JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on June 7th
from 7–11pm. RSVP

The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk is a self-guided evening tour through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses featuring exhibitions and special performances.

In addition to the monthly art walk, come downtown on June 7th for the 6th Annual SubZERO Festival! Focused on emerging and present subcultures thriving in our region, SubZERO is a diy, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek. All venues & the festival are FREE & open to everyone.

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

  
  

  Artists’ Reception: Wes Smoot and the 49ers
  Featuring: Mark Pavlovits, Shaun Roberts, Michael Linton Simpson, Wes Smoot, Patrick Thompson, Derek Weisberg, Lulu Yee

  From the beginning of time people have tried to grasp and express the mysteries of the universe. Cultures and societies have developed traditions and stories in attempts to explain the dualities of the world. This exhibition offers insight into one of those societies, the E.O. 49: their members, practices and great legends.

  Live music by Johanna Chase + Halo Between

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

  
  

  Fabulous Finds
  

  For June, we offer piles of pots at BARGAIN prices made by studio members and students. We wanna make more! But these pieces need to find happy homes first… Beautiful bowls, plates, vases, mugs and other creative ceramic works – all oven/microwave/dishwasher safe – will be on display for SubZERO at the Higher Fire booth. As always, there’ll be snacks, mud-flinging show-offs, zesty conversation and a fun, welcoming atmosphere.

  Our continuing exhibit of tea-themed works, “Steeped in Tradition”, will on display in the main studio gallery just across the street from SubZERO.

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  
  

  KALEID Gallery is proud to present VANITAS.

  Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas. ~ Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

  A Vanitas is a work of art based on the idea of the transience of human existence and the knowledge that all has it’s end. They have been common throughout the history of art, sometimes incredibly morbid with a sharp focus on death, others with obscured meaning hidden beneath a veneer of beauty. KALEID presents over 40 artists and their contemporary interpretation of the classic theme VANITAS.

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

  
  Carolyn Castaño, Anchorwoman, lover, confidante (Virginia Vallejo), acrylic and mixed-media, 2009

  Pop to the Rescue

  In MACLA’s Gallery: Pop to the Rescue summons Latina popular culture strategies and aesthetics to deal with chaotic environments. Work by Mitsy Ávila Ovalles, Carolyn Castaño, Las Hermanas Iglesias, and Ana Serrano. In MACLA’s Castellano Playhouse, come enjoy Tango and more starting at 8pm.

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

  San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles presents two exhibitions: Milestones: Textiles of Transition and Threads of Love: Baby Carriers from China’s Minority Nationalities

  
  Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, Red Hot, 2005, 25’ x 12” x 11”
  Cast hand–made paper. Cotton, acrylics, gold leaf, wax, metal, rubber, matchstitcks
  photo credit: Petronella Ytsma

  Milestones: Textiles of Transition explores how historic and contemporary textiles have been created for and continue to signify moments of transition—birth, marriage, and death, among others—and the unique bond these textiles have with our universal human experience. As material objects these textiles play an important role in all of our life passages, either as utilitarian objects, or as ceremonial and symbolic pieces.

  

  Zhuang Minority Nationality, Yunnan province, Dimensions (WxH): 35″ x 30 1/2″
  Indigo dyed cotton, silk embroidery, applique, and metallic ribbon

  Threads of Love: Baby Carriers from China’s Minority Nationalities, presents the rich folk art tradition of hand-embroidered baby carriers from the minority nationalities of southwestern China. The exhibit highlights the symbolic decorations traditionally used to embellish these otherwise utilitarian, though lovingly made textiles. Auspicious symbols connote good luck, good fortune, happy marriage, and longevity. This selection of baby carriers is drawn from the Miao (known as Hmong in their native language), Zhuang, Yao, and Shui nationalities from China’s southwestern provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, They are on loan from the private collection of Mr. Yu Yawan, of Nanning, China.

  Etsy Meet & Make: No Sew Coasters with Rebecca Saylor

  When many people get their first apartment, get married, or make a move, they look for some well designed, personal items that can make their new place feel cozy and warm. These little coasters are easy to make but pack a punch of personality because you can use virtually any fabric to personalize the design.

  Rebecca Saylor is the designer and owner of OodleBaDoodle, a whimsical store full of things she designs and makes in her San Francisco home studio.

• Seeing Things Gallery – 30 North Third St. map

  
  

  Here She Comes paintings by Aaron Frisby

  Oklahoma-based artist Aaron Frisby has displayed his work around the world, most recently in Seoul, S. Korea, following a stint as the artist-in-residence in Anyang with Stone and Water Supplement Space. His most recent works are mixed media pieces. His art has been used on record covers, skateboards, t-shirts, and in print. Aaron teaches high school English in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he lives with his wife of seventeen years and their daughter Stella.

  Guest artist Brad Hayes of (Shark bait) will display his paintings above the shop.

• Works San Jose – 365 South Market St. map

  
  artwork by Sieglinde Van Damme

  Nerve | Path

  Video installation artists Shaun Benak and Sieglinde Van Damme employ large scale projection to investigate the visualization of thought, emotion, and voice. Both artists use line as a tool to visually map, recount, and unravel stories of past experience and internal forces.

