We’re looking forward to seeing you on October 4th for the FIRST FRIDAY ArtWalk & Street Mrkt in downtown San Jose’s vibrant SoFA District (and beyond!).
The galleries and art hosting venues will be open late (and free of charge) with amazing exhibitions, live performances, and artists in attendance. Plus the STREET MRKT indie urban art faire will transform S. 1st St. into a lively outdoor art gallery full of local artists and indie creatives.
All ages are welcome. Free admission (spend it with the Artists!)
SoFA District
ANNO DOMINI // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 S. First St. map
Artists’ reception galleryTWO: Triumuti: a Love Supreme
featuring tattoo artists: Salty Walt McDonald, Djene Toure Lerma & Kirk Wilken
ANNO DOMINI is proud to present: Trimurti – A Love Supreme
This exhibition brings together the work of three visionary artists: Salty Walt McDonald, Djene Toure Lerma, and Kirk Wilken from the Lifetime Tattoo Shop in Denver, CO. Each channel spiritual and creative energies in their unique artistic practices. Like the Hindu Trimurti representing the three aspects of the divine, these artists form a trinity exploring the mysteries of creation, preservation, and transformation through their art work, each tapping into primal and universal forces while remaining deeply personal.
“Sometimes it’s a direct channel to the source of absolute truth and creation and the mystery behind the art and the process of uncovering or allowing that mystery to unfold is as important as what it might look like; other times it is just like taking a shit or something you do every day involuntarily..
“The Primitive gets to the essence of the spiritual.
“”Art can be like music and affect us profoundly, yet seemingly be meaningless…To make the Soul vibrate ,, the rule of the surprise move,, to make a painting of something that doesn’t exist. To listen to the windless wind that blows 4 ways. Art is a cosmic vision of Everything and Nothing.” ~Satly Walt, D’jene, and Kirk
On view in galleryONE: Live at Buff Hall Works and Outtakes 2020–2024
Rafal Karcz (Poland) Solo Exhibition
I was born in Kraków, Poland, in 1969, and I have lived here, with some interruptions, throughout my life. My serious engagement with art began in 2007/2008. Initially, I immersed myself in painting and printmaking, focusing on linocut and woodcut techniques. Over time, my interests expanded to photography and experimental processes related to it, including graphic interventions in photo prints. While these interventions aren’t entirely my invention, they are inspired by drawing, which I hold in high regard, much like the old Renaissance masters. My journey has taken me through graphics, drawing, and photography.
I utilize various media for drawing, including pencils, markers, pens, and occasionally watercolor stain. I’ve always been drawn to images with distractions and blurs, as opposed to the so-called clear images associated with advertising and glamour. This preference led me to experiment with mechanically erasing print layers, and later, chemistry became part of my process when a chemist friend helped me devise a set of solvents specifically for printer ink.
In the past, I was intrigued by bars, pubs, taverns, and other entertainment venues, capturing quick, spontaneous snapshots of participation and randomness. However, my focus has shifted to carefully composed scenes, creating events and situations that resonate with me more now. I find that I can depict these better and feel more connected to them.
I never felt a need to belong to any club culture; my interest lay in random scenes that I later processed in my imagination, framed, and reworked. This approach allows me to draw inspiration from everything around me. It’s about aestheticization—composing and arranging forms and colors in a way that resonates with me. ~Rafal Karcz 2024 A.D.
KALEID Gallery – 320 S. First St. map
Artist’s reception: Lost in the Lines
John “Jangus” Cambra solo exhibition
“Lost in the Lines” is a deeply personal exploration of the connection between creativity and the subconscious mind. This collection, composed entirely of pencil and ink work, represents a return to my artistic roots—an homage to the simplicity and complexity that first drew me to art as a child.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of engaging in a mentorship that reignited my passion for creating. It was during this time that I reconnected with the inspirations that shaped my early artistic journey, and to rediscover a process that flows naturally from within.
