South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week! Galleries (both permanent and temporary) will be open from at least 5-9pm. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
Participating venues include the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, ANNO DOMINI, The Citadel Art Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, and MACHU PICCHU.
Click here for a preview of featured art.
South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week! Galleries (both permanent and temporary) will be open from 5-9pm, rain or shine. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
Participating venues include the Institute of Contemporary Art (with an awesome new façade), KALEID Gallery, ANNO DOMINI, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, and MACHU PICCHU.
South FIRST FRIDAYS is back this week! Galleries (both permanent and temporary) will be open from 5-9pm, rain or shine. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
Participating venues include the Institute of Contemporary Art (with an awesome new façade), KALEID Gallery, ANNO DOMINI, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, and MACHU PICCHU.
Click here for a preview of featured art.
San Jose's leading publication focused on art and culture is celebrating 10 years in print on March 3rd with the release of issue 14.2 "Sight & Sound." As is tradition, Content kicks off each issue with a party, often including the people featured in the magazine. This time around, they are returning to the venue of one of their very first parties--the San Pedro Square Market.
Issue 14.2 features: Culture Night Market, Brandon “BQ” Quintanilla; 6th Street Studios, Abby Bettencourt; Baunfire, Juan Sanchez; Cartoonist/Writer, Trinidad Escobar; Artist/Muralist, Manuel Villagran; Artist, Caia Koopman; Photographer, Alex Knowbody; Tabrizi Productions, Faran Tabrizi; Photo 125, San Jose State Photographers; Musician, Bennett Roth-Newell; Instrumentalist, Lidia Rodriguez; 408 Collective, Gabe Rangel, Jared Carbajal, Misa James, & Tyler Richards; and Album Picks by Needle to the Groove.
There will be live music, courtesy of the artists in the latest issue, along with an assortment of local artwork on display.
This special event runs from 7pm-9:30pm at the San Pedro Square Market on March 3rd. Subscribers, features, and contributors will get a free drink and gift upon entry.
San Jose's premier art & culture magazine is resuming their "pick-up parties" with issue 13.4 on September 3rd--conveniently coinciding with the First Friday Art Walk. You can pick up your latest issue at Parque de Los Pobladores between 6pm-8pm and then check out the galleries and restaurants of SoFA. They'll even have live music, visual art, and mini auto show. What sort of magazine does that for their subscribers?
Speaking of which, if you're not already a subscriber you can learn more about the magazine over here.
In partnership with First Friday Art Walk - Content Magazine celebrates the release of issue 13.4 "Profiles" at Parque de Los Pobladores.
About this event
Join Content Magazine for the first outdoor Pick-Up Party of 2021 on Friday, September 3rd from 6:00-8:00pm in partnership with First Friday Art Walk.
This Pick-Up Party celebrates the release of Issue 13.4 "Profiles."
Featuring:
Low Conspiracy | Warren Chang | San Jose Foos | Annmariz | Aulala Design | 2021 West Valley Fashion Designers | Kaylee Dougherty | Barely Funktional | HeadHunter Crew | FlipSide Lovers | Francisco J Zarate | Google Downtown West | Needle to the Groove Album Picks
Connect with one another in this open outdoor setting and experience a blend of music by Barely Funktional and FlipSide Lovers, along with special guest performances, and visual art by Warren Chang, Francisco J Zarate, Jackelin Solorio, and more. Plus a special visit by Low Conspiracy Car Club.
It is a packed two hour event. We hope you will join us and stay and explore First Friday Art Walk. Open from 5-10pm.
We have missed you and cannot wait to see you!!
This event is made possible by Heritage Bank.
This month, South FIRST FRIDAYS is supersized with the return of our annual summer street market. All art venues will be open for in-person visits from 5pm-9pm, as will the indie urban street market featuring over 50 artists, performers, and creatives. You can't miss it since the market will take over a chunk of SoFA. Of course there will be great food and drinks as well.
For more info head over here.
Participating Artists & Indie Creatives:
Finally, events are returning to the San Jose McEnery Center! Nederlander Concerts & Beyond Exhibitions is presenting Beyond Van Gogh for a limited engagement in San Jose. Over 300 of Van Gogh's artwork will be projected onto walls, set in motion, and paired with music and narration.
Prices start at $34.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids. There are also VIP packages that come with a giftbag. You can learn more and book a time slot over here.
BEYOND VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE OPENS SEPTEMBER 24 AT THE MCENERY CONVENTION CENTERBEYOND VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE OPENS SEPTEMBER 24 AT THE MCENERY CONVENTION CENTER
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 4
SAN JOSE, CA — JUNE 2, 2021 — Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience (www.vangoghsanjose.com), proudly presented by Nederlander Concerts & Beyond Exhibitions, will open at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center – South Hall on September 24. Open for a limited engagement, Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience was created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at Montreal’s world-renowned Normal Studio. This exhilarating experience features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic artworks, exciting the art lovers' senses through a three-dimensional lens in a way that’s never been experienced before. Guests will walk through an all-new, exclusively designed space which will transport them into Van Gogh’s world, becoming one of the brush strokes on his colorful canvasses and illuminating the senses.
Prices start at $34.99 for adults and $24.99 for children, plus the addition of ticketing fees. This world-renowned art experience will be open for a limited-time, so be sure to get tickets while they are still available. Tickets are on-sale Friday, June 4 at www.vangoghsanjose.com.
“We are beyond thrilled to bring Beyond Van Gogh’s art to life in San Jose,” says Mathieu St-Arnaud, Normal Studio.
