The La Jolla Light presents this continuing listing of local in-person events and online activities.
Lectures & learning
• La Jolla-based My Working Soul presents a 90-minute interactive webinar called “The Art of Connection: Decode, Repair and Strengthen Relationships” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 14, and 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30. The online event is designed to offer tools to help improve communication skills, reduce misunderstandings and strengthen everyday connections. $33. Register at myworkingsoul.com/the-art-of-connection.
• The Peer Learning Collaborative for May focuses on discussions of the criminal justice system in San Diego County from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursdays at the La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. The remaining schedule is: May 14, Eric Frank, clinical director of the San Diego County Mobile Crisis Response Team, will explain the team’s work; May 21, Wes Albers will talk about the work of the county Psychological Emergency Response Team. The series is free for Community Center members, $20 for non-members. Register at ljcommunitycenter.org/plc
• Tracy Drain, an aerospace engineer who works in deep-space exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses “Cosmic Adventures” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. theconrad.org/events/tracy-drain-cosmic-adventures
• Republican Women of California’s La Jolla chapter hosts Riverside County sheriff and California governor candidate Chad Bianco at its meeting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 21. The address will be provided upon registration. $50. Email skipandtoby@yahoo.com.
• The La Jolla/Riford Library hosts the “Navigating Senior Life” lecture series from 10:30 a.m. to noon the fourth Friday of each month through August at 7555 Draper Ave. The remaining schedule is: May 22, “How to Pay for Senior Living”; June 26, “From Family Home to New Beginnings”; July 24, “Legal, Tax, Trust Maintenance”; Aug. 28, “Living & Dying with Dignity.” Free. Register at navigatingseniorlife.com.
Art & film
• Outside the Lens, a local media arts organization founded 25 years ago by La Jolla resident Elisa Thomson, opens its third annual “Voice Out” juried youth art exhibition with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 15, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. The exhibition will be on display at the museum through Sunday, June 14. outsidethelens.org/voiceout
• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents “Many Hands, One Work: A Collective Tufting Experience with Denja Harris” from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Harris will demonstrate tufting, a fiber artwork style in which artists punch loops of yarn through a canvas to build texture and color. $25-$60. Museum members get 50% off the price. mcasd.org/events/denja-harris
• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego showcases exhibitions curated through its Extended School Partnership from Thursdays to Sundays through May 17 in the museum’s Axline Court at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Students from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, Altus Schools’ North Park Resource Center, Hoover High School and The Bishop’s School in La Jolla created works exploring their developing relationship with art. Free with museum admission. mcasd.org/events/esp-spring-2026
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library hosts the art history lecture series “The Age of Baroque” with Linda Blair at 7:30 p.m. on four Thursdays beginning May 21 at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The schedule is: May 21, ” Bernini in Roma”; May 28, “Rubens in the North”; June 4, “Caravaggio”; June 11, “Velazquez in Spain.” $60 for the series for Athenaeum members, $80 for non-members. ljathenaeum.org/events/blair-26-series
• “Electrospectrum,” an art exhibition featuring works by Roman de Salvo, continues through Saturday, May 23, at Quint Gallery, 7655 Girard Ave., La Jolla. (858) 454-3409
• The La Jolla Historical Society’s “Space Maker,” an exhibit featuring a blend of historical and contemporary pieces by local artists highlighting wide-ranging interpretations of form, geometry, color and place, continues through Sunday, June 7, at 780 Prospect St. A painting workshop with Maha Bazzari will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 24. lajollahistory.org/space-maker
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library presents a Murals of La Jolla guided tour beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, at 1008 Wall St. Free, though registration is required. ljathenaeum.org/events/murals-052726