• ZERO1 Garage – 439 South First St. map

  
  Prototype installation for UCSC DANM MFA installation: costume development for FEAST and Flight

  Join us as multimedia artist Eve Warnock transforms the ZERO1 Garage into an immersive environment of film, sound, and live performance. Warnock will present four experimental films from her series titled Seekago go that relates human ecology to the story of life via the relationship of a man and a woman. The films will be accompanied by three-dimensional installations of light, sound, costume, and ongoing performance that viewers can experience as they explore the space. Plus, we’re opening the ZERO1 Summer Reading Room, a place to hang out, read about art/tech/culture, and swap books with the Silicon Valley community. We’re accepting book contributions, so visitors are welcome to bring books to add to our growing collection of publications by some of the most well known and creative artists, designers and thought leaders working at the intersection of art and technology.

• Cafe Stritch – 374 South First St. map

  

  Momentum by MaryAnne De Carolis

  The purpose of my art is to create a shared moment. Each work of art is endeavored to an idea, and formulated into a tangible expierience. These moments are derived by nature and inspired by the great masters. I hope my efforts will instill in you the joy had in creating them. Because after all, what matters most is what makes you feel good.

• Caffé Frascati – 315 South First St. map

  First Fridays is Caffe Frascati Opera Night presented by First Street Singers, with the Bay Area’s finest opera singers performing your very favorite classical arias and duets live in the cafe!

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  
  

  
  

  Join us after Candlelight Yoga (5:30-6:45pm) as we open our doors to art patrons and the Downtown community. This month, we feature Stages, a unique joint exhibit by two local San Jose celebrities, Gary Singh and Selina G Young.

  STAGES by Gary Singh & Selina G Young

  Shakepeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…” Through their travels, Gary as a journalist and Selina as a theatrical lighting designer, these two photographers capture moments on the various stages of life. Showing at Downtown Yoga Shala this month, STAGES presents imagery from near and far, home and abroad. Locally, Gary Singh is best known as a columnist for Metro, and Selina G Young’s designs include companies such as San Jose Stage Company, Tabard Theatre Company and Kaisahan Dance Company.

• Eco Monster – 30 North Third St. map

  
  

  Big Fish Little Fish In A Dirty Small Pond by Nak Bou

  Nak Bou is a graphic and multi-media artist based in Southern California. He is a graduate of UCLA’s Design I Media Arts program. A multidisciplinary artist working with graphics to motion, from web and branding to illustrative drawings. In addition to his work as a graphic designer, he is currently working on art that combines themes of nostalgia, historical events, and modern urban life.

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

  
  Photo by Jesus Medina

  Phantom Galleries presents De-Docs: Documentary Photography from Silicon Valley De-BugEight photographers united by the passion for documentary genre. The result – 8 stories created using various photographic media – reflecting the lives of the photographers as much as their subjects. Photography by Tameeka Bennett, Kseniya Bulavko, Charisse Domingo, Braulio Gonzalez, Isabel Gonzalez, Jesus Medina, Ronald Orlando, and Kymeira Stewart

  Performances by Baylingual and Monster Motion Crew

• LGBTQ Youth Space – 452 South First St. map

  

  Hot Mess by John Doe

  The Hairstyle Themed Gallery

  The LGBTQ Youth Space has decided to show its fascination with Hair! Thats right HAIR IN THIS SPACE AND IN YO FACE. Hair of all kinds: Long Hair, Short Hair, Spiky Hair, Curly Hair, Beard Hair, No Hair…Armpit Hair. This gallery is going to be SHEAR awesome. Be Hair or be Square.

• The Metro Gallery – 550 South First St. map

  
  Artwork by Skylar Grove

  Perhaps better known as a a member of local hip hop crew Counter Productive or as a producer for various acts including Dirtbag Dan, Skylar G has been painting potatoes as long as he can remember. Working as a tattoo artist here in San Jose keeps his pen to the pad but its a rare occasion these days that he has time to dedicate to paint canvas. However he’s locked himself in the studio to create some potato filled madness for your enjoyment.

  Performance and musical accompaniment from Dirtbag Dan and DJ Ichy The Killer

• Mezcal Restaurant – 25 W. San Fernando St. map

  
  

  The Consulate General of Mexico in San Jose presents:
  From the Earth to the Spirits by Alejandra Cano

  In this photographic series, Alenjandra Cano tells us the story of the mystic path of Mezcal, from being a precious gift of the Earth to the tavern, where it alleviates the troubled spirits of men.

  Through these wonderful collection of images that distill passion and life, the artist will take us on a journey from the agave plant to the cup; from the Palenque, its stills and its mules, to the balm that kisses and caresses, that absolves, comforts and resurrects the damned.

• Pho69 – 321 South First St. map

  
  

  Phantom Galleries presents Phantasmagoria by artist Sara Tomasello at Pho69 Restaurant.

  Phantasmagoria is a series of paintings depicting illusions or deceptive appearances; as in a dream.

