Art Beat

By Michael Benninger

6/12-1/3 Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed
San Diego Natural History Museum
1788 El Prado, Balboa Park
sdnhm.org
Discover the wonders of ancient Mayan civilization through hands-on activities and more than 200 artifacts and monuments.

6/1-30: Nancy Tokos
NTC Liberty Station
2750 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 14, Point Loma
ntclibertystation.com
This rising Southern California painter, who from age 12 was privately tutored by some of the Southwest’s most esteemed fine artists, premieres her ocean-inspired creations.

6/2-28: “Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales, Fables and Myths”
The Studio Door
3750 30th St., North Park
thestudiodoor.com
Artists from around the globe contributed to this collection of 50-plus paintings and sculptures inspired by the age-old stories our ancestors used to explain the world.

6/3-7/5: “Per•spek•tiv” by Mikesumoto and Victor Villa
Thumbprint Gallery 2
1475 University Ave., North Park
tpg2.net
Two local creatives join forces in this exhibition, showcasing photos, paintings and collaborative works that employ linear and aerial perspectives to capture subjects found around San Diego.

6/5-22: “Backdrop” by Lauren LeVieux
NTC Liberty Station
2750 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 15, Point Loma
ntclibertystation.com
San Diego-based Lauren LeVieux has a background in writing and literature. Her knack for storytelling carries over to her beautiful oil paintings, which illustrate her take on nature and the human experience.

6/5-30: “Stone” by John Thomas Wood
NTC Liberty Station
2750 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 16, Pt. Loma
ntclibertystation.com
Get stoned and rock out at this photo-artist’s exhibit focused on pebbles, boulders and every hard place in between.

6/13-7/3: “Silence” by Peter Halasz
Quint Gallery
7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla
quintgallery.com
Water inspired this local artist’s debut solo show, which features broody oil paintings and videos depicting the sea.

6/13-7/4: “Eye of the Beholder” by Paul Normansell
ArtHatch
317 East Grand Ave., Escondido
arthatch.org
After shooting portraits of high-profile supermodels including Kate Moss, this artist went on to create the cover art for The Killers’ third album, which Rolling Stone magazine named “Best Album Cover of the Year.” MTV declared it the “Best Album Art of the Decade.”

6/13-8/8: Squeak Carnwath
Lux Art Institute
1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas
luxartinstitute.org
Everyday objects and experiences fuel the creativity of this award-winning artist and Professor Emeritus from UC Berkeley, who layers words atop patterns in her vibrant prints and paintings.

6/20-7/25: “Chandlerisms” by Alexis Smith
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
1008 Wall St., La Jolla
ljathenaeum.org
Witty and wise words from celebrated novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler form the basis of this SoCal artist’s minimal, mixed-media show, which combines found objects with the wordsmith’s typewritten quotations.

6/20-7/25: “3 Objects 3 Poisons 3 Seeds of Virtue” by Lynn Susholtz
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
1008 Wall St., La Jolla
ljathenaeum.org
The owner and director of North Park’s Art Produce presents this collection of her graphite- and colored-pencil pieces that range from immersive, interactive exhibits to diminutive drawings of mundane subjects.