Museum events sizzle around town

If you’re an art lover, this is your month. There’s so much going on around the county, your calendar’s sure to be full.

Museum of Contemporary Art

700 Prospect St., La Jolla

(858) 454-3541

www.mcasd.org

In connection with “Here Not There,” its hip new show of artists working in San Diego, MCASD-LJ is presenting an evening of performance art. Be here not there or be square. 7 to 10 p.m. June 19.

The Athenaeum

1008 Wall St., La Jolla

(858) 454-5872

www. ljathenaeum.org

It’s party time at the Athenaeum, and everyone’s invited. The grand opening of “It All Adds Up: Celebrating 20 Years of Exhibitions,” will include lots of Athenaeum art and history and a “Secret Sale” of works especially created for the event. The secret? Artist identities will be only revealed after all artworks have been purchased. 6:30 p.m. June 25.

Oceanside Museum of Art

704 Pier View Way

(760) 435-3720

www.oma-online.org

OMA’s Art After Dark events are always swinging, and this month’s “Swing Time Salute,” a complement to the current exhibition “Painting World War II,” is sure to draw crowds to dance to the music of Tommy Price and The Stilettos, design WWII posters, play Battleship or Risk in the game lounge, and maybe get a temporary tattoo. Food and drink, too. 7 p.m. June 18.

California Center for the Arts

340 N. Escondido Blvd.

(760) 839-4120

www.artcenter.org

The current exhibitions here are dynamic, interactive, and well worth the trip: “Material Matters,” a multimedia show by 23 members of San Diego’s Allied Craftsmen; Chimerica Dreality, a colorful installation by Seth Augustine (MFA, UCSD 2008) that gives you a chance to climb and bike-ride through an interplay of Chinese and American cultures; and Chance & Circumstance, local artist Anne Mudge’s elegant wire hangings with a do-it-yourself area for wire-inspired visitors. Don’t miss Building Houses, Hiding Under Rocks, a brilliantly designed house of books on loan from La Jolla’s Quint Gallery. On view through July 4.

But wait, there’s more!

The Loft @ UCSD

Price Center East, 9500 Gilman Drive

(858) 822-4532

theloft.ucsd.edu

“Making Faces: Playful Portraits of People You Know” by Israeli artist Hanoch Piven is back for a repeat showing. These cool caricatures of famous faces created from everyday objects like light bulbs, bananas and Barbies are sure to make you smile. And you can lunch here too, at the chic Zanzibar. On view through July 2.

Mingei International Museum

155 W. Grand Ave., Escondido

(760) 735-3355

This branch of the Mingei will be closing forever on June 26, and it’s only open Thursday-Saturday, so you have just a few days left to enjoy the space and the diverse objects on view in “Rite and Ritual: Ceremonial Art Across Cultures.” And there’s amazing origami upstairs. Free admission through June 26.

Hot Spots tip: For a great art afternoon, combine this with a visit to California Center for the Arts, just a few blocks away. Buy a quiche or pastry to go at Delight of France (126 W. Grand), and picnic on the grass at CCA.