“Cultural preservation is practiced by all peoples, and the responsibility to protect our shared story belongs to all of us. In the face of erasure, the courage to safekeep collective memory and community legacy becomes all the more critical,” says Leticia Gomez Franco, executive director of Balboa Art Conservation Center. “At BACC we are proud to partner with memory keepers to carry out this important work.”
Half a Century of Art Conservation in Balboa Park
Tucked among the museums and gardens of San Diego’s Balboa Park is a science laboratory for art. Here, a team of art conservators and cultural heritage professionals preserve objects past and present. They examine, preserve, repair and prevent damage to art objects, such as paintings, textiles and sculptures, so that their cultural and historical significance endures.
Preserving Memory Across All Communities
Historically, the conservation field has focused its resources on fine art collections in traditional museums and institutions, often leaving out the legacies of communities and artists outside that narrow scope.
In 2020, BACC expanded its mission to ensure that all communities, collections, and memory-keeping work have access to its expertise and resources. This includes cultivating networks of cultural heritage first responders who were deployed during the historic San Diego floods of 2024 and partnered in Art Recovery Los Angeles (ARLA) clinics after the wildfires in LA. BACC also has Work Force Development Initiatives that share the conservation profession with students and delivers free statewide capacity-building training for collections caretakers. Its free monthly community clinics in Balboa Park are open to the public as well.
This expansion was supported with nearly $2 million in funding from the Mellon Foundation and Prebys Foundation, enabling the inclusive growth of BACC’s mission.
Understanding Our Past Through Science and Art
One of art conservation’s greatest strengths is bridging disciplines. While art and science are often taught separately, BACC takes a STEAM approach—combining science, technology, and the arts.
BACC conservators use state-of-the-art technology, including infrared reflectography and X-radiography, to uncover what can be hidden in plain sight. “We look at the structural elements to decipher what was original to how an artist conceived of a work, what changes happened over time,” says Morgan Wylder, BACC’s associate conservator of paintings. “We use these techniques to understand how artworks were made and functioned. They might reveal something that is not visible on the surface of a painting, and that can be really exciting.”
Scientific tools also enhance understanding of how to interpret and care for cultural collections. For example, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) can identify heavy metals and toxins in museum objects. “This is particularly important as part of repatriation processes, as pesticides that were used historically may be harmful to communities once cultural belongings return home” says Dr. Elizabeth Salmon, BACC’s inaugural preventive conservator. “Scientific tools are especially impactful when they help us go beyond learning about an object’s history and facilitate safer use, learning, and interaction with cultural heritage in the future.”
Preserving Our Futures Now
As museums and cultural institutions face pressure and budget cuts that impact whose history is preserved, BACC is advancing the study and preservation of cultural heritage for all communities. It recently opened the 53rd annual meeting of the American Institute for Conservation with a talk titled, “In Commitment to Community” and launched a 50th Birthday Campaign to sustain its award-winning educational programs for students and collections caretakers.
As the only nonprofit regional conservation center on the West Coast, BACC is safeguarding works of art for future generations. Learn more about BACC here.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
