Kristina Micotti x PWSJ x GRPC

Kristina Micotti completed her very first mural along the Guadalupe River Trail. Measuring at a total of 2,550 square feet, Kristina brought to life new bold and fun characters inspired by the native habitat in and along the river. Click HERE full images of the mural.

Here is a chance to have a piece of her newest public art! Kristina has taken some of the characters she painted on the mural and created hand painted tote bags and a special pin!

All proceeds are going toward the support of the "Bay Area's Longest Public Art Corridor"!

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Join In - Friday, March 12 from 6:00-7:00pm

Join us tomorrow, Friday, March 12 from 6:00-7:00pm pst as we go IG live with Kristina Micotti. We will be having a conversation about her experience during the recent Artist In Residence along the Guadalupe River Trail.

We will also be providing a sneak peak on some new merchandise inspired by some of the characters painted on the mural!

Tune in by following on Instagram @kristinamicotti @powwowsanjose

Do You Know The Way to San Josè's Guadalupe River Trail?

The second Artist-in-Residence, Kristina Micotti, recently completed her mural titled “Do You Know The Way to San Josè's Guadalupe River Trail?,” further expanding the Artist In Residence series within the Guadalupe River Park. The latest mural is located along the Guadalupe River Trail under Santa Clara Street and is now accessible now to the public. Despite the continuance of COVID-19, our project’s scope is still abiding by the current public health and social distancing concerns while encouraging trail and park exploration.

An accomplished local illustrator, this artwork would be Kristina’s first public mural. Prior to Kristina starting her public piece, our team and Mel Sarmento, Education Program Manager with GRPC took a nature walk to learn more about the natural habitat in and along the river trail. This provided much inspiration for the characters you will see in Kristina’s mural.

“Using fun and bright colors, the mural is a way to bring awareness not only to the native wildlife but to the actual trail itself. The Guadalupe River Trail is truly one of the most beautiful places in San José and I was very fortunate to paint there, says Kristina. “From biking to bird watching, the trail has so much to offer our city. The playful characters are my way of inviting the public down to the trail and to encourage them to enjoy it for themselves,” says Kristina.

“There are many factors to consider when designing trails in San Jose,” says Yves Zsutty, Division Manager for the City of San Jose’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department. “A key element is to provide moments of joy and reward along a trail. It has been a fantastic process hearing the community’s first impressions of this mural, knowing that their bike ride was made more joyful.”

On Thursday, March 18, we will be having a full fun evening of activities!

6:00-7:00PM,  there will be a Virtual Kristina Micotti Mural Unveiling hosted by Chopsticks Alley; a local organization which seeks to uplift Southeast Asian American culture, creativity, and leadership. We will be premiering a short film about the recent Artist In Residence #2 along the Guadalupe River Trail, celebrate

7:00-9:00pm, join us in Art Boutiki’s Drink and Draw! This will be a virtual gathering where you can listen to vinyl sounds, pull out your sketchbooks, pour yourself a drink, and join us for this after party!

Details to come soon!

Kristina will also release a limited edition pin this spring commemorating this occasion. Proceeds will benefit the mission and programs of PWSJ x GRPC. There will be a preview release one day before we announce on social media. In order to be first in line, make sure you’re signed up for the PWSJ mailing list HERE

We are grateful for the support of Applied Materials, Kelly Moore Paints, the San Jose Downtown Association and and City of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, for their commitment to arts, culture, and public space in San Jose.

More information about how to donate or to become a sponsor, please visit HERE.

For detailed images of the new mural, go HERE.

Photography by Lanny Nguyen and Ian Lundie

Floating Along with Lacey Bryant: New Projects for First Community Housing

Hello friends! We are thrilled to announce some exciting news on Lacey Bryant’s upcoming series of projects as we are collaborating with First Community Housing; an award-winning non-profit, Public Benefit Housing Development Corporation, located in San Jose, California. 

A special “thank you” to Bianey Martinez, Sr. Asset Manager for First Community Housing. It has been a great process working with Bianey and the non-profit organization that is so invested in the people and staff that provide the social work.

Lacey’s studio work in oil is often composed from multiple sources: life, photo references, and imagination. These paintings range from large atmospheric pieces to intimate portraits on cigar boxes. Diorama, murals, and installation are natural extensions of her work in theatre. When Lacey is not creating work in her studio or commissioned for a mural, she is working on painting and creating sets for theme parks and theatres, and carving sculptures. While quarantining over the last few months, Lacey has been actively providing sculpture carving services for a public art festival in Oakland, California. These life-sized sculptures are no challenge for Lacey, even if they stand twice as tall as her! Read more HERE about Lacey’s experience over the past five years creating Chinese parade Zodiacs. This is just one of many talents in her diverse portfolio.

