The Galleries
The Lyceum Theatre Lobby contains two beautiful gallery spaces that are free and open to the public during San Diego REP regular business hours and to REP audiences surrounding all performances. From August-May the REP produces six plays. The gallery exhibits change with each play, featuring exhibitions inspired by or connected to themes of each play, creating an immersive environment in which audience members are encouraged to make more intimate connections to the works onstage. The REP also produces a Jewish Arts Festival every summer in which we showcase Jewish artwork and work by Jewish visual artists.
The galleries build on the REP’s mission to promote an interconnected community and to celebrate voices of our region. They make the Lyceum experience a unique opportunity to take in a wealth of art, culture and expression in one location in the heart of downtown.
The REP’s regular business hours are 12PM - 6PM, Monday-Sunday, except holidays. During regular business hours, please stop by the REP Box Office window for free admittance. On days where there are evening performances, non-ticket holders are welcome to view the lobby galleries up to the performance start time, but only those with performance tickets will be admitted into the theatres.
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Lyceum Upper Lobby
Untitledby Calvin MansonOn view: November 14 - December 8
We Hold These Truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
-from the Declaration of Independence
United States history is full of movements of people fighting for the rights described in this text. From the Civil War, to the Suffragette Movement, to the Civil Rights Movement to individuals like Gordon Hirabayashi whose story is told in Hold These Truths, and on and on, examples abound of human and civil rights heroes fighting for reality to match the American Dream laid out by the Founding Fathers.
This exhibit features works by San Diego award-winning writer, producer, director, visual artist and Founder and Artistic Director of Ira Aldridge Repertory Players, Calvin Manson. Both the exhibit and the paintings are untitled as the artist desires viewers to personally experience each work, letting their own narratives and emotions arise, provoke thought and assign meaning.
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Lyceum Lower Gallery
America's Concentration Camps: From Evacuation to Incarcerationby the Japanese American Historical Society of San DiegoOn view: November 14 - December 8Gallery Opening: Saturday, November 16, from 7 PM – 8 PM
The first Japanese immigrants (Issei) arrived in San Diego in the 1880s to work on construction of the railroad. As more immigrants arrived, they married and had families, turning to agriculture and fishing to make a living. Although they were ineligible for citizenship and there were restrictions on land ownership, many prospered and established their own businesses.
However, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 cast a dark shadow over their lives and shattered all they had worked for. The defining moment came in February 1942 when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing military exclusion zones. Consequently, all persons of Japanese descent on the West Coast were to be removed and incarcerated. They were to report for “relocation” taking just one suitcase with them, leaving everything else behind. They did not know where they were going or when they would return.
The San Diegans were initially sent to the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, near Pasadena where many of them lived in the horse stables. Later they were moved to Poston III camp in the hot, dusty Arizona desert where they remained for the rest of WWII.
This exhibition features photographs illustrating how our government treated the families and individuals during their forced removal from San Diego and their incarceration in Poston, Arizona. It also reflects the efforts of those detained to make the best of their imprisonment – for themselves and for the sake of their children.
The Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego was formed in 1991 by local Japanese American community members who believed their history should be preserved and shared.
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The REP is always looking for local artists and arts organizations interested in partnering with us to exhibit visual art that encourages dialogue and engagement around the themes of each play staged in our production seasons.
The REP has two gallery spaces, the Lyceum Upper and Lower Lobby Galleries.The Upper Lobby space may showcase visual art that is not play specific but is still in line with San Diego REP’s mission. The Lower Lobby space is intended for visual art exhibitions that are thematically linked to the production that is on stage at the time of the exhibition. Artists or Arts Organizations may apply to exhibit in either or both of the galleries. Depending on the size of the work, the number of pieces that can be shown in each gallery vary. On average, the Upper Lobby Gallery can accommodate between 15-20 pieces and the Lower Lobby Gallery between 20-25 pieces.
Our art hanging system is a hook and cable system that is conducive to displaying framed works and other pieces that have picture hanging wire installed on it. All artwork must be prepped for installation by the artist prior to its delivery to The REP, and artists are responsible for their own transportation and installations of artwork.
The scheduling of exhibitions is dependent on The REP’s production calendar and are scheduled through the REP’s Audience Engagement Curator. In selecting exhibits, we will consider:
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Quality of Artwork
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Overall community interest
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Relevance to The REP’s mission or to the themes and subjects surrounding a specific play in our season
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Costs, Special Requirements and requests associated with proposed exhibition
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Previous exhibitions by artist/organization
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If the artist/organization has previously shown work at the REP, and how recently
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Proposed exhibit’s compatibility with our hanging system
Interested exhibitors must fill out an application, available for download here. Upper Lobby applications are accepted and considered on a rolling basis. We will begin accepting applications for Season 45 (2020-2021) exhibitions in the spring of 2020.
