San Diego arts groups raise the welcome banner during September

Get a head start on the fall arts season next month when San Diego groups stage Arts Month, a showcase for the county’s galleries, arts groups, museums and festivals.

The event, held during the four weeks of September, will draw more than 200,000 people to the county to view or participate in 100 culturally diverse events and exhibitions.

“Our goal is to show that San Diego is way more than surf and sun; we have a very dynamic art scene,” said Ann Berchtold, founder and director of the Arts Month San Diego.

Four distinct art locales are showcased, including Balboa Park, downtown San Diego, La Jolla and North County.

“Discover Balboa Park,” Sept. 2-8, will include Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, the season finale of the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops and the San Diego Museum of Art exhibition “Dynamic: Blue Note After Rivera.” Also on the schedule: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival, which will present “As You Like it” and San Diego Natural History Museum’s exhibit “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.”

“Discover La Jolla,” Sept. 9-16, will include art openings, a La Jolla Playhouse presentation of “An Iliad” and an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego titled “Behold, America!: Art of the United States from Three San Diego Museums.”

“Discover Downtown,” Sept. 16-22, will offer ArtWalk on the Bay, Coronado Art Walk and a Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego exhibition, “Isaac Julien: Ten Thousand Waves.”

“Discover North County,” Sept. 23-30, will include the San Diego Film Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and an Oceanside Museum of Art exhibition: “Cruisin’ Califas: The Art of Lowriding.”