Archive for the ‘art’ Category

Trash to Treasure

Friday, August 13th, 2010

The Sunnyvale Art Gallery is putting on a unique interactive art event tomorrow. This is a great place that has an inspiring vision of fostering a community of South Bay artists. Their gallery showcases local artists but they also provide studio space for work and for classes, an art supply store, and a cafe for mortal sustenance. Beyond the canvas they host open mic nights every Thursday for musicians and poets. Valley creatives…this is a place for you.

Saturday’s event will feature live painting and performances. They’ll have young artists bringing street sensibility, green painting where discarded items are turned into art, music, poetry, and a silent auction. Here’s their announcement:

Living Art Flyer

‘Trash to Treasure’ Living Art: An emphasis on Street Art

AUGUST 14, 10 AM – 8 PM

Join us Saturday August 14th, for a grassroots art event that will be like none before in the city of Sunnyvale.

Our goal for this event is to bring the young art community together with art, music, and spoken word.

Help us create something Amazing. We invite you to join us for this special event. The theme is LIVING ART: ‘Trash to Treasure’. This event will highlight ‘green painting’ as we turn discarded trash to beautif ul pieces of art. The event will last from 10am-8pm in the back parking lot of the sunnyvale art gallery. This is a FREE event, so let’s blow up the spot.

For artists, we will provide wooden panels as big as 8 x 4 feet to paint ‘STREET ART MURALS’. Panels will be limited so register early to hold a spot. For all other artists, we will provide discarded furniture, boards, and other elegant ‘trash’ items for artists to paint on. Bring your own if you have anything you’re inspired by. At the end of the day, there will be a silent auction where each artist can auction off their piece starting with bids at $10 if they want. The gallery will take a 10% commission for all pieces to help cover costs for the day. Please bring your own medium if you have (i.e.: paint, etc.) Otherwise, we’ll have extra household paint and brushes for sale at the gallery.

For musicians and poets, please sign up in advanced to secure a time slot during the day. A PA system will be provided. An open mic time slot will be available for all late registrants. Performers are allowed to promote their music with CD’s and merchandise.

Everyone else, come and enjoy.

To sign up or help volunteer, please send your info and/or comments to tim@sunnyvaleartgallery.com to reserve a time slot for music or an area to paint.

THANKS!!

Sunnyvale Art Gallery

http://www.sunnyvaleartgallery.com/
251 W El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 737-8188

Jain Center 10th Anniversary

Friday, August 6th, 2010

One of the great joys of this El Camino Real project is “discovering” treasures that are right in front of me and which have been there for a very long time. The human brain is a powerful filter and can swallow up entire continents in its blind spot if your focus happens to be somewhere else. One day I was in Milpitas looking for what was left of the O’Toole elms, and was startled to see a beautiful temple facing where they once where. I had “discovered” the Jain Center of Northern California.

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It stands on Main Street in Milpitas. I’ve been up and down Main Street countless times in the last decade but somehow I never noticed it. Once I realized it was there, I had no idea what it was; I had never heard of Jainism. I asked my co-worker Shashank, my go-to guy for all things Indian, and did some rudimentary research and learned that Jainism is an ancient Indian religion whose adherents strive for non-violence, or Ahimsa, in the extreme in the pursuit of perfect karma. They go beyond simply practicing peace in their dealings with other people. They are vegetarians to avoid committing violence against animals. The most devout, monks and nuns, don’t eat root vegetables because insects could be harmed in digging them up and they wear face masks to avoid breathing in microscopic organisms. Through meditation, rituals, and other disciplines they work to achieve victory over worldly concerns and unity with divinity.

This Jain Center in Milpitas is one of two in California and serves about 1,000 Jains in the Bay Area. Thursday morning I read in the San Jose Mercury News online that the center is marking its 10th Anniversary here with a four-day weekend celebration. There will be ceremonies, lectures, performances, and a parade. I went over that day to catch a glimpse inside the marble palace and enjoy a multicultural experience.

