JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on November 6th!
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

  

  Public Reception & Book Signing: BLOODWORK: SLEEVES 30 Tattooers 67 Sleeves is a collaborative project produced by the Analog Tattoo Arts Kolectiv (ATAK). The stated goal is to document, exhibit and publish a comprehensive collection of sleeves by the WTC (World Tattoo Community: abstract concept). Tattooers & collectors from around the globe graciously contributed to this complex collective undertaking.

  The extensive range of work within the BLOODWORK: SLEEVES photographic exhibition and tandem publication aspires to provide a broad view of the efforts of contemporary tattooers working today. The ultimate purpose is to compile an unparalleled historical document for review by this and future generations.

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

  

  Take one last stroll through the glass pumpkin patch by 15 artists at The Art Glass Center. Work from over 30 local glass artists will also be on display.

• Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St. map

  

  Opening Reception: Genre Variations by Cynthia DeBenedetti
  Being a painter of outdoor scenes as well as still life and figure provides Cynthia occasions to paint many subjects in different ways. This exhibit focuses on different subject matter within the realm of oil painting. Among the many different types of genres (subjects) in painting, shown here are four: landscape, still life, figure, and portrait.

  Live Music: Opera San José performing your favorite arias and duets.

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  

  Opening reception: Shimmer by Melissa Kreisa
  Join us after Candlelight Yoga (6:45-8:15) as we open our doors to welcome the Art Walk patrons and the downtown community. Our featured artist is a painter, mother, yoga practitioner and volunteer who helps new refugees adjust to life in the Bay Area.

  For Melissa, painting is her chance to breathe. It forces her to slow down and find beauty in the smallest spaces. In this show called, Shimmer she invites you into a moment of reflection. Her work reminds us that nature continues to go about its beautiful and mysterious business, even when we are not paying attention. All proceeds from this show will benefit Refugee Transitions (and are tax deductable).

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

  

  Join us for the opening reception for Cultural Disjuncture featuring contemporary nomads, cultural disparity and invisible labor explored in this group exhibition which features sculpture, works on paper and installation. This exhibition includes work by Monica Canilao, Diana Cristales-David, Betty A. Davis, Jaime Guerrero, Alejandro Oliva, Mitsy Ávila Ovalles and Rio Yañez. Exhibition open through January 2, 2010.

• METRO Photo Exhibit – 550 South First St. map

  

  The Last Good Dive Bar photos by the First St. Photo Collective
  Participating photographers include: Carlos Da Silva, Abe Menor, Trish Leeper, Tanya Angeli , Anabella Pinon, Nancy h. Ahn, Chris Patton, Felipe Buritrago, Yumiko Miyagawa, Vu Nguyen, Jennifer Ahn, Jason Duffany, Michelle Budziak, Jen Anderson, Amber Chavez, Jai Tanju, Mario Guel, Trent Still, Murray Bowles

• Phantom Galleries – temporary exhibits in vacant storefronts

  

  386 South First St.: Everybody’s Happy Nowadays by Kyle Pellet
  If you’ve ever:
  1.) stood up somebody for a date,
  2.) eaten a hamburger at 2 in the morning and lived to regret it,
  3.) smelled something wholeheartedly unpleasant, and took a second and maybe third sniff
  4.) cried about something dumb,
  5.) given yourself a bad haircut,
  6.) gone to a birthday party of someone you hated,
  7.) wished bad things on somebody, had them happen, and then wished bad things on other people,
  then this installation is for you. Enjoy! ”

  

  388 So. First Street: Nature Of The Beast by Tyson Johnston

  Strange things go bump in the night…. Oftentimes, dreams are reflections of phobias and dismay that we encounter in our daily lives. Usually, the underlying messages can be extremely cryptic. My aim is to decipher these nightmares into a meaningful message. I use animals and creatures to mirror human emotion, and as symbols. In the end, I hope to use these images and techniques to transfer the negative emotions from my nightmares into a positive release.