Each piece in this collection is born from a meditative practice some refer to as “line art meditation” or “automatic drawing”. As I immerse myself in the act of drawing, the world around me fades, and I become completely absorbed in the intricate details and patterns that emerge. The lines lead me, guide me, and eventually, I find myself lost within them—lost in the exploration of form, texture, and emotion.
“Lost in the Lines” invites you to join me in this meditative journey through the surreal; the horror; and the sometimes silly. I hope that as you engage with these pieces, you too will find yourself wandering through the intricate pathways of the lines, and perhaps, discover a piece of your own story hidden within them.
About the Artist:
John “Jangus” Cambra is a San Jose based freelance artist, illustrator, and sandwich enthusiast. His artistic focus has primarily been on ink and comic-style illustrations of monsters, characters, and cursed items used for players and Game Masters in Tabletop Role Playing Games like D&D; Mörk Borg; Mothership; and Ultraviolet Grasslands.
Cambra’s recent personal work has been developing his own grim and surreal world full of bone, teeth, uncomfortable vibes, and bad jokes.
MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 S. First St. map
Un Puente Sobre el Río San Juan: A Story of Borders
Featuring San José-based artists, Irene Carvajal and Imara Osorno, this exhibition examines the overlooked conflict between Nicaragua and Costa Rica’s border along the San Juan River. Their collaborative work transcends divisions through painting, video, and site-specific installation.
FREE performance at our Castellano Playhouse: Jahny Wallz y Rumbero Soul
Jahny Wallz is a San José-based Chicano singer/songwriter, audio engineer and instructor. Wallz mission is to make social change through the art of music while making his own stamp in todays and tomorrow’s music industry. Jahny Wallz y Rumbero Soul will be performing two sets at 7:30 pm and at 8:30 pm.
PhantomGalleries at The Pierce – 2 Pierce Ave. map
Phantom Galleries is proud to present:
TIME Trieu Hai Dao solo exhibition
Trieu Dao is a Vietnamese artist based in San Jose, with a career spanning over 45 years. Born in Vietnam, Dao fled the country in the early 1980s with his wife and two children, embarking on a perilous journey across the South China Sea before eventually settling in the United States.
A self-taught artist, Dao creates artwork built on the traditions from his native homeland and informed by his experiences as an immigrant refugee. He works primarily in oil paintings, sculptures, and multimedia pieces. His vibrant compositions contain figurative or abstract elements which reflect his vivid memories and deep emotions that become visceral to the viewer in their presence. As an evolving artist, he continues to seek new and innovative ways of expressing and evoking the emotions which drive his artwork.
Trieu’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and cultural centers throughout California, including the VAALA Center, the Morgan Hill Culture Community Center, the Saigon Civil Center, La Gallaria, the Viet Bao Gallery, the Works Gallery, the San jose Civic Center, Paradise Art Gallery, the Rose Garden Gallery, Martin Luther King Jr. Library Gallery and Citadel Art Gallery.
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art– 560 S. First St. map
ICA has three new shows: Allegedly the worst is behind us, Without Them is Not Us, and The Future Democracies Laboratory.
We will also have an artist workshop: Garden Impressions: A Botanical Printmaking Project led by Pantea Karimi
Join us on first Friday, October 4th from 6-8 pm for Garden Impressions: A Printmaking Project with Pantea Karimi, A 2024 San Jose Creative Ambassador. Using collected botanical clippings, participants will make colorful small-size monoprints on paper, reflecting on the importance of keeping San José parks, and historic gardens alive and cared for. Monoprinting is an accessible, expressive, safe, water-based medium, and is open to interpretation. This event is free and open to the public as a drop-in-style workshop.
San Jose Jazz – 310 South First St. map
U21 Youth Jam, opened by the SJZ U19s
Join us for a great night of youth performances and improvisation!
The SJZ U19s will open our youth Jazz Jam at 5:45pm, with classic jazz standards from legendary originators and modern masters.
Then, the Michael Webster Trio will perform at 6:20pm.