The parking lot was nearly full but I found a spot and made my way to the front door, admiring the architecture and landscaping. I was nervous, afraid I would make a misstep and offend the worshipers. Before leaving the house I debated changing my shoes and belt, wondering if it would be problematic to bring my leather goods—animal products—onto the property. It turns out my intuition was correct. Inside the spacious vestibule they have a special shoe room with cubbies where everyone is asked to leave their shoes and leather items; everyone walks around the temple in bare feet or socks. I was oddly comforted that I had gotten this right, and proceeded boldly.

IMG_9777The volunteer who directed me to the shoe room encouraged me to go upstairs and stay for lunch. Posted signs directed me that the temple was upstairs and that there were rules to follow: no socializing, proper attire required, etc. There was no solemn hush however; loud music was echoing from up there. I climbed the stairs and enjoyed a picture-window view of the Milpitas eastern hills. The second floor holds the temple proper, a large marble covered room. Around the walls there were a number of statues, most of cross-legged seated figures, each unique. The statues against the back wall were cordoned off and were attended to by a monk and nun in face masks. There were also three large black and white photographs of relatively recent individuals, obviously revered. There was an altar in the middle of the room surrounded by ornately carved columns. Jains sat cross-legged on the floor around the altar facing crowned officiants who were performing rituals with fruit and water. The Jains were wearing a variety of clothes including traditional saris, workday street clothes, and simple Gandhi-like wraps. Five musicians sat on the floor playing instruments and drums and singing lively stirring ceremonial songs over a blasting sound system. There were chairs ringing the room and I sat in one, deciding to play it safe and be a wallflower, as unobtrusive as possible. I probably needn’t have worried as there was some general milling about and children skipping around the room. An operator ran a videocamera which I learned was broadcasting video of the ceremony to the dining hall downstairs and over the internet. I stayed for about twenty minutes, wide-eyed and thrilled, before making my way downstairs again, opting not to back out of the room as I had seen the Jains do.

CIMG1328CIMG1329Downstairs I retrieved my shoes and entered the dining room which was laid out end-to-end with tables. Volunteers in the kitchen dished me out a serving of soup, rice, pancake-y things, and a sweet custardy item labeled “Whole, Hearty Grains.” Everything was vegetarian of course, and delicious. My favorite was the soup which was surprisingly spicy. A sign on the wall admonished us not to waste food so I cleaned my plate.

While I was waiting in the lunch line a woman entered who I correctly deduced was a reporter since she carried a notepad and was the only non-Indian in the room besides myself. I flagged her down and learned she’s Lisa Fernandez from the San Jose Mercury News who had written the story I read that morning and was there to follow up. I gave her my info and check it out…I’m a newsmaker! Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to plug AllCamino.com. D’oh!

2010_08_06_sjmerc_jcnc

IMG_9778After eating I explored the ground floor some more, admiring large marble reliefs adorning the walls, the auditorium where the lectures will be conducted, and a massive statue of a seated figure in a shrine surrounded by a variety of animals and people. In one wing there were paintings on display, being sold in a silent auction. They were deeply spiritual, several depicting the same cross-legged figure motif which I believe represents the liberated soul. I was particularly impressed by a painting of the Milpitas temple, beautifully done by a 12-year-old prodigy.

I had many questions so I talked for a while with a gracious volunteer named Karuna Jain (it’s a common last name among Jains). She gave me a brief overview of the religion’s history, tenets, and practices. She explained that the statues in the temple represent the twenty-four Tirthankars, mortals throughout history who succeeded in attaining enlightenment through Jainism and are now worshiped as role models and teachers. Then we covered some deep El Camino topics. Let me catch you up.

The Jain Center is on Main Street or El Camino de San Jose. There used to be a row of elm trees that stretched from that point on Main Street to the O’Toole family mansion a short walk away. The trees and mansion were Milpitas landmarks for decades. The O’Tooles suffered mysterious misfortunes so the county acquired the property and turned it into an almshouse for the poor then later a jail. Elmwood Correctional Complex stands there today across Abel Street, named for the elm trees which sadly were destroyed in the name of progress in 2005. O’Toole Elms Park now spans where the elms were and new elm saplings have been planted in their memory. When workers were building the modern jail they unearthed Native American remains. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe were brought in as consultants to remove their ancestral remains and properly re-bury them with all due reverence.


