Monday, June 20, 2022

Latest San Jose BART Updates

VTA released a new conceptional video of the new BART station planned for Diridon. The teal accents are a nice nod to the San Jose Sharks. Below the Diridon video is an older one showing the plan for the Downtown San Jose Station, which is just a half-dozen blocks or so away from Diridon.

Hat tip to MrAronymous from the San Jose Development Forum.






Tuesday, June 14, 2022

June 2022 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The June 2022 Downtown Dimension is now available for download.
 
This month's newsletter highlights:  
  • Housing mix planned for SoFA
  • Event season heats up
  • Chloe Shipp named SJDA Deputy Director
  • Marketing committee gets real
  • Groundwerx Employee of the Month is Safety Ambassador Stephen Crozier
  • SP Social is a hit
  • Natural Do opens on South First

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Downtown San Jose BART - SJDA Public Meeting on June 10th

If you would like to find out more about the BART subway system that will run from Berryessa to Downtown San Jose, the SJDA is hosting a public meeting at the Tabard Theater this Friday at 8:15am. 

Topics include the tunneling methods, timeline, partnerships, construction mitigation, the designs of the two Downtown Stations, transit-oriented development, and the process for community engagement.

You can watch online or attend in person (registration and proof of vaccination needed) over here.



Friday, June 3, 2022

SubZERO 2022 - June 3rd & 4th

Downtown San Jose's largest arts festival returns this weekend from 5pm until 11pm on both Friday and Saturday. SubZERO is described as a "DIY, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek."

All of the galleries open on South FIRST FRIDAYS will be open along with a multitude of street vendors (listed below), food trucks, a beer garden, and 10 musical performances on the main stage.

The event is free and open to people of all ages. It's an excellent way to get out and see the best of what the San Jose art scene has to offer!

For more information head over here.


Artists & Vendors

Participating Artists / Indie Creatives at the 13th Annual SubZERO Festival on June 3rd & 4th, 2022

1Culture
Antoñio Alcala
Bay Maples
BOLO Vintage
Bungalow Glow Candle Co.
Eric Calvillo
Arely Cardenas
Houyee Chow & Youth in Technology Incubator
Classic Loot Truck
Content Magazine + genArts
Crossroads Trading
Current Tattooing
the doomed generation
Faerie Goatmother
For the Love by Jordan Melvin
Force129 + Betty Proper
Francisco Franco
Cynthia Gonzalez + Jackelin Solorio
Francisco Graciano
Heiko Greb
Matty Heimgartner
Hand in Hand Henna
Haptic Synapses + Distortion Corporation
Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery
Maureen Holcomb
Institute of Contemporary Art SJ
Jodi408
Summer Jones
The Local Creative Show by StageOne
Julianne McKAY
Frankie McFly
Rayos Magos
Joe Mandrick
David Mejia
Jasmin Mostafa
Anthony Palomo + Joseph Greeley
Gianfranco Palozzi + Sylvia De La Garza + Carlos Pérez + Sean Free Alcala
Jean-Luc Pedanou
Persephone Dance (performance)
Poetry Center San Jose
Purl Bailey aka Marilyn Roaf
Shayla Putnum
Akeem Raheem
Francine Ramirez + Marcel Toorians
Francisco Ramirez
Jhovany Rodriguez
Rene Schilling Sears
Geoffrey Smith II (official festival photographer)
Steamy Tech
Suha Suha Hand Made
Space Palette by Tim Thompson
Alisha Toni Design
Lily Tran
Tribal Baroque (performance)
Works San Jose

BEER GARDEN sponsored by local & regional breweries w/  great music provided by Flipside Crew from 5-11 pm featuring: Dougie, Jswizza, No Way Jose & Notorious P.I.G. 
Located at Parque De Los Pobladores (South First St. and William Street)

BEER GARDEN closes at 11:00pm / last pour 10:30 pm

FOOD TRUCKS:

3 Bros. Kitchen
3 Hermanos Mexican Grill
De La Tierra Vegan Food
El Bombero 408
Fresh Catch Hawaiian Poke
Road Dogs
Scratch Cookery

Friday, May 13, 2022

May 2022 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The May 2022 Downtown Dimension is now available for download.
 
This month's newsletter highlights:  
  • Public Meeting on Homelessness Draws Big Audience
  • May is #dtsj Loves Month
  • PBID Renewal Ballots are Out
  • Groundwerx Employee Luis Martinez Looks Forward to Next Fanime
  • Signia by Hilton Now Open
  • Fox Tale Fermentation Soft Opening Draws Big Crowds
  • Axe Throwing is Catching on

Friday, May 6, 2022

South FIRST FRIDAY - May 2022

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back today. 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.



Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Mural Festival adding nine new works of art along the Guadalupe River Park!

Between April 30th and May 8th, the SJ Walls mural festival will result in nine new murals along the Guadalupe River Park painted by 17 artists. The event even includes an art show, live painting, a pop-up market, and a mural tour ride.

The murals around Downtown San Jose mean a lot to me personally as the first date with my now fiancé was actually a mural tour on a pedicab ride (shout out to Eco City Cycles for enabling the best first date ever).

As part of the festival, there will be an art reception and gallery soft opening at Empire Seven Studios on April 30th between 7pm and 10pm. The actual painting will take place between May 1st and May 8th, with a pop-up shop at Cukui. Live painting open to all will take place on May 1st at Citadel Studios. And last but not least, there will be a bike tour hosted by SJ Bike Party and the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition on May 7th.