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Currently taking a break from sculptures, Lacey has dived deep into pencil sketches and oil painting renderings as these are her preferred mediums to scale her murals. She starts off with a very loose sketch of her mural’s concept, which evolves into a final, highly detailed product.

Lacey’s first mural for First Community Housing will be installed in one of their properties’ bike storage room; which provides mechanical services for residents who commute and travel by bike from Downtown San Jose.

Her mural depicts the Valley’s highline featuring Mount Umunhum. It also features her favorite subject: everyday people of all generations. A woman is almost flying mid-air on her bike while being pulled by her kite. A young boy is racing alongside his speedy pet rabbit. Lastly, a cute fur baby is taking a cruise with his buddy on an ubiquitous red, yellow, and green Google bike which can be randomly found abandoned in various parts of our city.

San Jose, aka the capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the iconic places for bike culture. Phil Wood Company builds racing equipment for cyclists  competing in the Hellyer Velodrome. Original clunker bike creators like Ritchey and Gary Fisher learned how to manufacture disc brakes on mountain bikes from some locals in Alviso, eventually revolutionizing the mountain bike industry. Specialized is a globally recognized cycling company and is based in Morgan Hill, a neighbor to San Jose.

Since 1986, First Community Housing has created housing for more than 3,300 low-income residents in 20 affordable rental housing developments (over 1,400 units) throughout the San Francisco Bay region. The low-income populations they serve include families, senior citizens, and individuals, They also serve special needs populations such as the chronically ill, the developmentally disabled, and consumers of mental health services.

As Lacey wraps up her first project, we will be providing updates for our subscribers, and final photos once all three projects are complete. In the meantime, tune in and everyone please continue to stay safe and healthy!

Social media info:

• First Community Housing FB - @firsthousing

• Bianey Martinez IG and FB

• Lacey Bryant IG

• E7S IG and FB - @empire7studios

Inaugural Mural in Guadalupe River Art Walk Complete

POW! WOW! San Jose and Guadalupe River Park Conservancy have teamed up to bring the experience of a global public art movement into the Guadalupe River Park in downtown San Jose, creating the Guadalupe River Art Walk. Roan Victor, the first Artist-in-Residence, has completed her mural "Flow of Life" on the Woz Way over-crossing above the Park. The mural features flora and fauna from around the Park illustrated in bright, engaging colors.

“The imagery of a river turning into an arm, vice versa, in my proposal essentially represents the river flowing to give life.” Victor says about her mural concept. “Historically, I believe the river became a source of food and livelihood to the natives of the land; humans, wildlife and vegetation. And as we approach a changing climate, the river adapts and life keeps flowing. My intent is to provide a message of hope and a feeling of peace and tranquility by being surrounded by the beauty of nature.”

The Guadalupe River Park will act as a “nature studio,” hosting a series of Artist-in-Residencies over the course of a year to deliver the combined benefits of public art and parks. We are grateful for the support of the City of San Jose, Applied Materials, Kelly Moore Paints, and the Knight Foundation and for their commitment to arts, culture, and public space in San Jose. You can read more about the collaboration here in the Mercury News.

For detail images of the new mural, go to link here

Donate here to support this initiative!

Photos by Lanny Nguyen

Native Plant Watercolor Session with Roan Victor - Wednesday, October 21 @ 5:30pm (free event)

We are excited to announce that POW! WOW! San Jose will be collaborating with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy to bring more public art into one of San Jose’s most unique natural assets. Now, more than ever, we understand how critical natural spaces and public art are to improving the quality of life in our community.

Join us this Wednesday, October 21 at 5:30pm pst for a free Native Plant Watercolor Session with Roan Victor.

Sign up HERE and have your watercolors ready! If you’re local and need to purchase materials, visit The Arsenal to pick up your supplies.

As our team reflected on the best way to bring you PWSJ in a COVID-19 world, we realized that our standard week-long format, with large public gatherings, was no longer the best fit. Our options were to either postpone or evolve. We chose the latter.

Starting this October and continuing through summer of 2021, we will be featuring Artist In Residencies (AIR) as each artist creates new public art in and around the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

Announcing our first AIR artist Roan Victor. Lush foliage, textiles, patterns and figures in passive poses are common subject matters in Roan’s paintings. Her recent works, in gouache and watercolors exude calmness and contemplation as figures are enveloped in comforting settings. This also reflects in her murals, the same elements painted larger than life.

