Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...The next time someone complains that downtown San Jose is bland, here’s a fun fact to throw back at them: Local Color, the nonprofit artists’ organization, has more locations in the city than Starbucks does.
Later this month, Local Color will be opening the doors on its fourth downtown space at the Davidson Building on West Julian Streets, which is slated to become part of the Arbor development. And while the arts group is currently only occupying the ground floor, its ambitions are spelled out in what it’s calling the mixed-use arts space: the Big Arts Building.
It will have spaces for art studios, workshops, and galleries — including a “black box” room that will serve as a rotating mural gallery.
One of the more interesting rooms, though, will be home to the Creative Outlet, a place where gently used art supplies can be donated or given out to artists. Local Color received a grant from San Jose’s Environmental Services department for the initiative, which will not only make arts supplies more accessible for artists but keep them out of landfills, too.
The vision seems like a grander, more structured version of the art hub Local Color opened in the former Woolworth’s Store on South First Street in 2016, with artist studio stalls, retail shops and creative pop-up gatherings. Local Color was rushed out of that space in 2019 to make way for a building redevelopment that still hasn’t happened, seven years later.
“We’re applying all of the knowledge we’ve learned in the past decade to reimagine that concept in a more structured way that really supports the artists we work with,” Local Color Executive Director Erin Salazar. “Our ultimate dream is to own space in San Jose and get a building we can really nest in.”
Deputy Director Carman Gaines said she thinks Local Color will add to the activity in the burgeoning north downtown enclave that includes lots of new residential buildings and is close to San Pedro Square, Little Italy and Pellier Park. The new Creative Arts Center being planned by Starting Arts and other partners is set to open nearby in August, too.
“It’s meant to be a big catalyst and booster both for turning Local Color’s presence on the ground floor into a space where we can invite the public to experience all that Local Color has become,” Gaines said. “And just being a safe space for people to convene, to work, to afford to be able to do all those things.”
Andrew Jacobson, vice president of U.S. development for building owner Westbank, said in a statement that the company’s excited to extend its partnership with Local Color, which also occupies part of another Westbank property, the Valley Title Building in downtown’s SoFA district.
“While large-scale real estate development takes time, activating spaces like this reflects our commitment to responsible stewardship and building vibrant communities,” Jacobson said. “By making use of existing spaces, this project demonstrates how adaptive reuse can support community initiatives well before construction completes.”
PALO ALTO ART TRIO: Three different but intriguing art experiences are planned in downtown Palo Alto on Thursday, starting off with “Rest-A-Thon,” which might be described as a “non-performance” art piece by guest artist Agnieszka Wszolkowska. The idea is to take a minute, or several, between noon and 1 p.m. to quietly enjoy nature — and collective rest — in the garden area behind 245 Lytton Ave.
If you’re unaware of that space, don’t be surprised. Thursday’s three-part event is part of “Public Benefit: Pop-Ups in the POPOS (Privately Owned Public Open Spaces),” an ongoing art project by Lisa Van Dusen. After your rest (and maybe the rest of the workday), you can swing by Plaza Ramona, at 250 University Ave., between 5 and 6 p.m. for “The Compliment Dept.: Office Hours,” and receive a personally crafted compliment from Van Dusen herself.
Grab some dinner and then make your way back to Plaza Ramona at 8:30 p.m. for Family Slide Show, a pop-up by PressYess (Meg Pohlod & Anna Newman) for Family Slide Show. There’ll be projectors showing vintage slides, and this one’s interactive — you can bring your own slides to share your memories.
‘MAGICAL’ PREMIERE: The Magical Bridge Foundation has done an amazing job opening accessible playgrounds around the Bay Area over the past decade. Now, its story is being told in a documentary short, “Magical Bridge: Kind By Design,” which has its premiere at 6 p.m. during the BraveMaker Film Festival at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City.
The 22-minute documentary by Splicer Films will be followed by a panel discussion and a feature, “Under the Lights,” about a teenager with epilepsy aiming to go to the prom. The screenings will be followed by an after-party is set for 9 p.m. Timber & Salt and Con Azúcar.
The eighth annual BraveMaker Film Fest, which opens Wednesday night and runs through Sunday, is putting a big emphasis on the Bay Area this year, with 15 films being shown that are connected to the region. Get tickets and schedule information at bravemakerfilmfest.com.