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PUBLIC ART AT NEW PEARL AVENUE LIBRARY |
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Artwork Features Green Technology
Artist Lynn Goodpasture fuses elements of ancient civilization and green technology in her artwork at the new Pearl Avenue Branch Library. The artwork includes four art glass windows located in the Library Children's area and a suspended glass lamp near the Library entrance.
The artwork's visual imagery refers to ancient alphabets as the foundation of the written word, which in turn is fundamental to libraries and illumination of the mind. Each pane contains characters in different scripts that are the basis for written Latin, Russian, Vietnamese and some Indian languages. These are lineages of the languages that are predominant in the Pearl Avenue Branch Library collection. The lamp is inscribed with ancient Sumerian cuneiform script which repeats the text "We are all one". The lamp is illuminated with color-changing LEDs, programmed to slowly shift at 30 minute intervals through the color spectrum. In this way the lamp also functions as a timepiece.
Lamp with cuneiform script (left) and detail of photovoltaic cells on exterior of windows (right).
There is another critical but unseen aspect to the artwork: photovoltaic (eg., solar) cells are embedded on the exterior side of each of the four glass panes. These collect energy from sunlight which then provides power to illuminate the lamp. This use of green technology is an important innovation in this artwork.
Through this work the artist is seeking to awaken people to the miracle of language and writing as the key to understanding the past, expressing the present and imagining the future. Goodpasture also wants to raise awareness of the real possibilities of harnessing available energy to provide for basic needs.
The Pearl Avenue Branch Library Grand Opening is Saturday, August 9. The official program is from 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon; artist Lynn Goodpasture will be present to discuss her work immediately following the program. The location is 4720 Pearl Avenue, San José, 95136.
All are welcome! Please join us. |
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SAN JOSE ARTWORKS RECEIVE HONORS |
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| Two Library Art Projects Get National Recognition
Each year Americans for the Arts, a national non-profit service organization dedicated to nurturing cultural efforts around the country, gives national recognition to the best public artworks that were completed in the previous year. Two San José artworks were among the 45 public works honored in early June at AFTA's annual convention in Philadelphia.
Raza Writers at San José's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library is a trio of custom-made tables created by local artists: East Side Story, Fleetline, and Table of Milagros. The thematic concept for the tables was inspired by Latino culture and lowrider car design. The designs, selected through an area-wide competition and fabricated locally, celebrate creative local enterprise. These are part of the larger Recolecciones public art collection which includes a total of 34 artworks sited throughout the Library and created under the direction of lead artist Mel Chin.
 East Side Story by San José artists Sam Rodriguez, Matt Rodriguez and Huong Nguyen is styled on a chopped-down bicycle, with images of life on San José's East Side.
'48 Chevy-inspired Fleetline by Abraham Ortega is activated with electric lifts
Jeanne Jabbour's Table of Milagros (detail) incorporates thousands of traditional Latin American charms.
Groundwork by artist Amy Trachtenberg at San José's new Hillview Branch Library was also honored. Groundwork is an artistic homage to the agricultural industry that is such a vital cultural and historic element in the Hillview community. The artwork was created around the structural support columns that surround the entryway rotunda; these are encased in materials that recall orchard farmwork including tractor tires, fruitbasket staves, and fruit cans. A frieze of abstract landscape paintings encircles the rotunda.
 Amy Trachtenberg's Groundwork
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| PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE MEETING |
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Next Meeting: July 15, 2008 - 5:30 PM
The Public Art Committee 's monthly meeting is Tuesday, July 15 at 5:30 PM. The following action and discussion items are on the meeting agenda:
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Art+Technology Artist Pool: Approval of recommendation by a professional panel of artists for inclusion the pre-qualified artist pool. (Citywide)
The Public Art Committee, a sub-committee of the Arts Commission, is advisory to the Commission and to San José City Council. The Public Art Committee monitors and provides oversight in the artist selection, development and design review of public art projects throughout the City.
The Public Art Committee meets in City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street. This month's meeting will be held in Council Wing Room W-120. The meeting is open to the public.