Roan owns The Arsenal with her husband Sean Boyles, an art store, gallery and studio located in San Jose’s Japantown. Having The Arsenal gives Roan and Sean a place to share their knowledge in art to both youth and adults and lets them provide the same opportunities to fellow artists in our community.

Stay tuned for more details. Look forward to seeing you and let’s have fun in 2020!

PWSJ team,

Carlos, Stacey and Jennifer

"Enjoy Every Moment Together" a journey with Harumo Sato

Harumo Sato’s latest project was commissioned by a government agency executing a series of rebuilds and expansions of elementary schools and community centers in the Deanwood neighborhood of Washington DC. Harumo spent months planning with her operations team trying to decide how to travel and transport a work of art during a pandemic. Weeks before departure, restrictions on air travel to DC reassured the operations team that the master plan—driving a truck and towing an RV trailer across the country—would be the travel method of choice, providing shelter and transportation to get Harumo and team to the job on time.

Practicing social distancing during this trip was a must. Harumo and her husband Ian Farneth are expecting a baby boy this year. Harumo’s and the baby's health were the number one priority for Ian. Avoiding contact with COVID-19, and shipping art initiated a road trip, consciously thinking of the team’s mental and physical health while getting to a job site. Harumo was particularly excited about creating works of art that would live amongst students, and did not want to cancel due to the pandemic.

Submitting to the right proposals has led Harumo to being selected in the final rounds of several promising commissions while allowing her to explore new ideas. Artists who would present multi dimensional artworks and murals were encouraged to apply. An opportunity to work on a new concept that had been on her things to do aligned with the project.

One Harumo’s new works is titled "Cheer up for the Future,” and features a wolf standing on the top of a ridge, surrounded by neighbors living in a magical kingdom of nature. The wolf is accompanied by a relaxed cat on a branch and a grand elk cooling his hooves as he drinks from a teal green body of water. Two otters featured in the mural bathe in sunlight that shines through the windows of the school hallways. This mural directly faces another mosaic "Enjoy Every Moment Together." They are displayed down a long corridor of sunlit classrooms, where the outdoors are visible to the students throughout the day.

“Various Shapes of Relationships," another of Harumo’s murals, has a playful feel to it, and includes a mountain lion splashing in blue water. Bears, antelopes, foxes, owls, turtles, and bison all coexist in Harumo’s abstract landscape. This portrait of coexisting harmony faces the art department.

The twenty foot long mural was installed with seven feet tall paneling, offset, and centered on a brick wall. Harumo's team created a permanent private collection for the school by creating two tangible works of art, showcasing the importance of creating artwork and how it can be presented for preservation and value.

"Enjoy Every Moment Together" is a two dimensional mosaic assembled at her studio in Mountain View, California. This work of art took Harumo two months to create. She conceptualized her work with adaptive technology using CNC operators to fabricate her illustrations and assemble components. Seeing the concept evolve was a fun process for Harumo; it was like playing with a puzzle, except its pieces are adhered permanently.

Harumo’s illustrations become tangible this way as she physically assembles her squirrel illustrations. The reflective and neon colors transform into mushrooms in grass, deer, and a flying squirrel. Once assembled, she layers hand embellishments on top, adding another personal touch to the work. The mosaic was designed to be interactive and durable for children at play, with its highlighting contour lines and imagery shapes. The edge of the material is soft to the human touch and accessible for anyone with a macular or vision disability; this provides the opportunity to feel the artwork to define the contour of the illustrations. Harumo has a friend with a vision disability, and seeing her artwork is a big dream of his. That inspired her to look into what type of artwork she could create to give someone the ability to “read” illustrations.

Professionally packaged in an eight foot tall shipping crate, Harumo’s mosaic needed to arrive safely from California to DC. Carrying it on a flight was not feasible, even if flights were empty at the time. Shipping crates of artwork anywhere is expensive. Instead of paying art handlers, Harumo and her team rented a truck big enough to haul the crate across the country. The truck towed an RV trailer, which gave Harumo a safe, socially distant place to live while on the road. Planning took several months, and the trip lasted a total of sixteen days on the road, with three weeks spent living as temporary residents of DC.

Once at the work site, Harumo and her team worked cohesively with the architects and contractors to install the artwork for the students—kindergarten through fifth grade—to enjoy. The site's settings seemed similar to other projects Harumo has worked on in the Silicon Valley tech sector; the interior and exterior of campus came equipped with some special perks you’d find at a tech office building. Eco-conscious planning of the school grounds included filtered water refill stations to encourage students to reuse water bottles. Rooftop gardens provide lessons in gardening and an organic food source. There is also a fully equipped gym, digital monitors, and computers for every student.

