Ahead of the world premiere of the San Diego Opera’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), UC San Diego Park & Market was thrilled to cohost a special lead-up series with concerts, lectures, and panel discussions throughout the month of October. With four special events, we were able to experience the lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera through music, art, and politics.
Monday, October 3 – Frida and Diego: An Artistic Marriage
Attendees explored politics, economics, and art in the time of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, drawing on the expertise of UCSD Mexican Studies faculty and featured speaker Gregorio Luke, former Director of the Museum of Latin American Art. The lecture presented a portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, with more than 300 slides of their extraordinary paintings, photographs, and rare film footage.
Wednesday, October 12 – The Songs of Frida Kahlo (Las canciones de Frida Kahlo)
Did you know that Frida Kahlo was also passionate about singing? This 50-minute concert featured singers and guitarists performing selections of Kahlo’s favorite songs from the 1930s and 1940s. Musical works included opera favorites, popular songs like “La Llorona,” “La bruja”, “Puttin’ On the Ritz,” and many more!
Thursday, October 20 – Who were Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo? (¿Quienes fueron Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo?)
Guests had the privilege to witness an in-person conversation between Diego Rivera’s grandson, Juan Coronel Rivera and Roxana Velasquez, Executive Director of the San Diego Museum of Art. The two experts discussed the tumultuous relationship between the two iconic artists from Mexico, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Their passions and resentments, adoration and pain were sources of inspiration for the world premiere of El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego).
Three Film Screenings of Frida at the Digital Gym
Digital Gym Cinema, a Park & Market resident partner, presented three showings of Frida, Still Life (1983). The film is a biography of painter Frida Kahlo and her encounter with the many personalities of her time.
UC San Diego Extended Studies was proud to be a part of bringing these exciting and engaging learning and artistic opportunities to our community. At Park & Market, San Diego people come together to learn, be challenged, and make new connections. This special series by the San Diego Opera is just one example of events and programs hosted at the building that invites the public to engage alongside our region’s leaders and experts.
As Ethan Van Thillo shared in an op-ed announcing the Digital Gym Cinema’s relocation to Park & Market, “There is so much happening in San Diego’s thriving arts and culture scene, and the world deserves to see it.” He went on to say, “The purpose of Park & Market aligns exactly with our mission of creating equitable, engaged communities where underserved voices are heard — and it makes us part of a space that is giving everyone that access.”
Join us at the corner of Park and Market! View our upcoming events, sign up to receive updates on educational courses and programs, or tour spaces at the building.