• Psycho Donuts – 288 South Second St. map

  
  art by Christine Benjamin

  Psycho Donuts in downtown San Jose is a quirky donut shop and art gallery. The gallery displays top local artists and has an ongoing exhibit featuring the work of John Renzel, Lacey Bryant, Nicolas Caesar, Murphy Adams, Christine Benjamin, Michael Foley, Michael Borja, Valery Milovic, Carlos Villez, Eric Joyner, Laura Callin Bennett, Michelle Waters, John Hageman and Robert McColley!

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

  
  

  This show is a celebration of art showcasing original works from Alfredo Reyes, Dylan Kelly, Debbie Doherty, Mike Stefanski, William Moran, Luis Tinoco with the emphasis on the dynamic of styles with music from dj Benofficial and dj Vex One.

• Studio Climbing Gym – 396 South First St. map

  
  

  The Studio Rock Gym presents an exhibition by Ajay Fay, a commercial photographer and fine artist.

  The exhibition includes a body of work that Fay shot while traveling for jobs along the west coast. They are landscapes, and they are the first reason Fay started photography. After going to school and receiving a BFA in Photography, Fay realized he wanted to work with people and explore ways of communication. Forcing people to see differently. The other set of images on view are from a series called somewhere between here and there, personal work about Fay’s struggle to find his place in the race that is life here in the city.

• TechShop San Jose – 300 South Second St. map

  

  Artist-in-Residence, Danielle Siembieda will present Post People Possibilities, an exhibition of science fiction models of what the world will look like if homosapiens no longer dominate the planet. Silicon Valley artist, Danielle Siembieda, has built small worlds that tell stories reflecting hybrid relationships among science, machines, animals, politics, nature and people. What we have been building in the 21st century sets the foundation for how we will survive in the future. Post People Possibilities is a response to Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto and is Siembieda’s vision of the future as a disparate battle between cyborg identity, hybrid species and politics.

  “A cyborg is a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction. Social reality is lived social relations, our most important political construction, a world-changing fiction,” wrote Donna Haraway in her 1991 Cybrog Manifesto. We fabricate our future by selecting nodes of technology. Our choices of social configurations, biomimicry, genomic modification and political apathy will eventually determine our state of nature. If in this moment we see ourselves as superior above all species, we will soon regret our lack of attention. The method of cyborg development is political in design and we can only assume the breakdown of the true effects technology has on a global scale and how our superior identity will soon be replaced with humility. If as a species we are becoming or have become cyborgs, will we continue to identify ourselves as something other than homosapiens?

  This series of work is built at TechShop, a place where engineers, designers, makers and artists come together. “What a better place to be inspired by a portrait of the future than a place where these ideas are made into reality,” says Siembieda. TechShop is a place where experiments are running rampant, people are building machines to build machines, and science fiction icons are etched into glass. The TechShop icon, a simple gear, is a constant reminder of our place as both machine and human. Post People Possibilities is part Maker, part machine, part nature and part TechShop. This exhibition will be in conjunction with the San Jose SubZERO Festival on June 7th, 2013.

• Art Ark Gallery – 1035 South Sixth St. map

  
  

  The Facets of our Aggregate Lore
  An art exhibition exploring and celebrating mythology through the visual arts.
  Curated by Duncan Cook

  Humans are storytelling creatures. From the dawn of consciousness we have explored, interpreted and celebrated the elements of our experiences by sharing narratives. Spanning the entire planet across hundreds of centuries, these stories contain similar themes and characters that Joseph Campbell referred to as The Hero’s Journey.

  Participating Artists: Michelle Atkinson, Janet Fullmer Bajorek, Amanda Brannon, Jennifer Bruce, Heidi Brueckner, David Canavese, Clody Cates, J. Duncan Cook, Nathan Cox, Carolann Espino, Lyssa Eustaquio, Ninh Filip, Steve Haman, Jeff Hemming, Elisha Heruty, Sonali Iyer, Eun Kyeang Ji, Obi Kaufmann, Roger Labrador, Malia Landis, John Landry, Stacey Laskin, Marianne Lettieri, Karen McCann, David Mejia, Jeffrey David Mitchell, Peter Moen, David Nguyen, Luna Olcott, Douglas Otani, Micaela Petersen, Andrew M. Reichart, Melanie Sharr, Gary Singh, Aimee Santos, Robbie Sugg, TaskOne, Pearla Ngoc Vu, Wesley T. Wright

  Live Music by Lynn Tsai on the Yangqin (hammered Dulcimer) & Dizi (bamboo flute) and Cassie Chen on the Erhu (two-stringed bowed musical instrument) and Pipa (four-stringed musical instrument)

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  South FIRST FRIDAYS presents the 6th Annual SubZERO Festival on June 7th

  Focused on emerging and present subcultures thriving in our region, SubZERO is a diy, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek. Come downtown on June 7th to San Jose’s SoFA District from 6pm ’til midnight for an inspired evening of arts & culture. In addition to the South FIRST FRIDAYS monthly art walk you’ll find outdoor stages of entertainment plus artists, performers & musicians celebrating the indie creative spirit!

  FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2013 from 6pm-midnight (RSVP)
  SoFA district in downtown San Jose
  (on South First Street between San Carlos & Reed Streets)
  Full artist list: www.SubZEROFestival.com