• San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art – 560 South First St. map

  

  Afterlife: Main Gallery through January 23rd. A group exhibition presenting the work of artists who transform collected and recycled materials into works of art. Guest curated by Kathryn Funk. Theodora Varnay Jones: Manifold: Focus Gallery and Cardinale Project Room through February 20th. A solo exhibition by postminimalist sculptor and installation artist Theodora Varnay Jones. The two-and-three dimensional works on view represent the artist’s exploration and interpretation of form, space and repetition. Night Moves, after dark programming in the ICA’s front windows presents video work by Claudia Borgna through January 23rd.

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

  

  The 2nd annual High Fiber Under Five benefit art sale will be in full swing. This invitational sale features world class fiber art by nationally and internationally known artists, including jewelry, sculpture, wearable art and wall pieces, all for $500 or less.

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

  

  SLG Publishing is proud to present the work of Jamiaca Dyer as we celebrate the release of her first graphic novel Weird Fishes. A Santa Cruz native and San Jose State University graduate with an MFA in art, Dyer’s work will be familiar to people who have seen her paintings on the cover of the San Jose Metro. Also on display will be work from Drew Rausch, Bee Adams and several others.

  Live music by Quasimodal

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

  

  Heart of Chaos and South First Billiards present our 3rd annual Uproar event, one of the largest art events in San Jose. Live Music, Belly Dance, Live Painting and Art Exhibits. Art priced to sell!

  21+ venue

• Works San Jose – 451 South First St. map

  In the Main Gallery: See the Works/San Jose 2009 Member Exhibition All For One!…, —No judge, No jury—just our wide and varied community of artists from the South Bay! In the Paulette Peterson Space experience the exhibit A Portrait of Hip Hop. Also, see live painting on human canvases by artist Trina Merry!

• Agenda Restaurant – 399 South First St. map

  

  Special one night only exhibition and wine tasting event featuring Images From a Beautiful World by LIsa Amato

  A collection of fine art photography that pairs well with fine wine, food and music. Having moved to the Bay Area in her early years, Lisa has been “witness to this area’s ability to traverse both the minute wonder of a ladybug resting on a sunflower petal to the overwhelming expanse of a Pacific sunset. Everywhere I go, an opportunity to capture a truly breathtaking moment presents itself; whether it be the rugged peaks of the Sierras, the almost surreal Northern California shore, or the opulent colors of the wine country.”

  Live Music by Tyler Boyd.

  6pm-8pm: $10 Wine Tasting, $25 Special Pre Fixe Dinner (includes Wine Tasting)
  Call 408-287-3991 or email info@agendalounge.com for reservations or further details

On South Fourth Street…

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  [7-9pm] Artists’ Reception for featured exhibits by Lacey Bryant, Jen Renzel

  

  Fragile Things new paintings and curiosities by Lacey Bryant

  Lacey has always been fascinated at how so many fragile things are able to exist in our chaotic, messy world. “Tiny, delicate things often seem to thrive in the most hostile environments. Fragility makes things precious to us, things are more beautiful because they will not last. So many things are fragile when you stop to think about it. Insect wings, shells, glass, children, hearts, dreams, the list is endless. On the surface, vulnerability seems to unite these things but the deeper thing that all of these fragile things have in common is a hidden strength. An egg shell is easily broken, but the shape of an egg is such that it can support a massive amount of weight for it’s size and thickness, protecting it’s delicate contents. An insect may be crushed without a thought but can easily survive a fall that would kill a human being, not to mention the strength of their numbers. Children are amazingly resilient and can survive the most horrible of circumstances. It is the balance between weak and strong and the often contradictory duality of things that interests me. ”

  

  The Carnival of Lost Souls assemblages by Jen Renzel

  Little sideshow oddities, dark dreams, and mystical beings. Broken dolls, old toys, antique hardware, collaged images, and imagination are the ingredients for these shadow boxes. “The broken down treasure at the bottom of a moldy box can be the cornerstone of a new creation. In fact, that’s often how the idea for a piece starts — with one broken doll, toy, or image that sparks the imagination> The rest is a continual trial and error process of finding which pieces fit together, then figuring out how to connect them, which can be challenging when working with oftentimes crumbling, frail and damaged materials and parts. Something tells me when a piece is finished. Some pieces come together quickly, and some take forever and are a struggle. In either case, I can lose hours and hours in the workshop, and the results sometimes surprise even me.”