ARTSHIFT Honors Artist and Curator with Cash Awards

Out of a long list of special people that contribute to Silicon Valley’s diverse and exciting visual arts community, one artist and one curator were selected for $2000. cash awards that were presented on October 21, at Works Gallery in downtown San Jose. The awards were presented to Signe Mayfield and Ken Matsumoto by Scott Knies, Executive Director of the San Jose Downtown Association.

Works Gallery filled with celebrants enjoying libations and conversation at the ARTSHIFT Awards, 2009

A supportive crowd of artists, friends and family were on hand to enjoy the occasion, and to support and congratulate all nominees . ARTSHIFT Editor, Erin Goodwin-Guerrero thanked the ARTSHIFT Advisory Board, Donors to ARTSHIFT, fiscal sponsor: the Arts Council Silicon Valley and all the talented and creative people that make the South Bay community from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz an exciting place to live.

Kathryn Funk, Ben Alexy and his Mom join in the festivities.

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Christophe Bourely is a graduate of San Jose State University and now teaches art history and painting at Cal State Camarena. His latest work in the onging series, Rated ‘R’ for Realism, will be shown at 643 Project Space, 643 Ventura Avenue, Ventura, Ca 93001

The opening will be Friday November 6th, 6-9pm. For more information please visit:
www.643projectspace.com

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ÔªøJoin the San Jose Museum of Art for the FREE event, Tech Connect, Thursday, November 12, 6-8:30 pm. Experience the work of Chuck Close: Process and Collaboration; Ansel Adams: Early Works; and Alexander Calder: Color in Motion. Everyone is welcome and there will be free snacks, refreshments, DJ and art-making. RSVP email to techconnect@sjmusart.org

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MACLA is proud to announce the installation of three new digital murals in the William/Reed Corridor of downtown San Jos√©. The murals were installed on MACLA’s fa√ßade on South First Street and neighborhood small businesses. The latest murals went up on the facades of two neighborhood favorites and immigrant owned businesses, Sa-By Thai Cuisine (346 E. William Street) and College Market (502 S. Fifth Street). The digital murals are available for viewing 24 hours a day. A special thanks to Family Portraits Project artists Curtis Fukuda and Monica Limas for their tireless efforts in making sure the mural designs are reflective of the community.

Project support provided by: Leveraging Investments in Creativity, funded by the Ford Foundation. MACLA general operation support includes a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose, Arts Council Silicon Valley, the Castellano Family Foundation, Adobe and the James Irvine Foundation.

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Meet Your Neighbors and Have Fun! You are Invited to South University Neighborhood’s 4th Annual Halloween Social, Saturday, October 31, 2009, O’Donnell’s Garden Park, (Corner of South 6th Street and William Street) 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Author of Ask a Mexican & Orange County, book reading and signing with Gustavo Arellano at MACLA on Wednesday, November 4, at 7pm.

In Arellano’s popular Orange County Weekly column “¬°Ask a Mexican!” now widely syndicated and gathered in this acerbic volume, he answers serious, curious, and sometimes hateful but mostly irreverent questions about Mexicans. He has appeared on Today, Nightline, NPR’s On the Media, The Situation with Tucker Carlson, and The Colbert Report. He is also available to mow lawns for $15 – $10 if he gets water breaks. Tickets available at the door for $10.

On South First Fridays, November 6, 2009 at 7pm, join MACLA for the opening of Cultural Disjuncture.The exhibition runs Friday, November 6, through Saturday, January 2nd.

Contemporary nomads, cultural disparity and invisible labor are explored in this group exhibition which features sculpture, works on paper, and installation. Featured artist: Monica Canilao, Diana Cristales-David, Betty A. Davis, Jaime Guerreo, Alejandro Oliva, Mitsy Ávila Ovalles, Rio Yañez. Gallery Hours: Wednesday & Thursday, 12noon Р7pm Friday & Saturday, 12noon Р5pm and by special appointment.

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The Los Angeles Printmaking Society 20th National Exhibition runs October 29, 2009 to January 3, 2010, with the opening reception on Sunday, November 1, 2 PM to 5 PM.

This year will be the largest LAPS National Exhibition with 193 artists presenting their work as well as recent prints selected from 8 of the celebrated Los Angeles presses: Cirrus Editions, Gemini G.E.L, Hamilton Press, Josephine Press, Pat Merrill Fine Art Prints, Mixografia, El Nopal Press and Zita Press. And two special LAPS exhibitions: LA Printmaking; 1962 to 1973, and Robert Blackburn (1920-2003). The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Park hosts the exhibition. For more information see their website: http://www.culturela.org

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Concerning the Forest: The Work of Sandy Walker Related Event
Sunday November 1st, 4:00 PM

Divided by a Common Language? New Landscape Painters in Europe and North America

New York critic David Cohen will be placing exhibitor Sandy Walker within a broader context of contemporary landscape painting by drawing on Cohen’s background as a British critic based in New York to consider differing approaches to landscape painting among Europeans and North Americans. His talk will take a broad sweep of current practice to include such figures as Peter Doig, Mamma Andersson, Per Kirkeby, Robert Bordo, Greg Lindquist, Maureen Gallace, Nick Miller, and Carol Rhodes, as well as Anselm Kiefer, Lucian Freud, Wayne Thiebaud and Alex Katz.