For more info, the full press release is below.


MURAL FESTIVAL ADDS NINE NEW ARTWORKS 

ALONG THE GUADALUPE RIVER PARK

SJ WALLS AND THE GUADALUPE RIVER PARK CONSERVANCY IS BUILDING THE BAY AREA’S LONGEST PUBLIC ART CORRIDOR


April 30 - May 8, 2022; San Jose, CA: SJ Walls (formerly POW! WOW! San Jose) returns as a mural festival bringing 17 local artists to paint nine new murals along the Guadalupe River Park in downtown San Jose. The event includes an art show at Empire Seven Studios gallery soft opening, live painting by artists, a pop-up market, and a mural tour ride. This internationally renowned public art and culture festival embarks on its fifth year this April 30 – May 8, 2022, and will be the first festival among the worldwide network to center the murals along a natural waterway.

Originating in Hawaii in 2010, Worldwide Walls Festivals happen in over 20 cities around the world. SJ Walls is produced by Empire Seven Studios, a team of local cultural curators who specialize in producing public art in San Jose that you know and love. To date, they have added over 70 murals and public art installations across San Jose and Santa Clara County. 

The mural festival continues the partnership with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy (GRPC), an organization in existence for over 25 years, providing community leadership for the active use and development of the Guadalupe River Park.

The goal of the initiative, Guadalupe River Art Walk, is to inspire a shared vision of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens as a natural public art gallery by creating a series of new art installations that become a permanent cultural destination in downtown San Jose. With a robust collection of existing artworks and opportunities for future murals in and around the Guadalupe River Park, the Art Walk aims to highlight underrepresented and evolving stories of community, resilience, and inspiration.

Notable  Calendar  Events (Subject to change):

  • Saturday, April 30: 7:00-10:00pm:

“This is the Way” – Art Show at Empire Seven Studios

Opening reception of the main art show at Empire Seven Studios featuring the artists of SJ Walls.

Located at 525 N 7th Street, Suite 10.

On view between April 30th - May 20, 2020

  • Sunday, May 1 to Sunday, May 8 (sunrise to one hour before sunset):

Mural painting and installations in the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens by all SJ

Walls artists.

SJ Walls pop-up shop at Cukui, open daily except Mondays. Located at 229 Jackson

Street

  • Sunday, May 1 (sunrise to one hour before sunset):

Happy Little Trees

Meeting of the Minds Collective artists from Citadel Studios will be setting up their easels at different locations within the park and painting just for the fun of it. Open for anyone to join!

  • Saturday, May 7:

Tour Ride with SJ Bike Party and Silicon Valley Bike Coalition

Experience the Guadalupe River Park Gardens on one or two wheels through cycling, skateboarding, roller skating, or riding a scooter!

Pop up market with SJ Makers

Local market bringing the community together by uplifting small businesses, artists & musicians

 

 

SJ Walls and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy are grateful for the support and partnerships of Applied Materials, Anne and Mark’s Art Party, County of Santa Clara (Supervisor Otto Lee and Supervisor Cindy Chavez) City of San Josè’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, Beautify SJ, Cresco, Exhibit Jtown, FOMO MOFO, Kelly Moore Paints, Montana Cans, San Jose Conservation Corp/Resilience Corp, San Jose Downtown Association, Groundwerx, Team San Jose, Valley Water, and YBCA for their commitment to arts, culture, and public space in San Jose. For more information about how to donate or to become a sponsor, please visit https://sjwalls.com/donate

 

For more information on SJ Walls contact info@sjwalls.com or visit www.sjwalls.com

 

###

 

 

About SJ Walls:

SJ Walls (formally POW! WOW! San Jose), established in 2017, is Northern California’s regional branch of the Worldwide Walls network of festivals happening in over 20 cities around the world. Led locally by the Empire Seven Studios collective —a contemporary urban art gallery and cultural institution in Japantown, San Jose, California.

Over the past five years, SJ Walls has grown into a premiere art festival with a line up and experience that rivals some of the best in the world. Much more than a multi-day festival, SJ Walls is also a vehicle to celebrate  San Jose’s  past, present, and future creative culture.

To date, SJ Walls has produced over 70 murals and visual art installations throughout San Jose, with a focus on overlooked places in our city. Our goal is to strengthen community ties by bringing local and worldwide contemporary art to San Jose to highlight the diversity our city has to offer.

 

 

About GRPC:

The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy (GRPC) provides community leadership for the development and active use of the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens through education, advocacy, and stewardship. 

This two-and-a-half mile ribbon of parkland runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown San Jose. The River Park serves as a north/south connector and contains beloved features such as the Guadalupe River Trail, the Rotary PlayGarden, the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, and various public art including the Guadalupe River Art Walk.

Programming within the park includes educational opportunities, volunteerism, and a variety of year-round events for the public to enjoy. For more information visit www.grpg.org

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

April 2022 Downtown Dimension Highlights

The April 2022 Downtown Dimension is now available for download.
 
This month's newsletter highlights:  
  • SJDA CEO Search is On
  • New Day for Farmers' Market 
  • Music in the Park Under New Management
  • Cinequest’s Cinejoy Opens
  • Groundwerx Employee Joel Ramirez is also a Competitive Dancer
  • Con Azucar Cafe Finds Sweet Spot 
  • SJDA Public Meeting on Homeless Solutions is April 15