• The Flower Pot Cafe and Bakery presents works by La Jolla artist Ron Kagan through May at 7530 Fay Ave., La Jolla. Kagan’s 10 pieces explore “the ebb and flow of everyday life.” (858) 454-5453
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library presents its 2026 art exhibitions at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The remaining schedule is: “Within the Context of Time,” featuring artists Coralys Carter and May-ling Martinez, through Saturday, July 25; 34th annual Juried Exhibition, opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, and continuing through Saturday, Oct. 10; and Sylvia Fernandez, opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and continuing through Saturday, Jan. 2. ljathenaeum.org/upcoming-exhibitions
Guests browse the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego exhibit “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” on April 17 in La Jolla. (Noah Lyons)
• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” an exhibition consisting of more than 130 works of art and set to the soundtrack of Marvin Gaye, through Sunday, Aug. 9, at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. mcasd.org/exhibitions/giants
• The San Diego Art Directory presents “In Situ: La Jolla,” a curated installation placing original works by local artists inside Unscripted Spaces, a luxury interior design showroom at 7730 Girard Ave. The show runs through September. Free. (619) 361-1055
Music & dance
• The Seaside Trio, a San Diego-based professional chamber ensemble, performs at 3 p.m. Friday, May 15, in the Community Room at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. Free. sandiego.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=344250
• The La Jolla Music Society stages its outdoor Wu Tsai QRT.yrd Concert Series at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center through May 27 at 7600 Fay Ave. The remaining schedule is: Ali Paris, 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 15; Rebecca Jade, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27. Free. theconrad.org
• Jazz singer Shenel Johns performs at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at The JAI at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $55-$62. theconrad.org/events/shenel
• The La Jolla Community Center hosts an Opera Night with Anna Belaya, accompanied by pianist Michele Scanlon, for an evening of opera, classic art songs and Mexican and Ukrainian music from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. $60. ljcommunitycenter.org
• Le Salon de Musiques presents its eighth concert of the season at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at the La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave. The chamber music program will feature works by Schubert, Rossini and Hummel performed by the Webern String Quartet. The concert will be introduced by musicologist Kristi Brown-Montesano. A Q&A with the musicians and a high tea buffet with French champagne will follow. $69-$120. lesalondemusiques.com
• La Jolla United Methodist Church presents its Spring Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at 6063 La Jolla Blvd. The concert, themed “Don’t Give Up: Keep Believin’,” will include hymns and gospel and popular songs. Free. lajollaunitedmethodist.org
• The San Diego Academy of Ballet presents its Spring Gala at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The show will feature young dancers and professionals performing classical ballet along with original works. $35. amphitheater.ucsd.edu/event/sdab_gala2026
• UC San Diego music professor Steven Schick has organized a series of public concerts on campus highlighting what he considers the most important threads of his tenure at the La Jolla university. The remaining schedule is: The Arcades Festival, Sunday, May 17, Conrad Prebys Music Center; “Sonic Explorations,” 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater. music-web.ucsd.edu/concerts
• San Diego New Music presents a celebration of the 100th birthday of late experimental composer Morton Feldman at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The event will include a performance of Feldman’s 1985 piano and string quartet featuring pianist Vicky Ray and the Eclipse Quartet. $12-$32. ljathenaeum.org/events/sdnm-2026-0520
• The La Jolla Music Society completes the lecture series “Music 101” from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, in The JAI at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave. Michael Gerdes, director of orchestras at San Diego State University, will discuss “Go Your Own Way: After Sonata Form.” Free. Register at theconrad.org/events.