Additionally, artwork depicting the planet's ecosystems, natural assets, and animals, showcase the earth’s habitat. Vibrant colors were requested to be maximized in her latest series of murals: primary color renderings from blues to reds give a glowing contrast that almost seems three dimensional. Viewing the artwork feels like it is jumping out from the walls.

The staff and the contractors, including Harumo’s team, kept saying how they wished this was their school when they were kids. Harumo’s works were very well received, and there could potentially be a second round of her art installation due the clients' satisfaction and admiration for her on time delivery and making the best of current difficult situations due to the pandemic.

There are many other projects in the works that Harumo cannot discuss at this time, but be on the lookout for more of her art in 2021. This fall, she’ll be focused on her new baby boy. Congratulations to Harumo and Ian!

Photos by JT - Web/ IG @freezeframe_43

Kelly is a husband, father, artist, festival director, city food guide, friend, and gracious host...

Traveling in the era of COVID-19 has reignited interest in a traditional American travel trend: the road trip. This has literally allowed people to walk out their doors if looking to get away for vacation or to get to a job site safely, unlike other travel methods currently available. For our latest project, we went above and beyond in our efforts to observe shelter in place, and decided to live in an RV for a month-long, cross-country trip. The destination was Deanwood Elementary School in Washington, DC. Our mission was to get artist Harumo Sato there safely so she could paint a few mural projects. 

Our hosts in Washington DC were Kelly Towles and his wife Virginia Arrisueno. Kelly is a husband, father, artist, festival director, city food guide, friend, and gracious host. He spends a productive portion of the afternoon in isolation from the outside world making art, while balancing a career in the arts with his wife. Arrisueno is a wife, mom, artist, Peruvian American entrepreneur, and small business owner. She stays busy running the operations at Steadfast Supply, a store in the District of Columbia showcasing products from independent artists and small companies from around the world. Together, they have synchronized their busy schedules to share parenting duties for their son Atticus, making it all look seamless. 

Even though we are low maintenance and our intrusion was minimal, we know hosting guests can be challenging, especially now during COVID-19 and with social distancing protocols. Kelly checked in with us periodically and apologized for the flood of meetings he was managing in preparation to launch POW! WOW! DC, the annual mural festival coming this fall. Even though he was busy, seeing a friendly face after a long cross country drive was so welcoming. In between calls, Kelly develops new concepts for his art which include 3D laser printing and tile mosaics. The results are far from boring. Walking into his 2,000 square foot workspace reminded me of our old E7S gallery space. 

Epic spaces speak for themselves, and Kelly’s is no different. Artwork is everywhere: on walls, shelves, and in the production line. Cute industrial looking city garbage cans, mailboxes, and delicious looking ramen bowls are fabricated in resin casts and by using 3D laser printers. The sculptures are fun, and a great idea to put into reproduction with technology one can use in their own personal studios. On the line, Kelly is working on mosaics that look like subway walls we might find in an underground station. He cuts tile daily and has been working with this medium for four years; currently Kelly is working on a mosaic sculpture of Pikachu. 

When asked if he was producing specifically for a client, the response was no. Kelly is focused on enjoying the process to create concepts and see them evolve into what a client potentially could never imagine on their own. He explains that once you have created a collection of works that you enjoy making, then the outside audience can come critique or most importantly request a commission for hire, because they’ve simply come to appreciate and enjoy the work as much as the artist. This can further contribute to someone's career and business as an artist. 

Our team of artists was on the site of the art installation until the late night hours. Due to our busy days and Kelly and Virginia’s packed schedules, we unfortunately only shared a few hours together on the first and last day of the trip. This trip had been in the works for several months, and our hosts offered us a place to stay across the river from our worksite. Locating local contractors, fabricators, and photographers was easy and accessible with recommendations from Kelly’s company The Holy Bones. 

A power list of restaurants providing take out was a great way for us to connect with the local food scene. We did not have enough time to explore all our options. Some of the favorites were Pisco y Nazca the ceviche trio is as memorable as Canta Rana in Lima, Peru) and Dukem, an Ethiopian grocery store and restaurant that reminded us of home. Down the street was DCity Smokehouse, serving meat that deliciously disintegrated in our mouths. Amy’s Neapolitan Pizza had me regretting not ordering a larger pie for myself. Maketto Cambodian Taiwanese exploded our minds with the punch of flavors. There was also Imm Thai on H, Pow Pow Vegan Fusion...all these flavors are located on H Street, a local strip packed with cuisine from around the world and highlighting the diversity in DC. 

