JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on SEPT 3rd with STREET MRKT!
It all kicks off at 7pm! — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)

• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Estates of the Splendrous and Secret Alex McLeod (Canada) solo exhibition

  Alex McLeod constructs three-dimensional environments that investigate the tension between illusionary and physical space. His CGI prints of diorama-like environments are hallucinogenic visions projected into utopian realms, thus addressing and exploring issues of ecology, sustainability, and connectivity. Weaving together scientific theory with fantasy, folklore, and notions of the Romantic, McLeod generates images that are at once as seductive and lustrous as they are urgent and vital.

  Also on view in galleryONE: Pangea Fernando Chamarelli (Brazil) solo exhibition

  Sound Art by Matt Davignon.

• Art Glass Center of San Jose – 465 South First St. map

  

  Join us at the San Jose Art Glass Center for live demos throughout the evening in our workshop and visit the gallery featuring beautiful works by regional glass artists.

• Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery – 499 South Market St. map

  
  The Leaky Roof by Presley Martin.

  Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery presents “Water Works,” featuring new creations by clay artists Presley Martin and Phyllis Lee. Martin’s use of porcelain slip leaves a lasting mark — his work captures impressions left by liquid clay as it is poured over paper or fabric. Phyllis Lee creates intricately textured and painted pieces that reflect coastal imagery – inlaid vases, sandcastle sculpture and “beach” balls.

  Step beyond the gallery and tour Higher Fire’s newly renovated studio; browse a mini-show of functional and decorative pottery by studio staff; watch demonstrations of wheel-throwing and hand-building throughout the evening.

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  7-9pm Opening Reception: Featured exhibitions by René Lorraine, Ras Lowe

  
  watercolour by René Lorraine

  Coexist & Bisect Two new manifestations by René Lorraine
  René Lorraine’s latest work is a fascinating take on man coexisting with unfamiliar species, ideals, and life styles that one may find on this earth.

  Coexist deals with embracing differences between souls and the shells they reside in, and is an unbeatable experience involving a harmonious dance between crisp clean line, and free-flowing watercolor pigments.

  Bisect is about the challenges one person may have desiring two very different life styles. The delicate graphite mimic’s the fine line of having balance and not.

  
  collage by Ras Lowe

  Shadows of Light, from the Hidden Sun: a vision of the Authentic self. An exhibition of new collages by Ras Lowe

  This Art message is about deep personal inner visions, a progressive transmission of sacred information for the 21st century, from the ancient temples of Egypt, to the jungles of Holy Peru. Remembering every moment in Life is a gift, and is precious, not to be wasted.

• MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 South First St. map

  
  Tanya Aguiniga, Felt Chairs, 2010

  Join MACLA for a preview of Lineas: New Modes of Contemporary Urbanism featuring recent work by Tanya Aguíñiga and Teddy Cruz.

• Phantom Galleries – temporary exhibits in vacant storefronts

  

  386 South First St: Freedom. Experience Reality. by abstract artist Nathan Belomy

  
  Skull by Paolo Fachinetti

  388 So. First Street: The Skull Series (part of the Timbri Collection) by Paolo Fachinetti (Italy).

• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map

  
  Holding it In by Noel Paloma-Lovinski.

  On view: The premier International TECHstyle Art Biennial (ITAB): this juried exhibition showcases the work of artists combining fiber media with new technologies in their artistic processes, in the content of their work and as a means of artistic expression. ITAB 2010 includes 40 works by 28 artists from six countries and includes digital Jacquard tapestries and garments, videos, interactive works, and even a piece with hand-woven fiber optic cable that with patterning driven by real time Twitter feeds and airline flight data from the Internet.

• SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery – 577 South Market St. map

  

  It was hell on earth, some of us made it, some of us didn’t and for some of us that kindly old aunt who used to give us donuts on Sunday is now a burned-up, formerly reanimated corpse sitting in the corner with a double-tap going through its skull.

