After a 14-month closure, Downtown San Diego’s The New Children’s Museum (thinkplaycreate.org) has reopened with a whimsical lineup of brand-new commissions from eight top artists.
KATIE RUIZ Inspired by her children’s book, Brian the Wildflower, author and artist Katie Ruiz expands upon her tome in “Brian and the Bugs.” On display now, the 1,000-square-foot mural includes flowers and insects teamed with a rain shower made of pompoms that flow from an overhead window on the museum’s main level to show that life continuously evolves—despite adversity.
Artist David Israel Reynoso
WES BRUCE To toast the fifth anniversary of Wes Bruce’s “The Wonder Sound,” the museum has welcomed a new installation by the artist on the upper patio. Completed in June, “The Wonder Sound Garden” is an alfresco experience that honors the natural cycles of San Diego through small earthen dome structures and xeriscapes of local succulents in hopes of bringing the community together.
Panca’s playful “El Más Allá” mural
PANCA With “El Más Allá,” a new work launching in July from artist Panca, guests of all ages will feel like kids again as the lower-level display is reached through a 40-foot tube slide from the main level. (An accompanying smaller slide for little ones is also available.) Once inside, viewers will find climbable sculptures and vibrant murals that intend to lift spirits. The Tijuana-based artist, known for her innovative large-scale projects, will dedicate the installation to her father, Hector Villaseñor, who passed away from COVID-19 in December 2020.
Artist Risa Puno
RISA PUNO We are all connected in countless ways and that is exactly what artist Risa Puno’s latest installation explores. Opening in August in Museum Park, “In the Balance” is a tracery of balancing beams to create the illusion of a labyrinth. Puno’s inspiration? The indigenous Filipino concept of kapwa—a recognition of shared identity in community
A look at The New Children’s Museum’s vibrant “Whammock” by artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam “WHAMMOCK”
TANYA AGUIÑIGA Inspired to teach little ones ages 3 and under the importance of anti-bias, artist Tanya Aguiñiga created “tikitiko”—a space in which empathy emanates through huggable forms, furry beings and seasonal sensory objects—in fall 2019. With her passion further ignited by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, in August, Aguiñiga will revisit her project to bring to life “tikitiko Reimagined,” a strengthened take on her original space that aims to bring families together to create a more just world.
The magical world of Tanya Aguiñiga’s “tikitiko” display
FELIPE DULZAIDES Since its 2009 debut at the museum’s Animal Art exhibition, Felipe Dulzaides’ “Missing Links” is one of the most requested artworks in the institution’s history. Now, the rainbow-hued 20-foot-long inflatable sculpture returns this summer to nod to the idea that change is inevitable and we are all progressing each and every day. Let the fun begin.
DAVID ISRAEL REYNOSO Known for his productions in which the audience follows characters through time and space, David Israel Reynoso, a San Diego-based artist, director and founder of Optika Moderna, will launch “Teatro Piñata” in October. The installation will allow visitors to look at theatrical experiences from a new lens where the stage and curtain are only the start of the journey.
ANDREA CHUNG San Diego artist Andrea Chung’s work centers on migration and colonialism, highlighting what connects people and objects and the systems that rule them. As a STEAM artist-in-residence for the museum’s Rosso Family Foundation Innovators LAB Artist Residency, Chung will educate others through mediums like cyanotype printing in immersive, hands-on workshops launching in November.
Photography by: Courtesy of The New Children's Museum; Phillipp Scholz Rittermann