To view a printable copy of the full, detailed meeting agenda and related documents, please go to: www.sanjoseculture.org |
| JOIN US TO HELP SHAPE THE VISION FOR ARTWORKS AT MINETA SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT |
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The San José Public Art Program invites you to contribute your ideas, input, and insights to help inspire and guide the Airport Art + Technology Public Art Program.
Community visioning will help inspire the art projects at the Airport. The visioning process, intended to introduce a range of voices and perspectives into the public art process, will explore a range of themes including local histories, social issues, environmental issues, cultural identities, physical places, and innovation and innovators.
Please join us for a fun evening to learn more about the Airport Art + Technology Public Art Program and contribute inspiration for these important artworks.
All are welcome!
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, July 22, 2008; 6:00 - 7:30 PM
LOCATION: San José City Hall; 200 E. Santa Clara Street, Room W-120 (Parking in the City Hall Garage will be validated.)
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| UPCOMING PUBLIC EVENTS |
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Meetings, Dedications, Celebrations, Lectures, Exhibits & More
Current listings for July - August as of newsletter distribution time
JULY 2008
GREAT SPEAKER SERIES: "Great Ideas for Building Livable Communities" featuring Dan Burden, Director of Walkable Communities. DATE/TIME: Monday, July 14, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
LOCATION: San José Repertory Theater, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San José, 95113.
(Great Speaker Series events are free, but it is necessary to reserve a free ticket. Go to www.1stact.org for more information on free tickets and on the Great Speakers Series.)
MINETA SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PUBLIC ART: Public Visioning Meeting for Short-Term Art Commissions. An open community forum to help shape the vision for short-term public artworks at the Airport. All are welcome! DATE/TIME: Tuesday, July 22, 2008; 6:00 - 7:30 PM
LOCATION: San José City Hall; 200 E. Santa Clara Street, Room W-120 (Parking validation provided for the City Hall garage; entrance on 6th Street.)
AUGUST 2008
WHO'S ON 1ST/WHAT'S ON 2ND "1ST FRIDAY" SPECIAL EVENTS: On Friday, August 1, the following special events will be held as part of the August "1st Friday" celebration in downtown San José.
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Hello San José - Closing Party. TIME: 7:00 PM; LOCATION: the corner of South Second Street and Fountain Alley
For more details about each project, please see below under "ONGOING EXHIBITIONS". For more information about the monthly "South First Fridays", an ecletic evening of arts and culture in downtown San Jose's SoFA district every First Friday of the month, please go to www.southfirstfridays.com
PEARL AVENUE BRANCH LIBRARY GRAND OPENING featuring public art by Lynn Goodpasture.
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 9, 2008; Official Program at 11:00 AM; Artist Q & A at 12:15 PM
LOCATION: Pearl Avenue Branch Library, 4720 Pearl Avnue, San José, 95136
GREAT SPEAKER SERIES: "The New Majority-Minority City" featuring Dr. Glenna Matthews, author of "Silicon Valley Women and the California Dream". DATE/TIME: Monday, August 18, 6:00 - 7:00 PM.
LOCATION: San José Repertory Theater, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San José, 95113.
(Great Speaker Series events are free, but it is necessary to reserve a free ticket. Go to www.1stact.org for more information on free tickets and on the Great Speakers Series.)
For additional art activities that you can enjoy in July and August, please see "ONGOING EXHIBTIONS" listings, below.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
CITY WINDOWS GALLERY
LOOK AGAIN, the inaugural exhibition in the new City Windows Gallery, an exhibit space located in the windows along the S. 4th Street façade of City Hall in conjunction with the City Hall Exhibition Program. Look Again features the work of artists who use cast-off materials and waste from contemporary life to create their art. Artists in the exhibit include Ed Clapp, Marita Dingus, Charlotte Kruk, Rob Larsen, Mark Fox Morgan and Mary White. Curated by Kathryn Funk. The exhibit is on display through July 21.