After spending a month in Washington DC, our country’s capital, during the ongoing pandemic and our current political crisis, we felt really connected to the everyday people who make cities special outside the bureaucracies and governments. It was a great experience on the East Coast and we certainly can’t wait to be able to visit our dear friends and all their home has to offer. We look forward to revisiting to see the continuance of murals, museums, and explore this cultural melting pot. 

San Jose to DC with Harumo Sato!

We officially departed yesterday! Harumo and I are going to take a road trip to Washington DC in order to create/install three public art pieces for the Houston Elementary school. Two hand painted murals and one mosaic Harumo created in her studio (check out her IG for wip).

Once we were hit by COVID-19, we had to rethink our planning to DC. We want to be conscious about our health and community’s health, so after many long discussions, we decided to travel cross country!

Thank you @harumosato @ianfarneth and @kimcheelovesart (on IG) for the many months of planning and working really hard to make this happen! Pretty surreal and definitely a trip to remember

Stay tuned ..... Harumo and I hope you guys enjoy our journey together!

#harumosato #tangibleart #touchableart #artforall #publicart #publicartproject #e7s #schoolpublicart #forthekids #covid19story

Interview with Daniel Garcia from Content Magazine

It's been eight years since Juan Carlos interviewed with Daniel Garcia from Content Magazine. Alot has happened since then. Tune into the interview to hear about Empire Seven Studios, POW! WOW! San Jose and much more! Link here

Photo by Daniel Garcia

Stumbling into a Vibrant Galaxy

Stumbling into a Vibrant Galaxy

By Juan Carlos Araujo

Harry Powers was an artist, curator, husband, and father. He became a professor at San Jose State in 1964. When he passed away in 2018, Mr. Powers was memorialized in local papers and in a virtual ceremony held in his honor. He was such an important local artist that was unacknowledged during his time. Mr. Powers was creating works with various mediums back then that used technology to express his imagination without any constraints to art theories. His visions of art within astronomy, the historic indigineous people, and geology were far beyond what many other artists were creating around the same time.

A prolific creator of art, Mr. Powers was recognized worldwide and championed locally. He had quite the resume: He organized groups since the late fifties, a mystery and not much to be found on Noon Forum Committee. While a student at Stanford University, he introduced Charles Eames as a guest speaker, and hosted Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Armstrong too. His artwork can be found in museum collections at San Jose Museum of Art, MACLA, and ICA, just to name a few.

About a month ago, I went in for a tire change and walked away with a moment after seeing Mr. Powers’ work, I felt his artwork speak to me and I was connected instantly to it. At the least, I feel that writing about it can possibly help in preserving the work. The irony is that Mr. Powers and I—two men from completely different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences—share similar interests in cosmos, energy, and reinforcing a relationship with mother earth's wealth. His goal was to connect with the audience without narrative, and here we are. The scale of his productions are an inspiration to me as a painter.

“Vibrant Galaxy” was once a monumental mosaic. It now sits abandoned at a National Bank of the West lot on Stevens Creek Blvd. Its natural beauty caught my eye. As one approaches the mosaic, the rocks start to define themselves and their natural essence. The rocks immediately take me back to a trip a few months prior, when Jennifer and I visited the Almaden Quicksilver Museum.

Investigating Mr. Powers’ artwork and his legacy wasn’t my plan, until I noticed the piece was signed, and that it is possibly in jeopardy of getting demolished soon. I hope that my admiration for the work, and interest can help save the 6’ x 9’ tall artwork. Michael Ogilvie, Public Art Director for the City of San Jose, was kind enough to share that Harry Powers himself was trying to preserve “Vibrant Galaxy” since 2017. At this time, it seems that nothing is currently being done to save his Art.

The images on his humble website showcase a lifetime of paintings, installations, and awards. After clicking around, I found it: A photo of the artist, worth a million words, taken when Mr. Powers himself was observing the scale and magnitude of his creation “Vibrant Galaxy” being lifted with a crane in 1963 during its installation.

Letting this Harry Powers artwork go to the dump will be another reminder of how artists are treated as expendables once we are not needed, and are forgotten. It is my mission to share Mr. Powers’ story and art with as many people as possible who can help preserve this relic, if someone is not already doing so. This piece can live in so many places in San Jose; there is absolutely no need to demolish it.

