For all his musical genius, John Lennon was more than just a dabbler at visual art. In his youth he was a student at the prestigious Liverpool College of Art. He maintained throughout a life that was cut short that art was a passion of his, and he famously observed that “Life doesn’t imitate art. It is art.”

Lennon’s artwork from his post-Beatles days is well known, but you may never have seen them in person. Now you can.

Part of the 15th annual Art San Diego festival this weekend at the downtown Convention Center, The John Lennon Art Collection of lithographs, prints and originals will be on display and, the festival folks tell us, available for purchase.

Titled “Give Peace a Chance,” the exhibition is reflective of John Lennon the man, who believed fiercely in our living in the kind of world he envisioned in “Imagine” — “as one.” Lennon was certainly no saint, and he would tell you that. But he was, as the song went, “a dreamer,” and he dreamed of peace. Given the state of the warring globe these days, that’s never seemed more elusive and more needed.

“Give Peace a Chance” is one of five art labs that are part of this festival of artwork and design. Another of especially local interest is “Hide and Seek: A Surrealistic Celebration of Colors and Dreams.” This exhibit features works created by students from San Diego’s Monarch School who collaborated with Humble Design and artists from ART DISTRICT Liberty Station.

Festival tickets are $10-$30 at redwoodartgroup.com/art-san-diego.

READ MORE: North County photographer among 95 exhibitors at annual Art San Diego fair this weekend

Theater

Among the 37 women whose plights are recounted in activist Anne Hoiberg’s book “Tears of War: Stories of Refugee Women,” seven will have their tales told in a performance piece Saturday at 3 p.m. at La Jolla Library on Draper Avenue.

The production created by Vantage Theatre will dramatize the courage of these women who fled troubled homes around the world in search of dignity and a better life. Suggested donations are $20, with proceeds going to Casa Cornelia Law Center, which advocates for the immigrant community in Southern California.

The “Tears of War” reading is part of several surround events taking place this weekend with the arrival of Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee girl now completing a cross-country, 35-city tour in San Diego.

READ MORE: Who is Little Amal and why is she ending her 6,000-mile cross-country trek in San Diego?

Film

In the wake of what we hope was the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, artists in many mediums are expressing through their works the emotional catharsis of our shared experience. One of them, filmmaker Zeinabu Irene Davis, is doing so through “Pandemic Bread,” which she adapted from a story written by local author Marivi Soliven for the San Diego Public Library’s Decameron Project.

The 22-minute film by Davis, a professor in UC San Diego’s Department of Communication, is about a Filipina phone interpreter working an end-of-life call during the pandemic in 2020. It’s screening Saturday at 2:55 p.m. at Edwards Cinema Mira Mesa as part of the ongoing San Diego Asian Film Festival.

READ MORE: Locals shine at San Diego Asian Film Festival

Dance

When I interviewed City Ballet of San Diego Artistic Director Steven Wistrich last year, he said of the legendary George Balanchine: “When you’re dancing to his choreography you feel as though it was made for you, that no other steps could be better to the music you’re dancing to.”

This was in advance of City Ballet’s program “From Balanchine to Martins: 20^th Century Masterworks.” Almost exactly a year later, the City Ballet company is celebrating Balanchine again, this time with a program it’s calling “Balanchine Extravaganza.”

Taking place Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon at the Balboa Theatre downtown, the program includes three beloved Balanchine works: “Serenade” to music by Tchaikovsky, “Donizetti Variations” to music from the opera “Don Sebastien” and “The Four Temperaments” to music by Paul Hindemith.

READ MORE: City Ballet of San Diego keeps George Balanchine’s ‘butterflies’ alive

More theater

The holidays must be here because once again it’s time to go green. The Old Globe Theatre’s “Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” begins performances on Wednesday, continuing through Dec. 31.

This is the 26th year that the Globe and the Grinch have teamed up, meaning that some people who saw the show years ago as children may now have kids of their own to bring to the theater. That is the Grinchy gift that keeps on giving.

Andrew Polec is back for the third year as the Grinch. Among the cast members you might have seen earlier this year in other roles are Ariella Kvashny and Berto Fernandez (from “Evita” at Cygnet Theatre) and Lance Arthur Smith, who just wound up his star turn in the Theatre at the Welk’s “Spamalot.”

U-T arts stories you may have missed

UCTV

University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:

“The Last Brown Beret”

Del Zamora (writer, director, and producer) joins UC Santa Barbara moderator Ben Olguín in a post-screening discussion of “The Last Brown Beret,” an adaptation of a play by Alfredo Ramos that explores Chicanx activism and history in Los Angeles. Together, they discuss the impact of the civil rights movement that arose in the 1960s and the connections between the Brown Berets, the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement, and their influence on the film. Zamora also details the development of the film, the challenges that Latinx filmmakers face and storytelling choices in the film’s structure and characterization.

“Psychedelic Research, Psilocybin Therapy and Mental Illness”

The Translational Psychedelic Research (TrPR) Program, led by Dr. Josh Woolley at UC San Francisco, delves into the potential of psychedelics as therapeutic tools for mental health challenges. With a focus on rigorous scientific inquiry, the program explores treatments for severe conditions like anorexia and depression, particularly in younger adults. While psychedelics’ promise is undeniable, TrPR emphasizes a balanced approach, considering risks such as misuse among teenagers and interactions with other medications. As the medical community’s interest in psychedelics grows, the TrPR Program stands at the forefront, championing responsible and research-driven exploration.

“How to Fight Fake News”

Joan Donovan, a leading disinformation researcher specializing in media manipulation, explains how social media platforms have become the new battleground for public persuasion. Co-author of “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America,” Donovan uncovers the ways memes and social media enable fringe groups to lure in new recruits and spread their ideologies. Donovan provides expert guidance on technical and policy strategies necessary to mitigate the weaponization of social media.

And finally, top weekend events

The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: Nov. 2-5.

Coddon is a freelance writer.