The jam starts at 7pm and goes until 9pm, during which time we’ll cover jazz standards, Real Book charts, and the good old 12-bar blues. Admission is free. Don’t forget your instrument! We’ll have a drum set, a piano, and amplifiers for bass and guitar players. Pop in and out anytime from 5:45pm-9m to hear the future of jazz.
Intermediate and advanced youth musicians in their teens or early twenties are invited for this jazz jam, free and open to the public in conjunction with South First Fridays ArtWalk SJ.
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles – 520 South First St. map
25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee
Created and curated by Jennifer Kim Sohn
25 Million Stitches was initiated and conceived in May 2019 by Jennifer Kim Sohn, a multimedia artist and activist, to visually document the enormity of the number of refugees in the world and to sustain the concern for the refugees in the minds of global citizens.
Symphony San José at California Theater – 345 S. First St. map
Open Rehearsal with Symphony San Jose
Have you ever experienced the magic of the Symphony?
Join Symphony San Jose at the majestic California Theatre for an exclusive dress rehearsal of Jon Nakamatsu & the Jazz Age. Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing blend of classical music and vibrant jazz rhythms that define the unforgettable Roaring 20s! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness musical brilliance in an iconic setting.
7:30pm–10pm Program:
• George Gershwin; An American in Paris
• Aaron Copland; Piano Concerto
• George Gershwin; Rhapsody in Blue (100th Anniversary)
• Maurice Ravel; Boléro
Historic District
Chopsticks Alley Gallery – 38 S. 2nd St. map
Under One Moon Immersive Video Mapping Exhibition
Chopsticks Alley Art is pleased to present Under One Moon, an immersive experience celebrating the traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This unique blend of contemporary visuals, poetry, and music highlights the moon’s significance among various cultures and histories. Featured artists include Illuminate SJ Now!!!, Cynthia Cao, Sabrina Kwong, and Robin Lasser, with an original score by Troy Truong.
The storyline highlights our connection to the earth, moon, water, animals, plant life, and each other, and calls viewers to take action and protect our water, juxtaposed with animations from Moon Festival folklore and myths from various cultural traditions. Personal narratives are synthesized with iconic folklore – we have collected stories from the San Jose community in person and via social media to infuse our community’s lived experience into the exhibition.
Hammer2 Gallery – 101 Paseo de San Antonio map
Beginnings group exhibition
Featuring artists: Jackelin Solorio, Robynn Smith, Dottie Lo Bue, Lani Viet, and Jason Adkins
Experience the grand opening reception of the Hammer2 Gallery featuring the work of San Jose State University Students, faculty, and local artists as part of South First Fridays ArtWalk SJ.
Located on the 2nd floor of the Hammer Theatre, the Hammer2 Gallery will feature a continuously rotating fine art gallery. The gallery will be a site to exhibit artists’ work, support artists financially through art sales, as well as foster young artists’ work.
Moreover, the gallery will provide a unique opportunity to marry the visual and performing arts and to provide exposure to these artists to an audience that may not normally frequent an art gallery.
Works/San Jose – 38 S. 2nd St. map
VOTE!
Works/San José presents “VOTE!” an open community exhibition with more than 80 viewpoints, hopes, and fears for election 2024. Artworks range from charged topical views to simple urging to vote, in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, collage, video, and digital art.
Martha Gardens District
Art Ark Gallery – 1035 S. Sixth St. map
Spirit of Japan | Spirit of Horses by Peter Thoeny and Oliver Klink
Peter used to live in Japan for 8 years and immersed himself with Japanese culture. Seeing it from his own perspective, he discovered that the current way of life in Japan is somehow connected to the past.
