Our picks of this week's events, Jan. 14-20

ART

Get together

Jeff Faeth, Sean Kelley and Stacy Kelley, the artists behind the roaming arts collective Sanctuary 143, are putting on their next art-and-culture happening, Conspire, at Community @ The Martin Building and Flats (401 Olive St. in Bankers Hill) from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. The hip new art- and communal-minded residential complex will be the backdrop as 10 artists and musicians, including Mike Maxwell, Joel P. West, Wes Bruce and Acamonchi, present art, sculpture and music. Local indie shops Velo Cult, Subtext and Hi-Octane Jewelry will also set up shop. For RSVP details and more, visit www.sanctuary143.com.

Here and there: The holidays are finally over, which means galleries across town are getting back on track and opening their first shows of 2009. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, check out the nice new location of Subtext Gallery (2479 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy) for the opening of 366 / 08. Photographer Frank Rogozienski took a photo every day in 2008 and he’s ready to show the whole collection. And don’t miss Metalchemy, an exhibition featuring the photographic works of artist Maire Scharpegge at the beautiful Luce Loft (corner of Ninth and Island, Downtown) from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. Oh, and definitely hit up the impressive Jasper Johns: Light Bulb exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s La Jolla location (700 Prospect St.). The show, which opens to the public Sunday, Jan. 18, brings together Johns’ light-bulb sculptures with some of his drawings and prints.

FILM

Buildings speak

At 5:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, the San Diego Historical Society will screen Beautiful Simplicity: Arts & Crafts Architecture in Southern California at Thornton Theatre at the Museum of San Diego History in Balboa Park. Producer and writer Paul Bockhorst will be on hand to talk about his film, which looks at the arts and crafts movement and its effect on the physical and cultural landscape of Southern California in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Dozens of houses and buildings by architects including Irving Gill, Frank Mean and Richard Requa—who all did work in San Diego—will be featured in the new documentary. RSVP required. $20. www.sandiegohistory.org, 619-232-6203 x129.

NIGHTLIFE

Get Lost

Event promoters Front & Ivy are heading out to South Park’s Whistle Stop Bar (2236 Fern St.) from 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, for a little event called Lost at the Train Station. Guests can watch the season-five premier of Lost, the ABC television series that’s garnered a cult following over the years, on the indoor big-screen from the comfort of the bar. There’ll be Lost-themed drink specials, gift bags and a trivia game after the show. The event will probably be a monthly thing, but you’re invited back only if you promise to keep your mouth shut during the episode’s airing—fans of Lost have to focus. www.frontandivy.com.

BOOKS

Spa Secrets

As if Deborah Szekely weren’t busy enough keeping people healthy at her two world-famous spas, now she’s cooking, too. Her new book, Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta, is full of tips and recipes for cooking simple meals made with seasonal, local ingredients. Come check out the book and hear her speak about health, fitness and longevity on Sunday, Jan. 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Book Works (2670 Via de la Valle, Suite A230, in Del Mar). Free. www.book-works.com.

DANCE

Defying Gravity

STREB vs. Gravity isn’t just a dance performance; it’s also a physical impossibility. Well, not quite, but it seems that way, with its daring combination of dance, acrobatics and Hollywood stunt work. The dance company STREB, led by choreographer Elizabeth Streb, has performed everywhere from Manhattan’s Grand Central Station to the streets of Montreal, and now it’s performing at the Birch North Park Theatre (2891 University Ave.). The show, this Sunday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m., will be preceded at 7 p.m. by a discussion led by dancer, choreographer and UCSD faculty member Liam Clancy. $20-$65. www.lajollamusicsociety.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Chit chat

Pecha Kucha Night is a mingling type of event in which architects, designers and art-minded folk get together in a casual setting to exchange ideas. After an hour of drinking and socializing, a few brave souls get up in front of the crowd and present 20 slides for 20 seconds each and talk about whatever is on their minds. The international event has traveled the globe, but at 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at The Corner Restaurant and Bar (369 10th Ave., Downtown), the San Diego Architectural Foundation will bring it to San Diego for the first time ever. Presenters include SDSU professor of urban planning Larry Herzog; the design-minded owner of The Pearl Hotel and Thin/Onyx Room, Greg Strangman; designer Frank Wolden; and CityBeat arts editor Kinsee Morlan. $5 suggested donation. www.sdarchitecture.org.

Downtown diversity: If you’re too broke to travel, don’t worry—this weekend you can experience some world culture without even leaving San Diego. The San Diego Multicultural Festival is back for its 11th year with fun family-oriented activities. This year, students from four local schools are displaying their “Global Villages” projects, which showcase traditions and cultures from around the world. Stop by the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade (between Fourth Avenue and Market Street on Harbor Drive, Downtown) for this free day of storytelling, educational booths, international food, music and entertainment. The festival’s happening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. www.ccdc.com