a landscape: familiar things and utterly unknown, like a flower one has never seen before, or, as Columbus discovered, an inexplicable continent;
and then, behind a hill, as if knitted by giant grandmothers, lies this vast rabbit, to make you feel as small as a daisy.
The toilet-paper-pink creature lies on its back: a rabbit-mountain like Gulliver in Lilliput. Happy you feel as you climb up along its ears, almost falling into its cavernous mouth, to the belly-summit and look out over the pink woolen landscape of the rabbit’s body, a country dropped from the sky;
ears and limbs sneaking into the distance; from its side flowing heart, liver and intestines.
Happily in love you step down the decaying corpse, through the wound, now small like a maggot, over woolen kidney and bowel.
Happy you leave like the larva that gets its wings from an innocent carcass at the roadside.
Such is the happiness which made this rabbit.
i love the rabbit the rabbit loves me.”

-Vienna-based art collective Gelitin

-Albert Einstein

Introducing…

MUSTACHE MAYHEM!

The Silent Comedy is in the thick of creating a new album, and they’re reaching out to the community for help. Here’s how it works:

1. Participants submit a photo of themselves with a mustache (real or fake), along with a donation toward the band’s recording fund.
2. In recognition of the support, the band will include the photos in the jacket of a limited edition pressing of their new full length record.
3. In addition, each contributor will receive gifts ranging from a copy of the new record to a hand painted box loaded with limited edition artwork, merchandise, and rare recordings (depending on their level of contribution).
4. Details, submission forms, and guidelines can all be found at www.thesilentcomedy.com.

MUSTACHE PARTY

To kick off Mustache Mayhem, the band is hosting a Mustache Party at El Dorado Cocktail Lounge on Wednesday, July 29th. Attendees are encouraged to wear mustaches (real or fake), and prizes will be awarded to the best mustache (male and female).

Some of the Mustache Party fun will include:

• On site photographer (and provided mustaches) to help you submit your Mustache Mayhem photo.
• Giveaways from various individuals and organizations (including Sezio.org, Set & Drift, a signed print of The Silent Comedy photographed by Rebecca Joelson, and more). Each partygoer will receive a ticket for the drawing free of charge.
• “Pin the Mustache on Justin” game where participants attempt to correctly place the mustache on a photo of  Silent Comedy banjo/mandolin player, Justin Buchanan.
• A brief acoustic performance by The Silent Comedy.
• Party favors (including mustache decals and chocolate mustaches).

It’s going to be a fun night, and all in the name of getting a rock-album created by one of our favorite bands. See you there!

There’s a north county happening this Saturday that has the makings of a legendary event. The Burning of Rome is playing live at Speakeasy Studios with guests Judgement Day, spoken word by Ed Dekker & live art.

But that’s not all…

The darkhorse of the evening is a puppet art show from the mind of visionary North County-import Neil McLean of the UK. While at Lou’s Records in Encinitas, we picked up a limited edition DVD sneak preview of Neil’s “televisual situation comedy” DUNGEON that he’s making in his garage. There aren’t many left so hurry over. Your purchase will be made under the watchful gaze of one of the puppets from DUNGEON, who resides on the wall behind the register.

Keep a weather eye on a Minstrel Fridays mixtape from Mr. McLean, coming soon to the Set & Drift blog!

-Rene Magritte

Our friend Linsey snapped this shot in NYC this week… enjoy.

-Edward Abbey

-Andy Warhol

The good people over at City Heights Farmer’s Market are celebrating their first birthday this Saturday in grand and tasty style. Read their invite below…

9 am to 1 pm // The corner of Wightman & Fairmount

If you (think) make the *BEST* tamales in town, or if you (think) you know someone who makes the *BEST* tamales in town, send them our way. $275 in Cash Prizes will be distributed to the makers of the BEST tamales!, we are especially encouraging City Heights residents to participate. And of course, I expect to see many of your smiling faces at the Market on June 6th, participating in the TAMALE CONTEST TASTING!

Interested tamale-makers should contact Morgan Congdon at the IRC, 619-641-7510 x 279, or morgan.congdon@theIRC.org

Photo by Mexicanwave.

- Sarah Vowell

We took a trip to north county last week in hopes of finding some native new world Cacti and drought-resistant old world succulents – we were not disappointed.

Jeff at Solana Succulents hooked us up with a wide range of plants for our Native Curiosities installation at the Thread Show, including several cacti species native to the Southwestern US and Mexico.