“Oliver Klink’s Poetry in Motion is a poignant reminder of the importance of the human-equine bond. His pictures transcend the expected form, bridging storytelling with a stylized form of documentation. The result is a body of work even the uninitiated cannot help but be moved by. Oliver’s artistry connects us to our childhood dreams, adolescent adventures, and adult fantasies while grounding us in a global reality.” – Geir & Kate Jordahl
FUSE presents at the Citadel Art Gallery- 199 Martha St. map
Artist’s reception: Echoes of Colors
Trieu Hai Dao solo exhibition
We are green with envy and blue in the face, caught red-handed or in a white lie. We speak, think, and feel in color. Colors unite us together, root us in a common experience, and echo back at us. You’re invited to come hear the echoes of colors as they reverberate in you.
Trieu Hai Dao is a self taught artist working in paintings and sculpture since 1970. Born in Da Nang, Central Viet Nam, Dao relocated to the United Stated in 1987.
MACHU PICCHU Gallery of the Americas, Est 1974 – 199 Martha St. map
Handmade Dolls – Wixárica Indigenous (Huichol tribe) Zacatecas, Mexico
The artist Rosalba Santiago Barras makes lovingly vibrant cloth dolls reflecting her culture. She uses many colors cotton fabrics, thread and colorful beads and hand embroiders fine details on the doll’s face and the doll’s dress. She continues this tradition keeping proudly her culture for children to play with these dolls and avoiding plastics that harm the environment.
South FIRST FRIDAYS presents: STREET MRKT indie urban art faire
FIRST FRIDAY OCTOBER 4th 5pm–10pm
Free admission (spend it with the Artists!).
Out on S. 1st St. (between San Carlos & William streets) in SoFA District
LAST STREET MRKT of 2024!
Join us out on So. 1st St. as 50 artists transform the SoFA District into a unique and bustling outdoor gallery with their creative energy! Imaginative paintings & sculptures, glass art demos, classic tattoo art, counterculture zines, chic fashion and an AR community gallery hosted by Membit are just some of the rare experiences you’ll find when you come out and support our amazing arts community.
We’ll also have a great variety of delicious food trucks and a lively beer garden sponsored by & featuring: Clandestine Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation, & Strike Brewing Co.
We’ll also have a great variety of delicious food trucks and a lively beer garden sponsored by & featuring: Clandestine Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation, and Strike Brewing Co.
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Anthony Alva
Rebecca Anguiano
Delilah Bender
The Blunt Letters
Julianne Bonnet
Emmanuel Cervantes Mejia
Crossroads Trading Co.
Dario Cruz
Current Tattooing
Christina Del Alto
Jennifer DeChenne
Deep Legends Bus
Joseph Demaree
Mario Dimas
DJ No Way José
Lorenz Dumuk
Mahsa Emoventur
Force129
Cynthia Gonzalez
Hand in Hand Henna
Higher Fire Clayspace
Maureen Holcomb
Jodi408
Look into the Future, with AI (James Morgan, Thomas Asmuth and Kathryn Funk at KALEID Gallery)
Sarah Loyola
Valentino Loyola
Joe Mandrick
Martha Gardens Arts
David Mejia
MEMBIT Inc.
Gianfranco Paolozzi
Leslie Perez
Betty Proper
Francisco Ramirez
Steven Reece
Steven Regalado
Marilyn Roaf aka Purl Bailey
Jacob Sandoval
Ricardo Sandoval
SJSU Reed Magazine
South Bay Ceramics
Suha Suha
Sundry 3D Treasures
Nikkea Takagi
Heylu Wheat
plus great music provided by
Deep Legends Bus out on S 1st Street
–> BEER GARDEN
5:00 – 10:00pm Great music provided by DJ No Way José!
Beer Garden sponsored by & featuring local & regional breweries: Clandestine Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation, and Strike Brewing Co.
All ages welcome, must be 21+ w/ valid ID to drink beer.
STREET MRKT is supported in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose.
FIRST FRIDAYS ArtWalk SJ & STREET MRKT is produced by CURATUS in partnership with the participating galleries, museums and independent creative businesses.
Join us on Facebook ArtWalkSJ
South FIRST FRIDAYS
366 S 1st Street
San Jose, CA 95113
408-271-5155
info@southfirstfridays.com