Photography by Lan Nguyen and Ian Lundie

Ruben Escalante

“good dads go to heaven”

LOCATIONS:

Guadalupe River entry point 
@ San Carlos Street (Discovery Meadows)
@ Park Avenue (near corner of Park and Woz Way & near the Adobe building)
@ Woz Way

SJ Walls @sanjosewalls returned as a Artist In Residency model by curating one local artist to paint 8 new mini murals along the Guadalupe River Park in downtown San Jose. 

Ruben Escalante's @casualgiant “good dads goes to heaven”  inspiration for their Residency is honoring Chicanx dads who made sure toxic inheritance ends with them. Portrayed will be fathers of different generations and backgrounds who made sure to spend time with their kids and give them every opportunity for a life they never had.

These installations served as a way to 1) connect existing murals from Woz Way to Park Avenue and 2) as a wayfinder for people who are on street level to be guided down to the river trail. 

SJ Walls '23 included an art show at Empire Seven Studios curated by Ruben Escalante, a pop-up market, and a mural tour ride. We are on our seventh year this past May and one within the worldwide network to center the murals along a natural waterway.

The Guadalupe River Art Walk is to inspire a shared vision of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens as a natural public art gallery by creating a series of new art installations that become a permanent cultural destination in downtown San Jose. With a robust collection of existing artworks and opportunities for future murals in and around the Guadalupe River Park, the Art Walk aims to highlight underrepresented and evolving stories of community, resilience, and inspiration. 

IG @casualgiant