  So, for those of us who remain, the SLG Art Boutiki presents THE ART OF THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. Disgusting visages of the walking dead will adorn the Boutiki walls featuring work by Jef Bambas, James Brunner, Bea Adams, Jon “Bean” Hastings and many more.

  Who says comic books are not high art?

  Also, if you missed Zombie-O-Rama on August 25th you can still donate a canned food item to Second Harvest by bringing it to the Boutiki.

• Works San Jose – 451 South First St. map

  
  

  On view: Painting the Town: the Murals of Silicon Valley

  This exhibition continues with collaborative, individual, and documentation of past and proposed murals, and with murals from Works’ own WordsPaintingMusic and Left Coast Live, as well as pieces that have been in process throughout the exhibition. Even murals YOU may have worked on during the last South First Friday will be included in this evolving exhibition. Dozens of artists including Ben Alexy, Francesca Lovecchio, Teya Beradze, Paul J. Gonzales, and Gianfranco Paolozzi are participants in this community project.

• Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St. map

  

  Opening reception of Gravity by artist Valerie Runningwolf

  New encaustic works as well as mixed-media pieces that are of traditional and contemporary ideas that awaken and encourage exploration.

  First Fridays are Opera Night at Caffé Trieste with some of the Bay Area’s best opera singers performing your favorite arias and duets.

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  

  Join us after Candlelight Yoga (6:15-7:45 pm) on Friday as we welcome Art Walk patrons and mingle with new yogi friends and the downtown community. The current exhibition is by one of our own yoga teachers, Emily Lounsbury.

  Emily Lounsbury’s current works take a look at modern women becoming empowered and expressing themselves through the digital self-portrait. Emily is an artist with a love for the figure, portraits, and anatomy. Her current works include ink washes and mixed media on paper and canvas. She explores what it means to be a modern woman in the twenty-first century; the era of internet social networking sites that create a place where people express and expose themselves on the internet. A new form of voyeurism arises from being able to peer into people’s lives without them knowing, and so much is captured by taking the camera in their own hands and see instant results. Since it’s easier than ever to document the human experience, Emily’s art seeks to bring back a human element of expression to the images and present them with transparent layers and more vibrant colors that bring the characters to life.

• Good Karma Vegan Café – 37 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Scrap Facet by Sandi Billingsley

  A collection of distinctive monochrome portraiture on rescued & re purposed material.

• METRO Photo Exhibit – 550 South First St. map

  

  The First St Photo Collective and Metro are proud to present WHATEVER #2 (when nothing is a good theme you gotta do it twice!)

• South First Billiards & Lounge – 420 South First St. map

  

  Cukui & Friends ImagiNatives: The 2nd Gathering

  Here is another chance to enjoy the art at South First Billiards from the Cukui crew and their talented friends.
  Added New Artwork, Live Painting Session, Special Live Musical Guests, Clothing and Goods Market, Free Giveaways

• Ball Stacking Event at Gore Park – South First & William streets map

  

  Come join Bill Gould at Gore Park and try your hand at stacking concrete balls in creative ways. Compete for highest stack, most number of balls, creativity and difficulty level. There will be a novice area for our younger ball stackers. All you need is patience and a steady hand! Come enjoy friendly competition and listen to the Jimmy Dewrance Blues Band.

• Art Ark – 1035 South Sixth St. map

  

  6pm–10pm Opening Reception: Fictions, The process of creating a new world new photography and videos by Alejandro A. Oliva

  How the process of creating a new atmosphere and characters can be as important as the final image.

  Live music by Contain Her and The Star People

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on April 2nd!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)

• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Cloud Empire solo exhibition of Dimitri Drjuchin (NYC)

  Drjuchin’s art is a hyperdimensional machine that invokes creatures who come bounding forward with affection and recklessness. These are not the Icons of the Byzantine Church—they are the new Incarnated Symbols of the Multiverse. Drjuchin allows us a glimpse into a fractulated moment of cultural hypnagogic modality and an opportunity to alter our perspectives of reality.

