“This Is The Way”
This SJ Walls film is a documentation of an outdoor gallery of murals along the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens in partnership with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy (GRPC), creating the longest public art corridor in the Bay Area. Roan Victor, Kristina Micotti, and Alfonso Salazar were the first muralists participating as Artists in Residence on the Guadalupe River Art Walk. Through their artistic contributions, they provide a connection from the barrios to the bay lands though a three mile long Art Walk.
Each mural project is an individualized opportunity to explore one’s independent lenses on how our urban landscapes and contemporary times reflect the imagination of an artist working on the river. There is something transformational when working with nonprofits, community, students, educators, activists, historians, tribes, and city departments.
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New Film - click below!
New Film - click below!
Murals are currently in high demand, which was not the case just a few years ago. This has proven that art helps bring light to the blight, building trust in the forefront of our communities, who in return start embracing arts and culture into their homes or businesses. There's a tremendous amount of stewardship and advocacy around clean ups and housing. Several organizations such as PATH and City Housing have a tremendous workload getting people vouchers for housing, and working with the GRPC to meet the demands of the community, housing, clean waterways, and parks.
A special appreciation to all our sponsors/partners for their commitment to arts, culture, and public space in San Jose. For more information about how to donate or to become a sponsor, please visit https://sjwalls.com/donate
Alfonso Salazar
The Office of Cultural Affairs has been equally integral in helping identify walls that would not be problematic with approvals. It’s also mandatory to go through the Public Art Committee approval process.PAC is made up of community members who donate their time and service by meeting once a month, ten times a year. Michael Ogilvie, City Public Art Manager, and Lynn Rogers, Senior Project Manager, are both city employees who contribute a wealth of valuable information and resources on how to manage processes in community engagement. The city has contributed anti-graffiti clear coating when it’s available through Beautify SJ. Painting city walls can save up to $100k in funding for anti-graffiti abatement. With nine new murals, you can easily do the math on how public art immediately has a positive impact on budgets and our communities by redirecting resources and funding.
Members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe SF, Indian Health Center, Ethnohistorian Alan Leventhal and, Artist Alfonso Salazar.
Kristina Micotti
Background on our sponsors and partnerships.
Many people do not realize that there are several important partnerships involved when creating murals along the trail. Applied Materials, a legacy sponsor, has increased the amount of support through the toughest years ever, creating opportunities to continue programming some of our best work yet. Kelly Moore Paint, a legacy sponsor, continues to champion the arts by providing durable long lasting coatings and materials for artists to have essential ingredients to produce on a massive scale and heavy conditions with the flood paths. Montana Cans, a legacy sponsor, has provided top quality paints for artists for the Worldwide family for many years! County of Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez and Otto Lee joined in on the fun as Cultivators. Anne & Mark's Art Party donated a generous contribution, as they say “If you know ya know” (IYKYK). Their annual event is a Burning Man meets contemporary fine art show on a big stage for artists to showcase their works. FOMO MOFO co-founder Jasper Wong is also the founder of Worldwide Walls!
Roan Victor
Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) are stewards of building and designing transit systems, for instance highlighting bridges and underground systems that provide a superhighway for cycling. Yves Sutty, who recently retired after 30 years of service with PRNS, contributed several safety tips and experience on what to expect when creating public art on the Guadalupe River Race Track. We want to thank him for his support and wish him the best on a wonderful next chapter. Silicon Valley Clean Creeks Coalition Steve Holmes is a big force in the cleanup department along with Trash Punx; both non-profit organizations haul tons of trash out of our natural waterways every year. If you want to make any bit of difference, join in or donate to these organizations. GRPC regularly hosts events to clean up all the well-kept amenities in the Gardens and Parks. Santa Clara Valley Water is also in the mix, ensuring the biodiversity and wildlife remain intact and compliant to federal regulations.
GRPC Clean Up with the SJ Resilience Corp
Santa Clara Valley Water has been integral in providing important feedback as we researched which walls to choose for artists. Cresco, a legacy partner, who has supported our equipment needs for many years! San Jose Downtown Association helped contribute to the first three series of Artist In Residencies and will continue to partner with us with support from Groundwerx. Team San Jose will be providing PR for this year’s festival as we continue to promote the “Bay Area’s Longest Public Art Corridor.” San Jose Conservation Corp/Resilience Corp for sponsoring and providing young adults a living-wage employment and work experience opportunities that are critically important to create a more climate-smart and resilient future for our city.
About SJ Walls:
SJ Walls (formally POW! WOW! San Jose), established in 2017, is Northern California’s regional branch of the Worldwide Walls network of festivals happening in over 20 cities around the world. SJ Walls is led locally by the Empire Seven Studios collective, a contemporary urban art gallery and cultural institution in Japantown, San Jose, California.
Over the past five years, SJ Walls has grown into a premiere art festival with a line up and experience that rivals some of the best in the world. Much more than a multi-day festival, SJ Walls is also a vehicle to celebrate San Jose’s past, present, and future creative culture.
To date, SJ Walls has produced over 70 murals and visual art installations throughout San Jose, with a focus on overlooked places in our city. Our goal is to strengthen community ties by bringing local and worldwide contemporary art to San Jose to highlight the diversity our city has to offer.
About GRPC:
The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy provides community leadership for the development and active use of the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens through education, advocacy, and stewardship.
This two-and-a-half mile ribbon of parkland runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown San Jose. The River Park serves as a north/south connector and contains beloved features such as the Guadalupe River Trail, the Rotary PlayGarden, the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, and various public art including the Guadalupe River Art Walk.
Programming within the park includes educational opportunities, volunteerism, and a variety of year-round events for the public to enjoy. For more information visit www.grpg.org
Film by Jennifer Gonzalez and Frank Facio
Photos by Lanny Nguyen