If an artist’s proposal is selected, the curator will reach out via email with information. Please do not follow up by phone or email to check on the status of applications. We receive many inquiries about exhibiting at The REP and only show a limited number of exhibitions per season. If an application is not accepted for the upcoming season, you may reapply the following season.
A. San Diego Repertory Theatre showcases visual art that supports our company’s mission. We seek to feature exhibitions that provide diverse perspectives, cultures and subject matter, as well as artwork of a high caliber. Artists are selected from applications and proposals from artists whose work reflects the theatre’s mission and, if applicable, has an appropriate tie-in with the production.
Q. What kind of art does The REP display?
A. At this time, The REP is able to display two-dimensional artwork that is compatible with our hook and cable system. This typically means canvases and framed pieces, but occasionally there are other formats that are compatible. These will be evaluated by the Curator before a proposal is accepted.
Q. What is the cost to an artist to exhibit at The REP?
A. We do not charge artists to exhibit in our gallery spaces. However, artists are entirely responsible for all costs associated with the creation of their art as well as its transportation.
Q. Can I sell my art?
A. If an artist would like to offer their artwork for sale during the time of the exhibition, The REP will handle the sale of purchased work and will take a 20% commission of the pre-tax purchase price.
Q. When can I submit materials in application for an exhibition at The REP?
A. Applications and proposals for exhibits are accepted on a rolling basis. However, we do not announce our season productions until the spring and will not make selections until early summer.
Q. Will people see my art hanging in a theatre lobby?
A. Absolutely! The Lyceum Theatres attract thousands of art-loving patrons year round. With two active stages and performances from many different performing arts organizations, there is heavy foot traffic through our upper and lower lobbies.
Q. What happens if my proposal is selected for an exhibit at The REP?
A. If a proposal is selected, the Curator will be in touch via email to set up time for the exhibitor to come view the gallery space that they were selected for. The Curator will provide an Artist Agreement to the exhibitor that must be reviewed and signed by the exhibitor.
Q. What are the logistics around installing artwork at The REP?
A. Exhibitors are entirely responsible for transporting and hanging their artwork. All artwork must be hung on our gallery hanging track system, no exceptions. This means that all artwork must have hanging wire on the back of it. We recommend that exhibitors bring people to help load-in and load-out their work. Most installations take a couple of hours to install and can easily be completed in an afternoon. After the exhibit, the exhibitor is responsible for leaving the gallery in the state they found it. Installation and deinstallation dates will be assigned by the Curator well in advance and must be adhered to.
Q. Can I have a gallery reception?
A. We encourage artists and exhibiting groups to host an opening reception for their exhibition during the first week of previews. Dates must be selected and approved ahead of time to fit the events schedule. This event will be listed as one of the Engagement Events that happens in concurrence with the play on stage.
Q. What publicity will The REP offer?
A. As long as the artist provides the required information to the Curator by the assigned deadlines, a description of the exhibition and information about the gallery opening event will be featured in the Engagement Event brochure. This brochure is mailed to approximately 20-30,000 households for each REP production and is featured on The REP’s website. The REP will also create a Facebook event for the gallery opening event that the exhibitor will be invited to “co-host” and share themselves. Additionally, artists are welcome to create their own fliers, advertisements and social media welcoming friends, family, and their own following to see the exhibit during the run of the production.
Q. When can people see my exhibit?
A. The public is welcome to view the galleries during The REP’s regular business hours, 12PM – 6PM Monday through Sunday, except holidays. On days where there are performances in the evening, the public is welcome to view the lobby galleries during the time pre-show, but only those with performance tickets will be admitted into the theatres.
Q. Who can I direct questions to regarding the Lyceum galleries?
A. If you have questions about the gallery not answered in these FAQs or other gallery information, please email or call our Audience Engagement Curator at soie@sdrep.org or (619)231-3586.
Gallery Hours:
12PM - 6 PM Monday - Sunday, except holidays
(Please stop by the REP Box Office window for free admittance)
Before all evening performances
(Non-ticket holders will be allowed into galleries but not theatres)
Interested in exhibiting?
The REP is always looking for local artists and arts organizations interested in partnering with us to exhibit visual art that encourages dialogue and engagement around the REP mission or the themes of the plays on our stages. Please read the section titled “For Artists and Arts Organizations” for more information and to fill out an online application.