  Featuring live music: Jhameel presents a blend of orchestral instruments, makeshift percussion, pop vocal melodies, and ambient synthesizers that creates an unfamiliar yet warm atmosphere. At live performances, he utilizes violin, trumpet, glockenspiel, percussion, guitar, and vocals to create intricate arrangements through a loop station.

  Drop in via Ustream

• Art Glass Center of San Jose – 465 South First St. map

  

  Lionel Chapital explores the experience of African women in his live torchworking demonstrations during the art walk at the Art Glass Center of San Jose. Kisima carries a vessel of water, held precious and valuable in the dry areas of that continent. Lori Peterson will create various flowers in soft glass as a preview to the Glass Flower Show coming in May.

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  [7-9pm] Opening Reception: Featured Exhibitions by Kurtis Rykovich, Kate Saturday

  
  art by Kurtis Rykovich

  WANDA new paintings by Kurtis Rykovich

  This show is a tribute to Breast Cancer survivors and casualties. Each piece represents a battle in search for a cure, they emanate hope that a future is not far in the distance.

  
  art by Kate Saturday

  Speaking Lines stories about people and their places by Kate Saturday.
  A chair, table and drawing materials will be provided. To read a story is to tell a story.

• MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 South First St. map

  
  Image credit: Indira Báez

  The gallery is closed for installation of the 12th Annual Latino Art Auction opening April 14, 2010. Check out the black box for free MACLA performances.

  I’m Still Jenny from the Block: A tribute to Latina pop stars featuring TurboMex video party, resident drag queen Donna Persona and sidewalk fire eater Ram Shackle Nicolas.

• Phantom Galleries – temporary exhibits in vacant storefronts

  386 South First St: Miguel Machuca — TBA

  
  Andy Gouveia

  388 So. First Street: Fault-lines an installation by Bay Area artist Andy Gouveia.

  A spray can and house paint mural painted live in Golden Gate park as part of the Indy Arts Fest 2009. This exhibition also hosts an array of his smaller paintings dealing with the myth and mystery of the ancient world.

• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map

  
  Dinner at Eight by Joan Schulze
  2008, 48” x 91”, Silk, paper, Collage, glue transfer process, machine quilted.

  In the Main Galleries: Poetic License: The Art of Joan Schulze is a retrospective of the prolific 40-year career of innovative Bay Area collage artist Joan Schulze. Also on view: Navajo Weaving in the Present Tense: The Art of Lucy and Ellen Begay, a rare collection of a remarkable body of work by two contemporary Navajo weavers, a mother and daughter, whose work is deeply rooted in the traditional lifestyle they still lead.

  Special event: Reading of original poetry by featured artist Joan Schulze, 8-9pm.

• SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery – 577 South Market St. map

  

  GIANT MONSTERS!!!!! — SLG presents artwork from one of it’s newest graphic novels, Doris Danger: Giant Monster Adventures. Artist/author/creator Chris Wisnia will be on hand to sign books, draw monsters and otherwise talk about the coolness that is (are) GIANT MONSTERS. Artist featured in the show include Wisnia, Simon Bisley, Neal Adams, Mike Allred and a whole lot more.

  Live music featuring Boozewackers. Doors open at 8:00 for the always fun and interesting Art Boutiki.

• Works San Jose – 451 South First St. map

  
  art by Dennis Champion

  Artist’s Reception in P2 Gallery — Image and Abstraction by Dennis Champion reflects the translation of unconscious thought and image into 2D abstracts. Some pieces are a combination of figurative images of unconscious origin and of totally abstract renderings of “thoughts unknown.”

  On view in the main gallery—Female Found Mixed Media Contemporary Art, curated by Terenia Offenbacker, presents the work of eight women that create art together through weekly sessions for the past seven years.

• Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Venice Squared A Photographic Comparison of Venice, Italy and Venice, California by John Eric Paulson, Master Photographer. Photography has been both John’s passion and profession for the past 34 years. He has a B.A. degree in Art from San Jose State University and has been awarded both the Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from the Professional Photographers of America.

