San Jose Archives - until suburbia!

Browse Some Art, Kaleid Gallery in San Jose

January 20, 2023Silvia

The Kaleid Gallery in San Jose’s SoFA district houses over 60 fine artists and designers in their 4,000 square foot retail space. Every First Friday, except in January and July, they feature a solo exhibit by a resident artist. The artist’s reception is from 5 pm – 9 pm.

If you want some unique gift you should check them out. All art is for sale and you can take it with you at the time of purchase. There are not only paintings, but sculptures, ceramics, and jewelry, to name a few. I also enjoyed meeting some of the artists while I visited.

The most curious piece, and a fun thing to play with, is the Space Palette Pro. A visual music instrument that looks like a mix between an old jukebox and a homemade arcade video game console. Pick a theme from the psychedelic sounding menu and start playing sounds with your fingers on the touchscreen. Sample menu themes are: Blue Purple Cartoon Clouds, Kaleidoscopes Forever, and Swimming in Salmon Blue. I don’t think this is for sale, but instructions on how to build your own are given.

KALEID Gallery is located at 320 S. 1st Street, in downtown San Jose.

Opening hours are Thursdays to Fridays 12 pm – 7 pm, Saturdays 12 pm – 5 pm

And for First Fridays ArtWalk SJ 5 pm – 9 pm.

What’s your favorite art gallery in San Jose?

Description of the exhibit Pertencia: To Belong with views of paintings from Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán

Get a Sense of Belonging, Pertenecer at MACLA, San Jose

January 13, 2023Silvia

Pertenecer: To Belong is the current exhibit at MACLA – Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana in San Jose’s SoFA district. Until March 19th, 2023 you can experience the cultural expression of otherness and belonging from six LatinX Bay Area artists: Pilar Agüero-Esparza, Rayos Magos, Kristina Micotti, Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán, Vanessa Wallace-Gonzales, and Jennifer White-Johnson.

You can feel the struggle to belong without losing yourself and your culture in their works. With interesting choices of materials, like aluminum alloy, leather and burlap, some of the artists play with traditional mediums to make something their own. Others use vibrant colors and imagery to evoke a cultural edge.

On Saturday January 14th you can attend a special artists talk from noon to 1:30 pm, with Pilar Agüero-Esparza, Rayos Magos, and Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán. This is a free event, but tickets are required. You can sign up for tickets on their website.

The gallery at MACLA is always free, but they do have a box for donations. $5 is the suggested donation amount. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Friday 12-7pm, and Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm.

Have you been to a MACLA exhibit?

While you are in the area I suggest you stop by the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art on the same block.

Play Chess in the Park, Santana Row

October 7, 2022Silvia

Have you all watched the Queen’s Gambit yet and were you obsessed with chess for a while? If you are looking for a public place to play chess or watch others scheming their next move, head out to Santana Row in San Jose. There is a large chess game set up on Santana Row’s Chess Plaza across from the Vintage Wine Bar. The chess pieces can be moved easily with two hands, even by tiny ones. The size of the pieces were knee-high for me. And while the board is a bit weathered I’m glad they made a comeback after being stored in quarantine because of COVID.

If you prefer a smaller scale set you can bring your own pieces and play on the tables lining their larger cousin; of chess sets that is. This way you’ll be able to order a drink while lounging in the wooden chairs pondering your next move.

By the way, Santana Row is an experience in itself. An outdoor shopping mall with some high-end stores, copious dining options, and outdoor experiences, like the upcoming Makers Market on October 8th, 2022. An inviting place to stroll and people watch.

Have you ever played chess at Santana Row?

If you like outdoor board games you can also play Senet at the Rosicrucian Museum; or get a group together and play the Guiness Record setting Monopoly.

See Chalk Art

September 9, 2022Silvia

To create art is joyful, therapeutic, and a gift for the viewers if it speaks to them. To create chalk art adds a temporary component that I admire and despise at the same time. Hours spent by the artist are washed away within days. I captured the remains of Palo Alto’s Festival of the Arts that happened August 27 & 28, 2022 a few days later. To my surprise Tasso St where a couple of days ago the street artist put down masterpieces was only a faint memory as if the event never happened.

There are of course pictures online. But to see these street artists at work is a real treat. Coming September 17th to San Jose, the Luna Park’s Chalk Art Festival will be back after a hiatus due to COVID. The organizers expect over 3,000 artists, students, vendors, and community members in San José’s Backesto Park. You can see the Madonnari, the Italian word for street painter, at work. Luna Park also encourages you to learn how to draw with chalk. In fact they are a foundation that provides funds for art school programs and local artists. The festival is free.

Another chalk art event right around the corner is happening in Niles on September 24th, 2022. The Chalk Art in the Park raises money for the Ohlone Humane Society. With a suggested donation you’ll receive a goodie bag with chalks and a square concrete to work on.

Luna Park’s Chalk Art Festival in Backesto Park, San Jose September 17th, 2022. Admission is free.

Chalk Art in the Park in Niles Town Plaza, Niles September 24th, 2022, from 10am to 3pm.

Have you ever painted in chalk?

Be Blown Away by BAGI, San Jose

August 13, 2022August 14, 2022Silvia

BAGI stands for Bay Area Glass Institute, a non-profit partially funded by the City of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs. On my recent visit to the History Park in San Jose I came across a sign inviting me to check out BAGI. Right next to the bee garden not far from the electrical tower there is an entrance to the History Park from the BAGI parking lot.

