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March 2011

Volume 4, Issue 3

San Jose Public Art eNews
  The Online Newsletter of the City of San Jos Public Art Program 
In This Issue
Seven for Seven Trees - A New Artwork at Seven Trees Community Center
Veterans Memorial - Preserving a Community Icon
Public Art Committee: Next Meeting - Tuesday, March 22, 2011; Special Meeting Wednesday March 30, 2011
City Hall Exhibits
Explore Public Art
Quick Links
Join Our List
Join Our Mailing List
De Salvo's "Seven for Seven Trees" - Enjoy and Play  

 

SevenTreesCanopyFullVw

The artwork's focal tree element encircled by spring jumpers; swing sets to left.

San Jose's newest playground opened this week at Seven Trees Community Center and it is one with a unique twist: the colorful, engaging play area is itself a work of art. Entitled Seven for Seven Trees, the playground is the creation of artist Roman de Salvo who finds use or reuse of natural elements a creative inspiration in his artwork, particularly with elements that are linked to the artwork site.

 

SevenTreesOriginalPine

Original 'umbrella pine,' later reused in artwork.

De Salvo created the play area around seven trees, including some removed from the site for the new construction, connecting the artwork to the neighborhood's longstanding Seven Trees identity. He upcycled an Italian stone pine from the site (a.k.a. the umbrella pine) as a centerpiece of the artwork and focal point of the recreational area, its foliage revisioned as a vibrant deep pink sunshade

Play elements around the tree include the familiar:  spring rider animals, a swing set, climbing equipment, and more, and all are a new take on traditional recreational equipment. Each one is created from an individual tree; the conversion from tree to play element is evident with each piece, enlivening familiar elements of playground equipment with, in de Salvo's words, "ingenuity and individuality so that these interactive objects are engaging and memorable as sculpture." Seven for Seven Trees also includes elements of surprise and discovery such as interactive handcrafted woodpeckers.

  

SevenTreesClimber

The climber element.

In discussions with the community de Salvo heard about the desire for a place that is as interesting to watch as it is to physically interact. The many families in the area were interested in an art project that is engaging for children of all ages including parents;   the seniors,  a very active group at the new Center, were excited about an outdoor gathering area where they could enjoy the artwork. Nearby benches and picnic tables will make Seven for Seven Trees a center piece for gatherings for years to come.

 

Seven for Seven Trees is located at Seven Trees Community Center, 3590 Cas Drive, San Jose, CA 95111.

 

Roman de Salvo is an accomplished artist with significant public commissions, site-specific interventions, and an extensive exhibition history.  More about the artist can be found on his website at www.romandesalvo.com.

 

 

Veterans Memorial - Protecting and Preserving A Community Icon

  

VetsMemorialRrVw 

The Veterans Memorial of San Jose/Santa Clara Valley, located on Park Street alongside the Center for Performing Arts, is currently being restored to address long-term maintenance requirements. During this process the transluscent glass panels on the Memorial wall have been covered with a vinyl wrap that features  graphics from the original artwork. The goal is to have the Memorial fully restored by Summer, 2011.

 

Funds for on-going care of the Veterans Memorial are made possible by the San Jose Veterans Memorial Endowment. If you would like to donate to the continual care of this important memorial to soldiers of all wars and conflicts, please contact the Silicon Valley Community Foundation at (650) 450-5400 or www.siliconvalleycf.org and reference Fund 3330.

 

For further information about the restoration efforts contact [email protected]

 

 VetsMemFrntVw

 

Public Art Committee: Regular Meeting, and Special Meeting Notice

 
NEXT REGULAR MEETING
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 5:30 P.M.

 

Meeting Location: City Hall, Council Wing - Meeting Room W-119, 200 E. Santa Clara Street,  San Jose.   
 

AGENDA ITEMS INCLUDE: 

 

STAFF REPORT ITEMS

1.  Review of Spartan Keyes Water Tower concept proposals.

2.  Update on the Convention Center.  

 

DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS 

1. ARTIST SELECTION AND CONCEPT DESIGN REVIEW 
a. Approve the selection of Jonathan Hammond and Sayako Dairiki to develop a design proposal and fabricate an artwork to be located at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in an amount not to exceed $50,000. (Council District 5) .