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla presents “Gershwin in Vienna,” a concert-lecture with Levi Hammer on piano, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, at 1008 Wall St. $37-$47, or $13 for students. ljathenaeum.org/events/hammer-26-0526
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla concludes the Athenaeum Jazz Spring Series at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, with the Peter Erskine Trio, Alan Pasqua and Scott Colley at the Athenaeum’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, 1008 Wall St. $53-$58. ljathenaeum.org/events/jazz-26-spring-series
• The San Diego Master Chorale concludes its 65th-anniversary season with “Americana,” a program examining American music’s history, evolution and impact, at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 31, at La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Ave. Featured music will include work by Moses Hogan, Roland Carter, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and Tom Petty. $20-$35. sdmasterchorale.org/americana
This photo from 1979 in Michigan is among the prints in Joseph Bellows Gallery’s online exhibition “David Freund: Gas Stop.” (Joseph Bellows Gallery)
• Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla presents the online exhibition “David Freund: Gas Stop,” featuring prints from Freund’s black-and-white gas station photographs shot in 47 states from 1978 to 1981. josephbellows.com/exhibitions/david-freund-gas-stop2
Books
• Author Essie Fox discusses her book “Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights” in conversation with Rachel McMillan at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, online in an event presented by Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla. Free. warwicks.com/event/fox-2026
• Erin O’Brien discusses her cookbook “Dig In!” in conversation with Sivan Ayla at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at PopUp Bagels, 637 Pearl St., La Jolla, in an event presented by Warwick’s bookstore. $35, including book copy. warwicks.com/event/obrien-2026
• Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie discuss their book “A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams” in conversation with Rachel McMillan at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, online in an event presented by Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla. Free. warwicks.com/event/dray-and-kamoie-2026
Author Élan Les Vies will launch his book “The Lemon Twist” at Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla on Tuesday, May 26. (Warwick’s)
• Warwick’s bookstore hosts a book launch with Élan Les Vies for his new release, “The Lemon Twist,” in conversation with Brian Watson at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, at 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free, or $19 for a reserved seat and book copy. warwicks.com/event/les-vies-2026
• Alexa Yasemin Brahme discusses her debut novel, “Good News,” with Michelle Shea, dean of students at The Bishop’s School, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, at Warwick’s bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free, or $29 for a reserved seat and book copy. warwicks.com/event/brahme-2026
• The Rev. Mark Hargreaves of St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla discusses and signs his latest book, “The Distinct Modernism of San Diego,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at St. James, 743 Prospect St. (858) 459-3421
Theater
La Jolla Playhouse is presenting “Purpose” through Sunday, June 7. (Samantha Laurent)
• “Purpose,” winner of a Tony Award for best play and a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2025, comes to the La Jolla Playhouse for its West Coast debut through Sunday, June 7, at the Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. The show, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, tells the story of an influential Chicago family. $30-$99. lajollaplayhouse.org/show/purpose
Galas & events
• The La Jolla Historical Society’s signature Secret Garden Tour fundraiser returns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16, with at least six gardens at locations throughout La Jolla and featuring musicians, plein air artists and dining table designs. Multiple packages are available. $55 for Historical Society members, $65 for non-members. Bonus-garden tickets are sold out. The Secret Garden Tour Boutique will be held the same day at the Historical Society’s Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St. lajollahistory.org/secret-garden-tour
• The San Diego chapter of the ARCS Foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) holds its annual Scientist of the Year fundraiser from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. This year’s honoree is Sonia Ancoli-Israel, a leader in sleep and circadian rhythm research and a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the UC San Diego School of Medicine in La Jolla. The program also will honor this year’s ARCS Scholars and Scholars alumnus Noah Milman. Proceeds from the event will support future ARCS Scholars. $255. san-diego.arcsfoundation.org/2026-SOY-celebration
• The La Jolla Community Center hosts Spring Bingo from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Free. ljcommunitycenter.org
• The Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa invites guests to its Tea in the Garden series from noon to 3 p.m. one Sunday a month through Oct. 18 at 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. The remaining events are: May 31, “Bridgerton & Blooms High Tea”; June 28, “Solstice Garden Tea”; July 19, “Mediterranean Daydream”; Aug. 23, “A Gilded Garden Tea”; Sept. 27, “Harvest & Herb Tea”; Oct. 18, “A Curious Mad Hatter Tea Party.” $75 per person per event. eventbrite.com/e/tea-in-the-garden-series-tickets-1982386840404?aff=erellivmlt
• St. Germaine’s Children’s Charity presents its annual Star Bright Grants Awards Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 4, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. $170-$195. stgermainechildrenscharity.org
• The La Jolla/Riford Library hosts “Remember Us the Holocaust,” or “RUTH,” an exhibit that features stories of Holocaust survivors living in San Diego County and artifacts from the Holocaust and World War II, through Sunday, June 28, at 7555 Draper Ave. Free. bit.ly/49TLiDr
Do you have an event — online or in person — that you’d like to see here? Email your leads to Noah Lyons at noah.lyons@lajollalight.com by noon Friday for publication in the following week’s edition.