When I stepped in I noticed the cubbies with things ready to be picked up. At a counter I was greeted by a young woman explaining what BAGI is. They give classes and you can sell your glass creations; it is also popular for team-events. She invited me to sit down on the bleachers in the next room where three artists were working. She mentioned that they are used to onlookers. They acknowledged me but fired away. I enjoyed watching the calm art of working with red-glowing glass. Fires burning in the ovens, hot rods being fired up, constant turning of the rods. Back at the counter you’ll be inspired by what people have created. Part of these creations are for show, part are for sale. You’ll see bowls and vases, glass beads, and whole jewelry creations.

If you don’t feel comfortable just strolling by you can also book a demonstration. For a 1 hour demo, it is $10 per person with a minimum of 25 people or $250 for smaller groups.

To deepen your relationship with melted glass the Bay Area Glass Institute offers classes for beginners thru advanced skill levels.

You can visit the BAGI at 635 Phelan Ave. San Jose, CA

Have you ever blown glass or watched someone doing it?

Find the Way to San Jose

August 5, 2022Silvia

If you are like me, anytime you see a sign to San Jose you know what to sing. One of the ways to arrive at or leave San Jose is via Amtrak at the Diridon station. If you happen to be in the waiting room and need to pass time you should check out the displays around. ‘The way to San Jose’ is an exhibit that showcases the different transportation options in the Santa Clara Valley.

From early tule boats, a canoe used by the Oholone, to the BART extension program, the exhibit highlights different ways to travel. Mineta airport and the former port of Alviso are also stations to learn about. There is quite a history in this area about transportation!

If you enjoy architecture, the Italian Renaissance Revival style of the Diridon station might intrigue you as well.

I hope your summer travel is going well and you’ll find your way back to San Jose.

Resources:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/10/14/the-way-to-san-jose-themes-transportation-history-exhibit-at-diridon-station/

People standing under the electric tower in History Park

Admire a Former Landmark of San Jose

July 29, 2022July 29, 2022Silvia

History Park in San Jose preserved a lot of buildings by moving them from their original location to Kelly Park. Some of the buildings are replications of former glory, like the Bank of Italy and the candy shop next door.

Nevertheless, the most recognized structure is the electric tower framing the intersection next to the Bank of Italy building. It is a half-scale replica of the original 237-foot tower that was built at the intersection of Santa Clara and Market Street in San Jose in 1881. The tower collapsed in a storm in 1915. As a monument to progress it was hoped to illuminate the downtown area by imitating moon light. J.J. Owens, editor of the San Jose Mercury, is credited with the idea. In an editorial piece, he proclaimed that by “providing a high and immense source of arc light, the night would become as day for the downtown area.” (Information signage at History Park)

Hailed as the world’s tallest free-standing iron structure of its time, some said the design influenced the 1889 Eiffel Tower. After a mock trial at Santa Clara State University, it was decided that two minds had independently come up with similar ideas.

Ironically this concept of lighting up the downtown didn’t prove to be successful. The tower did not light the immediate area, and farmers nearby complained that the moon-imitating structure confused their chickens.

But this was the beginning of available electricity in in cities, and gas lamps were slowly replaced with electric lights.

A much smaller reproduction of this landmark can be seen lit up at Christmas in the Park sponsored by the Rotary Club.

Did you know about the electric light tower?

History in San Jose is located at 635 Phelan Avenue. Admission is free, except during special events, but parking is $6 for an all-day pass. The park is open Mondays thru Sundays, 9 am to 4 pm.

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose_electric_light_tower

https://historysanjose.org/plan-your-visit/history-park/electric-light-tower/

https://www.sjpl.org/blog/looking-back-san-joses-electric-light-tower

Have a swimmingly good time at the Rotary PlayGarden, San Jose

April 29, 2022Silvia

As I said before, when my child was younger we searched out interesting playgrounds. I am a big fan of the all-inclusive playgrounds here in the Bay Area. There is usually a lot of thought that goes into the design of these playing areas. One of these all-ability playgrounds is the Rotary PlayGarden in San Jose. A fun place to climb, swing, ride, and run around.

When you enter the PlayGarden the theme is clear, you are ‘swimming’ in an imagined river with fishes. The beige and blue foam ground reflects the beach and water features remarkably well. Fishes are objects to touch everywhere.

The Rotary PlayGarden is part of the Guadalupe Gardens, a collection of ‘gardens’ that also include the Heritage Rose Garden, the historic orchard, and the community gardens. Adjacent to the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Visitor & Education Center, it has ample parking in front.

As the playground is gated you have to adhere to the opening hours, which are Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.

Where do you go and play?

Other all-ability playgrounds are the Magical Bridge playgrounds and Walnut Creek near Heather’s Farm.

Search out a Little Free Art Gallery, San Jose

April 15, 2022Silvia

Little free libraries are present in a lot of neighborhoods and worth seeking out. Not only do they offer free reading materials, but some extended their selection during the pandemic with canned foods or seeds. I also admire the creativity people invest in making these small cabinets.

The little free art galleries are an extension of this genre. The principle is the same as the little free libraries, come to see some art, grab something that catches your eye, or contribute to the fun. As far as I know San Jose now has two of these neighborhood gems. One of the galleries is stocked by Jennifer Hart, a local artist, who enjoyed the challenge of creating small art. The gallery is located on Booksin Avenue in Willow Glen. You can also see the current inventory at her Instagram account “Hart Little Free Gallery”.

The second gallery is nearby, in the Reed Elementary School area. SJFLAG is also on Instagram, but it asks that if you want to know the exact address you should PM them. I did not realize this on my quest, so it took me a little while to find the SFMOMA inspired box.

Smooth Ray of Trumansburg, NY created a directory for free little art galleries.

Have you been to a little free art gallery?

Resources:

https://sjctoday.6amcity.com/free-little-galleries-san-jose-ca/