  In 1997 John began pursuing digital images in his work. John’s current works have evolved from his travels in the Mediterranean. Capturing the basic beauty of the land and enhancing it’s drama is what he enjoys best.

  First Fridays are Opera Night at Caffe Trieste, with some of the Bay Area’s best opera singers performing your favorite arias and duets.

  Drop in via Ustream

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  

  Downtown Yoga Shala is proud to feature native American artist Paul Rubio. A San Jose native, Paul’s sculpture and pottery is both contemporary and original, not connected to any one culture or historic period. Each piece speaks of the inherent magic in life intuited by our primitive ancestors, and the value in our efforts to understand our deep bond with nature. Join us in celebration of our One Year Anniversary for a special Candlelight Yoga class at 6-8pm followed by a Private Artist viewing from 8:00-8:15pm, before we open our doors to the art patrons and downtown community for the South First Fridays Art Walk from 8:15pm till late.

• Good Karma Vegan Café – 37 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Biomechanical Works Recent paintings, sculptures, prints and apparel by Ron Earhart (Analog Tattoo)

• METRO Photo Exhibit – 550 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: oooohhh Dios mio photos by the First St. Photo Collective

• South First Billiards & Lounge – 420 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Bringing Back the Color! featuring: John Cloud, Mike Kjolhaug, Nicolas Caesar, Lina Ruelas

  A group art exhibit celebrating color. showcasing four artists who know how to use color to its full potential. They will show you how beautiful color can be. This exhibit is sure to lift your spirits and open your mind. Live art and live music by: Frail Soul, INFM, and Ghost Town Hangmen.

• Art Ark – 1035 South Sixth St. map

  

  6-9pm Opening Reception: Live From the ARKives This group exhibition is comprised of twenty local artists working in a variety of mediums; some of which have chosen to exhibit works from their archives while others have reached into the recesses of their memories to create new works that address the concept of stored content.

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on March 5th!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)

• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Indoctrination debut solo exhibition of Dante Horoiwa

  Under the skin of his everyday life in Brazil lies Horoiwa’s Japanese heritage. His paintings portray the spiritually lost and lonely. Through his work, from life-size paintings in São Paulo to the side of a 4 story building in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Horoiwa is able to cope with his want to hide from the world and his need to be a part of it.

  Music: tba

• Art Glass Center of San Jose – 465 South First St. map

  

  The SJGAA invites you to get a special sneak peek at their new fine art gallery extension as they expand the Art Glass Center of San Jose. Lionel Chapital and Lori Peterson will be on the torches creating precious little works of art just in time for Easter.

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  [7-9pm] Opening Reception: The Sketch Book Show

  
  art by Lacey Bryant

  The Sketchbook Show

  Take a rare peak into the twisted minds of 29 artists! Peer into the depths of their sketchbooks and see what makes them tick. Step into their brain space and enjoy by DJ Coco, catering by Fundamental Gourmet, coffee by Red Berry Coffee Bar and conversation with the sketchers themselves!

• MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 South First St. map

  
  Mariana Garibay, Tangle Weed, monotype, collage, acrylic and string mounted on wood, 2009.

  Currently on view Conceptual Landscapes: recent work by Castillo and Mariana Garibay. Ancestry, nature and form are reflected in this two person show featuring site specific installation and works on paper.

  Join us for the Artist Talk on Friday, March 5 at 7:30pm for a gallery walk through and an engaging conversation about their work

• Phantom Galleries – temporary exhibits in vacant storefronts

  
  Guy Brookshire

  386 South First St: Illustrations from the Book of Dreams are book art collages, created with precision blades and glue by destroying reference, art, history, and science publications. They illustrate uncanny narratives of which no knowledge is required. The universe they describe is the work of Guy Benjamin Brookshire.

  
  Andy Gouveia

  388 So. First Street: Fault-lines an installation by Bay Area artist Andy Gouveia.

  A spray can and house paint mural painted live in Golden Gate park as part of the Indy Arts Fest 2009. This exhibition also hosts an array of his smaller paintings dealing with the myth and mystery of the ancient world.

• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map

  
  The Angel Equation by Joan Schulze

  In the Main Galleries: Poetic License: The Art of Joan Schulze is a retrospective of the prolific 40-year career of innovative Bay Area collage artist Joan Schulze. Also on view: Navajo Weaving in the Present Tense: The Art of Lucy and Ellen Begay, a rare collection of a remarkable body of work by two contemporary Navajo weavers, a mother and daughter, whose work is deeply rooted in the traditional lifestyle they still lead.

  Special event 8-9pm: Reading of original poerty by Joan Schulze.

• SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery – 577 South Market St. map

  

  Web comics are all the rage these days and SLG presents artwork from one of the most popular webcomics on the internet as artist Ethan Nicolle shows of his work from AXE COP. For the uninitiated Axe Cop is the web comic created by Ethan and his five-year-old brother. Have you ever read something and said to yourself “Was this written by a five year old?” Well, Axe Cop IS written by a five year old and it’s one of the funniest thing on the web. Entertainment Weekly and NPR agree and we are sure you will too.

  Also, the Andy Ristaino Escape from Dullsville show continues. Live music by Jazz Trio Quasimodal.

• Works San Jose – 451 South First St. map

  
  Blue Canyons by Terenia Offenbacker

  Female Found Mixed Media Contemporary Art, curated by Terenia Offenbacker, presents the work of eight women that create art together through weekly sessions for the past seven years. The materials used are common: paper, sand, metals, textiles, etc., but each artist works in a different creative way. Featured artists: Rosine Ferber, Ann Gordon, Camille Ball, Ricky Gumbrecht, Shuang Zhang, Sheryl Tealdi, Annette Legallet and Terenia Offenbacker.

• Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Venezia Revisited is a collection of paintings made by San Jose artist Eileen Graham after a 2007 trip to Italy.

  Live music by Opera San José, featuring your favorite arias and duets starting at 8:30pm.

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: “Yoga Inspired Art” by Angeles Moreno

  Simplicity, harmony, color, and strong outlines define her art, influenced by her life’s work as a graphic designer. Yoga came to her at its own time. It was in discovering consistent yoga practice that revealed a more profound significance and a fresh inspiration for her artwork.

  Seeking a deeper understanding of the disciplines at the core yogic principles, Angeles completed the Ashtanga Teacher Training at Mount Madonna, founded 35 years ago by the silent Guru, Baba Hari Dass.

  To capture and (re)express the many universal, positive messages from this ancient philosophy, the canvases began to fill with the Spirit of Yoga, compassion – balance – harmony.

  Angeles Moreno is a yoga teacher at Downtown Yoga Shala. To see more of Angeles’ work, please join us after Candlelight Yoga (6:15-8pm) as we open our doors to the art patrons and the downtown community for an Artist Reception beginning at 8pm.

• Good Karma Vegan Café – 37 South First St. map

  
  art by Wendy Neff

  Opening Reception: Group exhibit by Good Karma Staff
  A mixed media, mixed artist show to celebrate the creative bunch that work at Good Karma. Featuring: Tony Buccino, Julia Lang, Otessa Crandell, Sarah Cade, and Wendy Neff.

• METRO Photo Exhibit – 550 South First St. map

  

  I’m With the Band? photos by the First St. Photo Collective

• South First Billiards & Lounge – 420 South First St. map

  

  Group Show by Illuskrate

  Illuskrate is an art blog started and contributed to by Dion Bello and Anabella Pinon. The blog is an exhibit symbolizing work created after the day job some artists have to maintain to be able create the pieces displayed in these galleries.

  The show is a collection of very talented South Bay artists that include; Anabella Pinon, Dee Jae Pa’este, Noel Huh, Nicole Terzic, Mike Borja, Daniel Valadez, Kristine Taormino, Kim Christman and Dion Bello.

  Live musical performances by Fake Public and Can’t Find a Villain.