In addition to native species, Jeff also offers a plethora of drought-tolerant succulents from Africa and Madagascar as well as some rare species from isolated ecosystems like the Canary Islands. Let’s be honest – San Diego is a desert region importing 80-90% of its water (a majority of which is used up by residential landscaping), and these plants are a rad alternative to water-hungry lawns.

Cruise by and visit Jeff next time you’re in North County for some xeriscaping help. You’ll lower your water bill, help San Diego conserve water, plus you can hit up Pizza Port, which is just around the corner!

Set & Drift is honored to have the support of the San Diego Natural History Museum in presenting the Native Curiosities installation at the upcoming Thread Show on May 30/31. The installation will feature several specimens from the museum’s collection that are native to the Southwestern United States, including the Red-tailed Hawk (shown above).

More specimens from the collection and info from the museum below…

NATURE TO YOU Loan Program

Bring nature into your classroom, art studio, and home by becoming a member of the Museum’s Loan Program. Membership allows for a year of unlimited access to the program’s collection—over 1300 specimens that represent the biologic and geologic diversity of the southwestern United States, Baja California and the world. Call 619.255.0236 or email loanprogram@sdnhm.org.

Founded in 1875 by a small group of citizen naturalists, the San Diego Natural History Museum is the second oldest scientific institution in California, third oldest west of the Mississippi. A bi-national museum, its mission is to interpret the natural world through research, education and exhibits; to promote understanding of the evolution and diversity of southern California and the peninsula of Baja California; and to inspire in all a respect for nature and the environment.

- Michael Pollan

-Marcel Duchamp

-Frida Kahlo

We love this project going on in the streets of Berlin.

Born out of a reaction to recent changes regarding Berlin’s vandalism laws, Papergirl rallies artists and cyclists to distribute rolls of paper art (posters, prints, etc.) to unsuspecting Berliners.
Read the entire review at SEZIO and watch the paper-berliners in action in the film above.

If you’ve been paying attention, San Diego is celebrating beer with a passion. Show some love by voting for your favorite Beer City in the states and show Charlie Papazian (homebrew hero and founder of the Brewers Association and the Great American Beer Festival) what’s what.

Thanks for the heads up from one our favorite watering holes, Blind Lady Alehouse, part of an impressive microbrew corridor along 30th St. & Adams Ave. that includes Hamiltons, The Whistlestop, Sea Rocket Bistro, The Linkery, Ritual Tavern, Toronado, Jayne’s Gastropub…

Did I miss anybody?

The Michael Jackson auction at Juliens was cancelled by MJ at the last minute, but it is now on public display. Our friend Lizzie in Portland found a great post from the Stranger with some mind-blowing images of the exhibition. We love designing art/design cross-over exhibitions here at Set & Drift, but this one, my friends, would be a challenge.

Make sure you sit down before the jump – these images are crazy.

La Milpa grows organic vegetables, herbs, and greens, and is home to a handful of goats, chickens, and kittens. They’re at the farmers’ markets (Oceanside, Vista, La Mesa, Hillcrest) so say hi to them and buy some stuff. They’re doing it right over there.

{They’re also hosting their monthly potluck/movie/wood fired pizza gathering under the big oak tree at the farm April 18, 2009 at 5:30 pm…another good time to join in a toast to their dedication.}

Chickens plus chick and chocolate mint sampling

We bartered some time weeding stinging nettle out of the beet plot for a handful of fresh cut cilantro. Owner and bread and pizza making guru Barry generously donated a bit of sourdough starter he’s been cultivating for 10 years to get our first batch of pizza dough rolling.

At the Session 1 Eat Easy we served up Sean’s ‘New Mexican’ pizzas – corn, peppers, onion, poblanos, pine nuts, goat cheese, and farm fresh sourdough and cilantro. Taking a cue from our Berkeley obsession Cheeseboard, we left out the tomato sauce. (We go for a fine layer of chopped ristra chiles in its place.) Delicioso… and much love to our new farm/foodie friends.

Just heard this track at El Camino and couldn’t resist entering it into the Google Machine. Luckily, Mr. Herb Alpert had an incredible art director back in ’79. You’ll find yourself exploring the studio space with Herb and his lady friend, eventually ending up on the beach with a hoard of dancers following close behind.

Not much else to say. Found via the excellent ISO50 blog. Thank you Scott!

Speaking of transcending space and time…here, so-called “humorist” John Hodgman goes off (in his delightfully geeky way) about aliens, physics, and falling in love.  (Also worth a peek: Elizabeth Gilbert’s (of Eat, Pray, Love) ponderings on creative “geniuses” and an intriguing bit on green design by Cradle to Cradle author/architect-designer William McDonough.