Harrypowers.com

Installation of Vibrant Galaxy

Cosmos

Mr. Powers fabricating work

POW! WOW! Hawaii 10 year anniversary

We just returned from 2 weeks of being in the island of Oahu for POW! WOW! Hawaii’s 10 year anniversary. We worked daily alongside all the visiting Directors worldwide and volunteers to make this a memorable experience. We reunited with Directors from Long Beach, Worcester, Japan, Korea, Guam, Taiwan and Rotterdam to have our 2nd Director’s Summit before the launch of the official first day of painting.

On the first day, the artists and staff all had the opportunity to head up to North Shore for a cultural and movie set tour at Kualoa Ranch aka Jurassic Valley. Kualoa is a 4000-acre private nature reserve and working cattle ranch, as well as a popular tourist attraction and filming location on the windward coast of Oahu in Hawaii.

There were many events throughout the week that allowed time for us to all engage with each other outside of when the murals were being painted. Just to name a few, 7th Annual PW exhibit curated by Thinkspace, The Moleskin Project curated by Ken Harman of Hashimoto Gallery and Spoke Art, Artist talks with Jay Howell and another one with the Eaton brothers, Tristan and Matt, Closing Block Party….and so much more!

The reunion of artist and the introduction of new ones really created a family bond leaving people with the POW! WOW! post depression once we all left (yes it really does exist!). To bring people of all backgrounds from around the world to a central meeting place to make something beautiful for the community to enjoy all year long is truly a special experience. We do this for the love and passion we have for our work. Many of us Directors are artists and understand the struggle when it comes to doing this for a living. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a special event and looking forward to many new ones for 2020!

Below are some photos of the completed murals but please visit us on instagram @empire7studios or @powwowsanjose for much more!

New Shark's Jersey by Jeff McMillan of The Draculas

Jeff McMillan was born and raised in San Jose. He studied locally attending West Valley Community College in Saratoga. Jeff continued to pursue San Francisco’s Academy of Art, and finally receiving his B.F.A with Honors at Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, CA.

Collaborating with performers, rappers, pop icons, small and corporate companies, legendary skateboarders like Steve Caballero on projects like Indian Motorcycles . Jeff created a new design for our very own hockey team, the San Jose Sharks! Launching a new limited T-Shirt “jersey” for the giveaway at this Saturday night's game.

The Draculas, having participating in POW! WOW! World Wide - a global arts mural festival, caught the attention of the Sharks that led to the recent 200 ft mural on San Fernando (between 1st and 2nd Streets), celebrating SAP's 25th Anniversary. Located in the heart of Downtown, surely it can’t be missed. The mural pays homage to several performers whom participated in a event at the SAP center. Learn more at this link.

We had the pleasure of visiting Jeff at his beautiful home and was impressed by the nifty contemporary studio he built to work on several projects; which will include an exhibition in San Jose for The Draculas in 2020. Jeff has stayed persistent making a name for himself away from home. He expresses the joy, and honor it is to return back to the city he grew up in, not only to visit his family, but for his long life passion to establishing a career in the arts proudly representing his San Jose roots .

This Saturday in SF - New Solo Exhibit by Spencer Keeton Cunningham

Spencer Keeton Cunningham is consistently working on new ideas for art whether that is in the form of paintings, drawings, murals and installations that dive deep into topics relating to his personal relationship on Native American rights, cultural representation, social change and activsm.

Join Spencer this Saturday for his first 2020 solo show at The Midway Gallery, 900 Marin Street, SF, CA from 6-10pm.. This is a great opportunity to see his new work and say hello to our dear friend!

*SAVE THE DATE - in March, Spencer will be doing a talk at Sacramento State University (flyer below)*

POW! WOW! San Jose 2019!

It’s been a little over one month since we completed our 3rd POW! WOW! San Jose! In one week, we created 13 new murals and 5-10 wire installations spreading from South San Jose, downtown and Japantown. Thank you for everyone who came out to support the Block Party, Great Oaks Skate Park Celebration and the Mural Bike Tour. These were all opportunities to engage our community through a celebration of art, music and culture.

We had the artists arrive 3 days earlier to take part in multiple immersive events so that we could all get to know one another and show those from out of town our landscape.

Day 1 – in the morning we took the group to NHS in Santa Cruz to show the history and origins of NHS and Santa Cruz Skateboards, Independent Truck Company and Road Rider Wheels during the 1970s and 1980s. Jim Phillips who was born in San Jose, is a legendary icon in skateboarding culture as we know it. The "Screaming Hand", designed by Jim in 1973, is the main logo of the Santa Cruz brand. Thank you Mark Widmann for the tour of the museum and entire NHS factory!