 

2. CONCEPT DESIGN REVIEW 

a.  Approve the selection of designer Tamiko Rast of Rasteroids Designs and her concept proposal for the digital mural for the Japantown Corporation Yard fence. (Council District 3)

 

3. SCHEMATIC DESIGN REVIEW 

a. Action on a recommendation to approve the schematic design proposal for San Carlos Street public art project by artists Steve Durie and Bruce Gardner. (District 3)  

 

4. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW

a. Action on the Design Development proposal for Fire Station 37 public art project by Colette Crutcher, and approve the artist to proceed with the fabrication and installation of the artwork. (Council District 6).
  
 
SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE

Wednesday, March 20, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.

 

Meeting Location: Montalve Art Center, Common's Building, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga

 

SPECIAL PAC MEETING AGENDA ITEMS INCLUDE:  - Climate Clock Proposal Review

  

 

The full agenda packet for either meeting is viewable in a downloadable format at www.sanjoseculture.org seven days prior to the posted meeting date.

 

Public Art Committee meetings are open to the public.  
 
The Public Art Committee, a sub-committee of the Arts Commission, is advisory to the Commission and to San Jose City Council. The Public Art Committee monitors and provides oversight in the planning, artist selection, development and design review of public art projects throughout the City. 

 

 

City Hall Exhibits

Current exhibitions as of newsletter distribution.

 

The following exhibits are presented by the City Hall Exhibition Program, a project of the San Jose Public Art Program. All exhibits are free and open to the public. 

 

The exhibition spaces are located at San Jose City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA.

   

 

 

Now Showing

 

Inventions_Orb_Swarm

OrbSWARM. Robotic Orb created by SWARM, an international collective.Photo courtesy of the SWARM collective.

 

Exhibition: Invention: A Celebration of Silicon Valley Innovative Spirit

 

Location: San Jos� City Hall Tower lobby cases

Dates: January 2011- November 2011

 

Inventions_Video_Guitar

Video Guitar. Created by Ben Lewry of Visionary Instruments. Photo courtesy of Ben Lewry.

 

Embedded deep in the American psyche is the pioneer spirit, a longing for adventure and a passion for exploration. Central to our nationhood is a deep desire to leave no frontiers unconquered. Surveys and opinion polls taken over the decades reveal an American public with a profound faith in technology, soaring imagination, and a prodigious appetite for the new-fangled. Nowhere is this national spirit of innovation and invention more prevalent than in San Jos�, the capital of Silicon Valley. By turning the spotlight on an eclectic selection of inventors, artists, designers, engineers, visionaries and tinkerers from all over the greater Bay Area, Invention: A Celebration of Silicon Valley's Innovative Spirit gives the residents of San Jos� an opportunity to celebrate their creative regional brain trust and unique identity, one that is envied the world over.

 

  

 

 

 

The Conscience of the City

 

Location:  City Windows Gallery in City Hall

200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA   

In the storefront exhibit space along 4th Street

  

WastewaterMovingWater

R.Dawson photograph of wastewater in motion. 

   

  

Exhibit continues through March, 2011

     

Robert Dawson has worked for six months with the City of San Jose's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Environmental Services Department as the City's first Photographer-in-Residence at its Water Pollution Control Plant. Dawson's work is intended to generate awareness about this invisible part of our daily lives. His photographs depict a huge, complex but delicate machine and explore four key elements:  the People who work diligently to keep the Plant functioning efficiently and the South San Francisco Bay alive; the Place, consisting of a massive infrastructure that surprisingly includes areas of astonishing beauty; the Treatment, a highly complex, environmentally sensitive process that never ends; and the History showing changes over the Water Pollution Control Plant's fifty-year history since it was built in 1962.

 

 

Explore Public Art in Downtown San Jose 

Create your own walking tour!

  
Here are two ways you can enjoy public art in Downtown San Jose.

 

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC ART MAP
The San Jose Public Art Program's  colorful, informative map of public art projects in downtown San Jose has recently been updated. The Downtown Public Art Map is a fun and easy way to see public in downtown San Jose.

 

Use it to create your own walking tour and include opportunities to stop and enjoy other features in the district including museums, galleries and restaurants.  

 

RECOLECCIONES: THE MARTIN 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 and discovery that is filled with surprises! A free colorful detailed brochure is available from the San Jose Public Art Program that will help you appreciate this extraordinary collection.  

 

To request a free copy of the Downtown Public Art Map or the Recolecciones - Library Art Collection brochure, please e-mail your request to  [email protected], and include your mailing address.
 
A printable pdf version of the Downtown Public Art Map is also available on the Public Art webpage of the Office of Cultural Affairs website at San Jose Downtown Public Art Map.

 

More to come in San Jose Public Art eNews!

 

 

 


San Jose Public Art eNews is the way to keep connected and informed. Please stay with us for future editions.

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