Concerning the Forest: The Work of Sandy Walker, curated by Theres Rohan, runs at Meridian through November 7th.

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Headlands Center for the Arts presents a Performance and Artist Talk: Right Here, Right Now, by 2009 Artist-in-Residence, Kara Davis and Aaron Ximm. The talk and performance are this Thursday, October 29 at 7:30PM
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UPCOMING PROGRAMS for the Headlands Center:

Running Up That Hill, a Short Film Screening Curated by Michael Robinson (AIR ’09) and presented by San Francisco Cinematheque in association with Headlands Center for the Arts will be Friday, November 6 at 7:30PM at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

*Headlands Members are invited to join us at B Bar in the Yerba Buena Gardens’ Upper Terrace at 6PM for a no-host cocktail hour with Michael Robinson prior to the screening.

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BFA Show Walks Onto the Wild Side

by Erin Goodwin-Guerrero

The wild life and wildlife are both included in Jose Estrada’s energetic exhibition of the same name at San Jose State University. The multi-panel painting Full Bar, is the showcase work that really addresses a young painters existential search. Estrada says, ” The ‚ÄúWild Life‚Äù exhibition is a thought that has been running through my mind for sometime now. Life in itself is complex; there is this vibration to life and people with their animal-like behavior. I do this work to understand the ‚Äúwhy‚Äù in myself, but also to find redeeming qualities in my world. I would hope that through this search for a moral fiber, I can find a redeeming point to reality.”

Estrada does a terrific job of portraying the inevitable anthropomorphic behavior that can be observed in a pub. He likes to observe the human animal a bit like an anthropologist, psychologist and zoologist. “I see these beasts in their setting‚Ķ the inner being of a single person is this jungle of mixed images and untamed emotions‚Ķ I can depict things that may confuse and provoke the senses, with imagery that at is shocking, dramatic, haunting and sometimes even quietly reflective.” Indeed his bold painting style with pure pigments and intense color is full of raw life.

Jose Estrada’s multi-panel painting Full Bar, 2009

Of all the works in the show, Full Bar is the most conceptually developed, and the most visually successful with all the fun and fundamentals of form one could hope for from a promising emerging painter.

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Bonnie Birtton’s fabric art banners graced the new Cabrillo College Visual and Performing Arts Complex. The weekend was filled with events including tickets for four performances selling out in 56 minutes! The art studios were open on Saturday with demonstrations, back stage tours and dancing on the lawn. The banners were made for the 50th anniversary. They are hand dyed silk, 3′x10′. (more…)

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The SJSU graduate program in Art & Design now has an Alumni Facebook page. Please login to your account to see the invitation or just join!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group

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You are invited to attend this public meeting to share your perspective on priorities for the City of San Jose ’s use of Transient Occupancy Tax revenues to support the arts, Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 5:30 p.m., Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San Jose.

The San Jose Arts Commission’s Ad Hoc Budget Review Committee and the Office of Cultural Affairs are seeking community input on a range of arts funding areas, including but not limited to arts grants, festival grants, individual artist support, arts education programming, technical assistance, and cultural development. Information developed during this Budget Review will inform recommendations to the San Jose City Council regarding arts funding. Please add your voice to this important dialogue. If you have any questions, please email Irene.ray@sanjoseca.

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The Black Bean Ceramic Art Center’s mission is create a working studio environment so artists can experience creative independence and have the opportunity to collaborate with others and connect to the community. The Art Center is co-owed by Ruben Reyes and Will John. The Black Bean Ceramic Art Center opened its doors to Bay area artists on October 12th. It‚Äôs located at 561 Emory Street (off Coleman between Taylor and Hedding) San Jose, CA 95110. The telephone is 408-642-5757 and the website will be launched shortly.

The art center is located in a 5,100 square foot building with easy access to major freeways, and 24 hour access for members. Black Bean Ceramic Art Center is membership-based and opened 24/7 so you can experience the art of working with clay whenever you feel inspired!

The center provides all the equipment: pottery wheels, kilns, slab rollers, extruders and an individual shelf for your work and much, much more. What’s more, members have the freedom to load and fire their pieces as well as buy and use the clay of their choice from our center or another vendor.

Stop by for a tour and let us answer all your questions. And the first 50 members can join at a reduced price!

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San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

This is a spectacular fundraiser for the museum and is good for the artists, too! For more information click the link http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/gallery_highfiber.html

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Attend the Alameda Art Works Open Studios and Benefit for Sacred heart Community Services, November 7-8, from 11am-5p. Join artist Therese May who will be showing a collection of her works in “little art shop”. Lucy Liew, Alameda’s Artist of the Month will be showing her inspirational paintings.

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