  South First Billiards is now an ALL AGES venue.

• Art Ark – 1035 South Sixth St. map

  

  The Art of Truth, Compassion, Tolerance curated by David Zhang

  This traveling exhibition has been shown in more than 40 countries and over 200 cities worldwide. Last year a preview was held at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda. The show features oil paintings by 12 artists including: Kunlun Zhang, Xiaoping Chen, Yuan Li, Kathleen Gillis, and Xiqiang Dong whose art portrays the experiences, visions, and hope of Falun Dafa followers as they attempt to safeguard justice and peace while upholding their values in truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

  Free shuttle service from South First Street to the Art Ark Gallery every 15 minutes between 5:45 – 9:15pm in front of the Miami Beach Club

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on February 5th!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)

• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: ART OF ZINES 2010 featuring hundreds of zines from basements, bedrooms and midnight copy shops throughout the U.S. and abroad.

  We love zines… those little diy, cut-and-paste, copied-on-the-cheap, hand-folded, self-distributed gems that continue to surface because someone, somewhere feels the need to express themselves. It’s that simple. Zines exist and fleurish outside the mainstream with no particular interest whether you’re paying attention or not. According to Chip Rowe, creator of Chip’s Closet Cleaner, “They’re Tinkertoys for malcontents. They’re obsessed with obsession. They’re extraordinary and ordinary. They’re about strangeness but since it’s usually happening somewhere else you’re kind of relieved.”

  Featured Zine sellers: Marc Arsenault, John Bobst, Silvia Chenault, Michael Foley, Ben Henderson, Chris Kardambikis, M Undead, Yumiko Miyagawa, Tomas Moniz, Kyle Pellet, Mahoney Perkins, Louis Schmidt, Matthew Seigel, Kate Steward & Meagan Zupanci

  Music: Adam Lynn, Zoe Boekbinder (Vermillion LIes), Corpus Callosum

• Art Glass Center of San Jose – 465 South First St. map

  

  Bring your Valentine and enjoy live demonstrations by Lionel Chapital and our new instructor Lori Peterson at the torch. No doubt they will take inspiration from the holiday to create one-of-a-kind blown glass sculptures and beads that will warm your heart. Hearts and flowers from 20 other artists spread the love throughout the entire studio.

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  [7-9pm] Opening Reception for featured exhibitions by Sandi Billingsley and Mark Damrel with live music by INFM, Tyler Boyd

  
  art by Sandi Billingsley

  Transfiguration is a collection of three dimensional art is an expression of Sandi Billingsley’s faith that “we humans can live in luxury while being environmentally responsible.” Transfiguration is essentially the art of changing the properties of an object. In this case it refers to the changing of garbage into art.

  This series is made entirely from rescued materials. The core is made of Styrofoam collected from shipping packages, friends and dumpsters. Sandi then applies a combination of old paint clothes, junk mail, phone books — basically anything with natural fibers headed for the trash. Dipping these flexible materials in non-toxic glue gives them strength to hold interesting shapes. Finally, the piece is finished with “Aqua Brand” textures and paint which are non-toxic. The result is an environmentally friendly piece of art.

  
  art by Mark Damrel

  Relative Matter is a series of paintings by Mark Damrel inspired by the hardships he encountered on his journey into fatherhood. “Years went by with little to no hope. I started to get used to the fact that I would never have a family, and then it happened.”

  In groupings of mixed media paintings on wood and paper he explores the themes of childhood memories, despair, hope and joy.

• MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 South First St. map

  
  Castillo, Brown Sugar (detail), giclee, burlap bags, chain, 2009

  Opening reception of Conceptual Landscapes: recent work by Castillo and Mariana Garibay. Ancestry, nature and form are reflected in this two person show featuring site specific installation and works on paper.

• Phantom Galleries – temporary exhibits in vacant storefronts

  
  Guy Brookshire

  386 South First St: Illustrations from the Book of Dreams are book art collages, created with precision blades and glue by destroying reference, art, history, and science publications. They illustrate uncanny narratives of which no knowledge is required. The universe they describe is the work of Guy Benjamin Brookshire.