Early afternoon, we headed to Coyote Valley to meet with Mark Medeiros with POST and Helen Chapman of San Jose’s District 2 to learn about the area’s importance in preservation of wildlife, cultural and water resources. Thank you both for everything you do to help preserve our wildlife and ecosystem! It was a peaceful day for a hike on protected land.

Day 2 – before San Jose became “Silicon Valley” we were mainly large in agriculture with orchards and farming. Being the “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” we wanted to show our artists the importance of this and the ideals of farm-to-table. Spade and Plow diligently practices regenerative farming techniques including strict crop rotation, high crop diversity to support beneficial insects, and grow with absolutely no GMOs. Our artists had the opportunity to visit their San Martin farm to meet with the S&P family, hear about their mission, plant some chard and end with a beautiful afternoon BBQ with their finest produce.

After a whole weekend of enjoying San Jose and its neighbors, the artists officially started painting on Monday, October 21 and completed their murals by the end of the week. The last day we were able to enjoy a relaxing backyard BBQ, dance and sketch in each other’s sketchbooks.

Thank you to our artists who took time out of their busy schedules to create a beautiful piece for our City and its people.

Ryan Bubnis @ryanbubnis – Portland, OR

Stephany Sanchez @_tefan_ - San Jose, CA

Alice Lee @byalicelee – San Francisco, CA

Kaplan @kapache1 – Hawaii

Camer1 @camer1sf – San Francisco, CA

Cobre @cobreart – Argentina

Wooden Wave @wooden_wave - Hawaii

Rista White @rista.art - San Jose, CA

Kylee Dougherty @kyleedougherty - San Jose, CA

Spenser Little @spenserlittleart – San Diego, CA

Jessica Eastburn @jesseastburn – Alameda, CA

Drew Roulette @drewroulette – San Jose, CA

Orly Locquiao @orlycukui – San Jose, CA

Shayne Osegura @pacish1 – San Diego, CA

Thank you to our media team for capturing all the special moments!

Photos by Ian Lundie @1ill510 and Lanny Ngyuen @lannycatcheswalls

Video shorts by Johnny of AIO Filmz @shotbyaiofilmz

Full video (coming soon) by Austen and Zach of Ekho Creative @ekhocreative

Sponsorship support we received wasn’t only financial. Equally important were the in-kind support we received! Here is a shout out to ALL our sponsors to help make this event a success!

@powwowworldwide @montanacans @montanacans_usa @hawaiianairlines @47 @monsterenergy @kellymoorepaint @sergio4d2 @ualocal393 @hyattplace @crescoequipmentrentals #Applied4Good @sjearthquakes @visitsanjose_ca @thecontinentalbar @sanjosejazz @doyouknowsj @google @7empireapartments @knightfdn @sjculture @jiminystitchit @harborside_sanjose @artpartysj @genartssv @thealamedaartworks @sanjoselearningcenter @astridtromprealtor #SanJoseParksFoundation @nhsskatemuseum @nhs_inc @eggshellstickers @peninsulaopenspacetrust @cukui @urbancommunitydtsj @sanjosebikeparty @bikesiliconvalley @community_cycles_cali @jumpbyuber @iguanasburritozilla @pizzaflorasj @spreadsanjose @hapa.musubi @teeneethaicuisinesj @specialtyscafe @thetablesj @ludwigssj @purpleonionlg @cafestritch @konjoe @ikessandwiches @traderjoes @moonbeanssj @roysstation @wholefoods @spadeandplow @braisewillowglen @smokengrease @lannycatcheswalls

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Looking forward to POW! WOW! San Jose 2020! If you would like to help support us, please contact us at info@powwowsanjose.com and empiresevenstudios@yahoo.com

New Trav MSK mural in San Mateo, CA

Completed mural by @travmsk with assistance by @_emjay_ in San Mateo.

This was a opportunity where we provided Trav with original photos from the 1930’s of the Historic Baywood Theater vertical marquis and he created a modern day version for the new building. Next to the mural is a plaque with a photo of the original building and details of it's historic relevance.

In partnership with @develop.urban and a special thank you to the Civic Arts Commission.

Photos by Ian Lundie @1ill510

#TRAVMSK #TRAV #MSK #baywoodtheater #sanmateo #E7S #architecturephotography #design #modern #historical .