WHO'S ON 1ST/WHAT'S ON 2ND
Profiled in the June '08 Special Edition of SJ Public Art News, Who's On 1st/What's On 2nd temporary exhibitions continue thru the summer along the Downtown San José Transit Mall, with the addition of new artworks:
Jon Brumit's South Bay Talent Center (SBTC), located at the Lion Building, 97 South 2nd St., Suite 100 (at San Fernando and S. 2nd), is an interactive project inspired by the notion that everyone is good at something. SBTC encourages participation in bi-weekly talent showcases. Designed to explore, catalog and celebrate the numerous varieties of "talent" found within San José via its inhabitants, visitors, and workers, SBTC seeks to promote accessibility and public interaction.
SBTC is open Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays 12 p.m. to 6 p.m; Fridays, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. is ongoing thru Ongoing through August 15.
Chip Lord's and Bruce Tomb's Hello, San José! occupies two parking spaces at the corner of South Second Street and Fountain Alley. This brightly painted kiosk contains eight listening posts in the structure broadcast music and talk radio stations from distant places. Listeners can "mix" audio channels as they walk around the structure or sit and experience the "Ghost Zocalo". In addition, by calling (408) 288-5962, you can leave a message that will broadcast to the neighborhood. Hello, San Jose! continues through August 10.
Hector Dio Mendoza's Cultural Citizen multimedia project explores what it means to be a "cultural citizen" in San José. The work includes a website, posters and banners along 1st & 2nd Streets. A major new element, a "Cultural Citizen Tree" has been installed in St. James Park beginning in July, 2008. For more information and inter-active elements of the project go to the Cultural Citizen website at www.culturalcitizen.org.
Bill Fontana's Sonic Cascades broadcasts the live sounds of the bells of Trinity Cathedral, 81 N. 2nd, creating a sound sculpture that interacts with the urban landscape. It can be heard along N. Second Street and features combination of some traditional bell music and minimalist composition by Fontana. Sonic Cascades continues through the summer.
JD Beltran's Downtown Mirror featuresfour video projections within storefronts and building windows reflecting both the local environment and the rich demographic and historical atmosphere of the downtown. Text from recent interviews and historic texts are superimposed on the videos revealing a fascinating time-spanning portrait of the downtown. Continuing through the Summer, Downtown Mirror video projections can be viewed in the following locations: in two storefront windows adjacent to Zanotto's at The Globe Residential Community located at 25 S. 3rd Street, at 38 2nd Street, and in a small storefront window on the Paseo De San Antonio, adjacent to Camera 12 Cinemas.
Please go to www.w1w2.org for more details about the all of these projects, related events, and more. |
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TWO FUN WAYS TO EXPLORE PUBLIC ART IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE |
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Create your own walking tour!
Here are two ways you can enjoy public art in Downtown San José.
DOWNTOWN PUBLIC ART MAP
The San José Public Art Program publishes a colorful, informative map of public art projects in downtown San José. The Downtown Public Art Map is a fun and easy ways to see public in downtown San José. You can create your own walking tour and include opportunities to stop and enjoy other features in the district including museums, galleries and restaurants.
RECOLECCIONES: THE MARIN LUTHER KING, JR. LIBRARY PUBLIC ART COLLECTION
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library includes an award-winning collection of more than 34 site-specific public artworks in locations throughout the library. Finding them is a process of exploration, discovery and is filled with surprises! A free colorful detailed brochure is available from the San José Public Art Program that will help you appreciate this extraordinary collection.
You can request a free copy of the Downtown Public Art Map or the Recolecciones - Library Art Collection brochure. Please e-mail your request to publicart@sanjoseca.gov, and include your mailing address.
You can also access a printable pdf version of the Downtown Public Art Map on the Public Art webpage of the Office of Cultural Affairs website at San Jose Downtown Public Art Map. |
| MISS AN ISSUE OF SAN JOSE PUBLIC ART? FIND IT NOW ONLINE! |
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Visit the online archive to view past issues!
Current and past issues of San Jose Public Art can now be viewed on the Office of Cultural Affairs website on the Public Art webpages.
Go to www.sanjoseculture.org. |
| MORE TO COME IN SAN JOSE PUBLIC ART! |
San José Public Art is the way to keep connected and informed. Please stay with us for future editions.
We welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions. You can e-mail us at publicart@sanjoseca.gov.
Please forward this to people you know who might like to keep informed about public art in San José.
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