  
  Kate Stewart

  388 So. First Street: We Are Not From Here/ here we are an exhibit of large oil paintings by Kate Stewart

  Every city has a personality that both shapes and is shaped by the people who live there. People reflect the city as they build it. People fade into the city and embody it. The city learns its own nature by watching. The city and the individual enter a collaboration. Five paintings by Kate Stewart tell the city stories about itself.

• SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery – 577 South Market St. map

  

  ESCAPE FROM DULLSVILLE – Life is anything but dull in the SLG Boutiki & Gallery, and our first show of the year is no exception. First, artist and writer Andy Ristaino returns presenting artwork from his insanely crazy book Escape from Dullsville. See Andy’s high energy vision and find out for yourself why he was featured in HIgh Fructose magazine.

  Also, local author Dianne Sweeney will be on hand signing copies of her new book Kissing Frogs in Cyberspace.

  Live music by Assemblehead and all the things you have come to expect from an SLG event on South FIRST FRIDAY!

• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map

  
  Pineapple Variation or Windmill Blades, Unknown quilt maker, Circa 1890

  Exhibits on view: Still Crazy mines the Museum’s permanent collection to explore the glorious Victorian crazy quilt, a purely decorative object that presaged modernists’ use of abstraction and collage techniques and was a forerunner of the contemporary art quilt.

  Also on view: Reincarnation: The Crazy Collage Aesthetic of India & Japan explores how different cultures have interpreted the ‘crazy collage aesthetic’ with c. 1920-1950 Japanese kimonos from the collection of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture and contemporary Indian crazy quilts from the collection of Shobha Imports.

• Works San Jose – 451 South First St. map

  

  Give a little tough love to Works/San Jose and get some back! Come see the (anti)Valentine’s Silent Auction and Exhibition! Preview artworks 12-4pm February 4th and join us First Friday when bidding opens from 12-10pm ~ or buy instantly! Entry to exhibit is free! Bidders pay just $5.

  Installation in Paulette Peterson space by local artist Maynard Edwards

• Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: All But Purple, paintings by Tamar Belson.

  “Despite my love for the red and blue colors, in this series I did not combine them to create the purple color. I used other basic color and their combinations to create a play of contrasts. Warm and cold colors, lines and shapes on colorful surfaces and circles on squares – being some of them. I am always attracted by the powerful interaction between those contrasts and offer the viewer the surprising and vivid fine balanced outcome.” ~Tamar Belson

  Back at Caffe Trieste for 2010, Opera San José, featuring your favorite arias and duets starting at 8:30pm.

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: photography by Nadia Nasiri

  Downtown Yoga Shala is proud to present featured artist Nadia Nasiri, a promising young self-taught photographer and avid yoga practitioner. She shares her love of nature and yoga through her lens. Nadia holds a masters degree in recreation with a focus on international tourism management from San Jose State University. It is her intention and desire to work for a non-profit that does eco trips abroad. Nadia believes in the transformation that is possible through travel and would like to promote travel that is beneficial to the community and the environment. Nadia is fascinated by social change, spirituality, the environment, and the importance of leisure.

• Good Karma Vegan Café – 37 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Both Before & After by Benjamin Caprile

  Born in Grenoble France, but raised in the Silicon Valley, Benjamin creates surreal landscapes that combine the familiar with the unknown, the mundane with the monumental. Sometimes grotesque and other times serene, the artwork balances opposites through a variety of mediums.

  Live DJ sets by Richard Gutierrez and Claude Cardenas.

• METRO Photo Exhibit – 550 South First St. map

  

  Heart Show photos by the First St. Photo Collective

• South First Billiards & Lounge – 420 South First St. map

  

  On view: Heart Of Chaos Uproar sale closes end of February! Please stop by and place a bid on your favorite art piece.

  South First Billiards is now an ALL AGES venue.