New SAP Mural by The Draculas written by Sal Pizzaro of the SJ Mercury News

It’s hard to depict every major sports event and music legend that’s been part of the 25-year history of SAP Center, even in a mural that’s 270 feet wide like the one just completed on San Fernando Street in downtown San Jose.

“We work really hard to make sure we bring a wide variety of shows to SAP Center — and we live in an extremely diverse community so we need to have a diverse array of events,” said Doug Bentz, SAP Center’s vice president of marketing and digital. “So this mural really needed to represent that wide array of events.”

There are, of course, San Jose Sharks, with a trio of hockey players who appear to be skating out the mouth of a real Great White. The mural also depicts figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and huge musical acts Adele, E-40, and Elton John. James Hetfield of Metallica is depicted from the neck down, the assumption being that his guitar and stance would be more recognizable than his face.

And there’s also a headless Norteño musician with a cowboy hat and an accordion. While this figure could be taken to represent San Jose’s own Los Tigres del Norte, the art team said both the band and the genre is so popular they didn’t want to depict any single member. There are also silhouettes of fans, an image of the arena itself, and a 747 jetliner flying overhead — a nod to SAP Center’s location in the SJC flight path. Clouds, a few 1970s-looking shooting stars and “San Jose!” in a funky typeface complete the picture.

The work was done by Jeff McMillan and Gary Musgrave, a Southern California art team called The Draculas (true to their name, they did most of their work late at night over the past two weeks). McMillan grew up in San Jose and has fond memories of SAP Center, where his dad took him to see Eric Clapton when he was a teenager.

“I left San Jose in 1999 to go to Los Angeles for school,” he said. “To come back 20 years later to do this thing is awesome. It’s like full circle.”

This mural is the second in recent weeks that SAP Center has sponsored, following Austrian artist Nychos‘ “Bleed Teal” mural on an apartment building near Whole Foods on The Alameda. Bentz, SAP Center’s marketing vice president, says there are more artistic partnerships planned in the near future by the arena and the team, though this one is meant to cap off a yearlong celebration of SAP Center’s silver anniversary, which concludes with a huge music festival Sept. 13-15 featuring Blake Shelton, Kings of the West and Maluma.

It was a real team effort for SAP, too. Empire Seven Studios brought in The Draculas, the Sobrato Organization provided space in the parking lot for the work and Digital Realty gave permission to use the wall, which runs the length of San Fernando between First and Second streets.

Ron Muriera, a member of the city of San Jose’s arts commission, said it’s refreshing to see the private sector contributing to the beautification of the city through art. “It’s not just about celebrating the SAP Center’s 25th anniversary, it’s helping bring some vibrancy to the city and the downtown core,” he said. “It makes me glad to see that there are other sectors that have been contributing to art in our public spaces.”

-Sal PIzzaro

Photos by: Johnny Rivas, Lanny Nguyen and Jennifer Ahn

Mural by Lacey Bryant for the Lofts on the Alameda

FIESTA DE LAS ROSAS

A hand-painted mural depicting the historic parades on The Alameda, including the Rose Carnival in 1896, the Fiesta de Las Rosas in the 1920s and 1930s, to the present-day Rose, White & Blue parades.

The Arabesque “flagman’s shanty” was located near the train tracks and was brought from the 1895 Mid-winter Fair in SF by Southern Pacific RR to control traffic here on The Alameda.

The Kawasaki Origami roses reference previous parades when these were strung as paper lanterns over The Alameda.

The mélange of eras, from the old to the contemporary, depicted in the spirit of celebration, represent the mix of cultures, styles of fashion, range of transportation modes, and diversity of peoples, all contributing to the vibrant and much-beloved annual 4th of July celebration on The Alameda.

Painted by Lacey Bryant, August 2019

Gifted by Nicole Brown and Luisa Hurtado

Historical consultation by Larry Clark

References by the book “The Alameda The Beautiful Way” by Shannon Clark

Photos by Ian Lundie

Support POW! WOW! San Jose

Save the date!

We're officially launching our crowdfunding campaign today and looking for San Jose's support.

From October 19-27, 2019 we are hosting our 3rd annual POW! WOW! San Jose public mural festival, filled with week-long activities that include public murals, music programming, a mural tour ride and more! . We're looking for your support to help us bring more art to our public spaces. Help us by spreading the word and donating to the cause. We're looking forward to giving back to the city we love by adding more art to our city's landscape!

Click here to donate. Please share!

#powwowsanjose #PWSJ1

"Bleed Teal" by Nychos

Photo by @lannycatcheswalls

Video by @j_hnnyr w/AIO Filmz

Music by @darkult