Cinematic Van Gogh exhibitions have crossed the ocean from European cities to North America in recent years and met with great critical acclaim, with sold out audiences in every market. In a distinctive and unique multimedia artistic adventure, using cutting-edge multi-dimensional projection technology developed by some of the world’s greatest Audio Visual designers and technicians, Beyond Van Gogh encompasses the same iconic flare of Van Gogh’s vast body of work, with a refreshing new twist unlike anything art lovers have seen before. Using the artist’s own dreams, thoughts, and words to drive an unmatched narrative experience, Van Gogh’s exquisite works on projection-swathed walls invite guests to fully immerse themselves in his swirling and colorful flowers, cafes and stunning landscapes.
While journeying through Beyond Van Gogh guests witness his stunning masterpieces, including instantly-recognizable classics such as “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers”, and ‘Café Terrace at Night”, now freed from their frames. Van Gogh’s art is thrillingly brought to life by appearing and disappearing, flowing across walls, floors and ceilings, captivating and enveloping guests into the incredible detail of his work. A new appreciation of this tortured artists’ stunning work will undoubtedly emerge as guests travel through, hearing Van Gogh’s own words set to a symphonic score. It’s no surprise that millions of people all over the world credit Van Gogh with enhancing their relationship with art. Beyond Van Gogh will only strengthen that connection.
As immersive art installations deeply resonate around the globe, Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience continues to amaze audiences and will stay in San Jose for a limited engagement before moving across North America. Art lovers near and far will have the opportunity to live this truly unique and unforgettable experience.
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About Normal Studio:
Pushing the boundaries of performing arts, entertainment, and public installations since 2009, Normal Studio believes in making life legendary. Using multimedia magic and fusing physical and technological elements to transform spaces into full-on immersive experiences, Normal Studio tells stories in new and different ways by reimagining what’s possible. The result is a unique adventure that sparks awe and wonder, making an unforgettable impact on people’s everyday lives.
About Beyond Exhibitions:
Beyond Exhibitions is a company comprised of like-minded individuals who have worked across the globe with some of the greatest entertainers and brands known to man. With Beyond Van Gogh, the team brings their collective understanding of audiences, entertainment, and art together to proudly present Vincent Van Gogh like he has never been seen before.
About Nederlander Concerts:
Nederlander Concerts promotes and produces a wide range of quality live entertainment throughout the United States and in 2020 was ranked among the top 20 promoters in the country. A boutique, independent event promotion firm, Nederlander exclusively operates and programs the most coveted and awarded small to mid-sized venues, including the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, City National Grove of Anaheim, San Jose Civic, and California Performing Arts Center in San Jose, Heart Health Park in Sacramento, among others. Also, the company promotes events at third party arenas, theatres, and clubs across the country, including the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, San Diego Civic, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Paramount Theatre in Oakland, Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester and many more.
With some of the highest vaccination rates in the world (more on that in another post), it's time for San Jose to come back full-force this summer. Today will be the biggest South FIRST FRIDAY since the pandemic started. There are in-person exhibits to enjoy at ANNO DOMINI, Art Ark Gallery, KALEID Gallery, MACHU PICCHU Gallery of the Americas, MACLA, and the SoFA Market. For directions to each gallery and all of the details head over here.
As a side note, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles will be reopening this month with a members and artists weekend on June 11-13 and a full reopening on June 18-20.
Artwork and murals are now abundant throughout Downtown, but other parts of San Jose are getting artistic love as well. A now Cogeneration Facility in San Jose features a massive artwork installation with lights to brighten would could be a bland industrial facility at night.
It's a nice touch that serves as a reminder that we shouldn't have to settle for cookie-cutter buildings anymore in San Jose. We're a global city, it's time to start looking like one!
For more info on the art by Buster Simpson, click here.
South FIRST FRIDAYS are coming back to life! Last month was a success with plenty of socially distanced traffic venturing into several venues in and around SoFA. This month new works will be featured at Anno Domini, Art Ark Gallery, Citadel Art Gallery, KALEID (I love their new space at 320 South First), Machu Picchu Gallery of the Americas, the SoFA Market, and San Jose Jazz. To see the full list head over here.
While you're in the area don't forget to check out SoFA's newest restaurants featuring small plates and craft cocktails: Petiscos by ADEGA and The Good Spot.
Out of 963 submissions from 72 countries, Urban Confluence has a winner for their contest to design San Jose's next landmark. The submissions had to be inspired by the San Jose Light Tower, which was one of San Jose's most innovative achievements at the time.
The lucky winner was Breeze of Innovation by Fernando Jerez and Belén Pérez de Juan of SMAR Architecture Studio. The design symbolizes people standing and working together and each of the rods in the images below are designed to sway in the wind to create a dynamic visual effect. The rods will also generate the power to illuminate the 200 foot-tall tower.
While it is difficult to see in the images below, there will be a conical void inside of the tower (in a shape similar to the original San Jose Light Tower) that will include multiple levels of walkways, a viewing platform at the top, exhibition space, and space for a café.
For more information on the ~$100 million project, head over here!
Peter Gorman has created an interesting mashup of art and transportation. He designs minimalist maps that were inspired by a one-year, 11,000-mile, solo bicycle trip around the United States. As part of that he spent about a month exploring the Bay Area and turned some of our most popular intersections into the contemporary interpretations below. It's a neat project and you can view the high resolution image and accompanying comments over here.
