Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Join us and raise a glass to an art loving community! 

The Contemporary Thinkers Social Mixer is an intimate evening where new voices and well-seasoned art enthusiasts collide, bringing together creatives, collectors, and curious minds from across the San Diego arts scene into our cultural home.

This limited-capacity social mixer celebrates art in its many forms through poetry readings, music, and shared presence. Through spoken word, soulful soundscapes, and thoughtfully curated moments, guests are invited to experience art as something not just simply observed, but lived and felt. 

The evening features:

• A performance by Paola Capó-García, City of San Diego Poet Laureate, and poetry readings by The Back-Alley Poets
• One complimentary drink ticket
• Live DJ set by DJ Ilana Feliu
• Floral bouquet pop-up with Florist Designer Allie Tarolli
• Guided tour of Art Auction 2026, MCASD’s newest exhibition

MCASD Members enjoy exclusive, reduced-price access to this program, while connecting with a dynamic mix of emerging creatives and longtime supporters shaping San Diego’s cultural landscape. 

Not yet a Member? Join today and receive a complimentary mixer ticket (new Members only, one ticket per new membership).

5PM: Doors open

5:30PM: Welcome Remarks

5:40PM: Poetry by Paola Capó-García and the back-alley poets

6:35PM: Exhibition tour of Art Auction 2026 (optional)

7PM: Event ends

About the series

Designed to explore contemporary culture, community, and conversation, each installment connects a current exhibition to broader cultural dialogues and invites Members to experience art through sound, discussion, and social connection.

Paola Capó-García

Paola Capó-García is a poet and educator from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is the author of CLAP FOR ME THAT’S NOT ME, selected by D.A. Powell as the winner of Rescue Press' 2017 Black Box Poetry Prize. Her poems have appeared in The Volta, The Texas Review, Latino Book Review, jubilat, Poetry Society of America, Academy of American Poets, and others. She currently resides in San Diego, where she will serve as the City's Poet Laureate from 2025-2027. She’s a Virgo.

The Back-Alley Poets

The Back-Alley Poets are a collective of five Black women formed in 2023 through the Back Alley Poetry Club fellowship with the AJA Project. Since then, the group has continued independently, creating and sharing poetry rooted in community and lived experience. They have performed at many community events throughout San Diego and helped bring public art projects to life in City Heights. Together, they use poetry as a way to reflect, honor, and give back to their community.

Fatuma Fadhil is an East African creative artist based in SoCal. She is an educator with a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Elementary Mathematics and a Master’s in Mathematics Education. She is the face behind the digital media brand TheUMACollection, established in 2020. Her creativity is deeply rooted in her community, love for fashion, and the digital world of projects and design. Fatuma’s artistic expression goes beyond digital media, poetry, and design—she creates intentional spaces that foster community, unity, and a strong sense of belonging, where identity and storytelling are at the center.

Samira Hassan is an activist, poet, writer, and aspiring journalist who was born and raised in San Diego, California. She grew up in the diverse and beautiful neighborhood of City Heights, which has deeply shaped who she is today. Samira is currently an organizer and advocate in City Heights, continuing to uplift and support her community. She is a mosaic of her community, carrying its stories, resilience, and strength with her. With every step she takes, Samira remembers to honor her family, mentors, friends, and the City Heights community that raised her.

Aysia Meas McWhorter is a Cambodian–African American woman who was born and raised in City Heights. She is a preschool teacher and currently attends San Diego State University, where she is majoring in Child and Family Development. Aysia has been involved with multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Mid-City CAN Youth Council, where she worked alongside youth to create impactful change within her community. She specifically worked on a campaign to revitalize City Heights’ Jeremy Henwood Park. She has also worked with the AJA Project, where she shared stories about her community through poetry and helped create a public art installation in Jeremy Henwood Park. In addition, Aysia is part of the San Diego History Center’s City Heights Community Connector Program, where she helps tell the untold stories of community members.