View Larger Map

There’s some delicious congruence here. Linguistically the puns are irresistible. The elms connect the Jail to the Jain, the Indians from long ago to the Indians from far away. Narratively it’s tempting to suggest that the misfortunes of the O’Tooles and the bad mojo of the jail may have been brought on by disturbed Ohlone ghosts and that the Jains’ pursuit of peace calmed them with positivity. Spiritually it’s striking that the Jains chose that spot for their temple,  that the Muwekma chose the other end for their hallowed burial site, and that the Franciscan padres stopped here to give penance by the nearby creek. There’s something about this place.

All of this was on my mind as I asked Karuna a loaded question: why did the Jains build the center here? Naturally she replied pragmatically that the land was available and affordable but when I let her know some of the above local history she became very thoughtful and told me something interesting.  She said before Jain temples are built many prayers and ceremonies are performed to ensure the location’s suitability. For example the trees that will be cut for the construction are asked their permission first. (The elms weren’t cut so I’m sure they took the opportunity to chime in.) The land is consulted. I believe this land has a lot to say. We agreed that perhaps it was no coincidence that the Jains came and the Buddhists came and the Franciscans built their road to their East Bay Mission here. Again, there’s something about this place.

I very much enjoyed my visit to the Jain Center. The building is beautiful and their beliefs are inspiring. I’m very grateful for the hospitality they extended; I decided to go vegetarian all day as a gesture of harmony. If I make it to the parade down Main Street on Saturday I’ll post some pictures.

10th Anniversary of Jain Bhawan Pratishtha

August 5th – 8th, 2010
Jain Center of Northern California
722 South Main Street
Milpitas, CA 95035
http://www.jcnc.org/10th

What Is Hip?

Friday, July 30th, 2010

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a hipster: live in the cool places, wear the cool clothes, drink the cool beverages. Too bad that’s not my lot in life. I’ve spent my entire existence 37.5° out of phase with the rest of the world which means being hip has always been a mathematical impossibility for me. A little too much behind the beat but not enough to turn you on. I do know hip when I see it though, and I got more than an eyeful at The Usuals last week on The Alameda.

The Usuals is a clothing and accessories boutique that opened in April. It’s owned by brother-and-sister team Mike and Mari Millares, San Jose natives who have a longtime passion for fashion. They also have deep love for their home town so they created a shop that uniquely celebrates clothes and the San Jo’. This is most immediately evident in Mike’s Deadstok line of printed tee shirts, especially his iconic “I ♥ SJ” design with a teal shark-jawed heart. That’s how I came to learn of The Usuals. They had a booth at the Rose, White, & Blue festival and were selling “The Alameda” shirts. Pinch me. “Um…I’ll take one of those.” My first visit to the brick-and-mortar store however was Friday, July 23 when they hosted an event. What kind of event? That takes a bit of explaining. The best way I can describe it is: it was a San Jose mashup.

The Usuals is a clothing store, so clothes of course were the focus. They feature their own clothing designs as well as lines from other local designers. On top of that they host rotating art exhibits in the store so the Friday event was an opening reception for a Lost San Jose photography exhibit which will run until August 24. But wait, there’s more. In the back of the store they held a trunk show, showcasing jewelry from local artists. I’m not done. They presented a fashion show with some help from models from Ready2model, a talent agency. The models were styled on-site by 5 Color Cowboy, a salon further up The Alameda. The event was a fundraiser; they donated part of their Deadstok sales to the Trace Elementary School rebuilding fund to help them recover from their devastating July 5 fire. [Click here to donate by check or PayPal so classrooms can be ready before the kids start school in the fall.] They had a DJ from The Bangerz Crew providing atmosphere and an MC, Don Prahfit, freestyling during the fashion show. Inside they had refreshments provided by Chris Talosig. Outside they had ice cream and karaoke provided by Treatbot. Get the picture? I’m tired just describing it all.

Usuals Lost San Jose

Our whole family had quite The Alameda evening. We started with dinner at Tee Nee Thai. It was my wife’s first time and she loved it. I had the amazing Mussamun Lamb and asked for it hot but not “Thai hot;” I may be stupid but I’m not crazy. We enjoyed chatting with our friendly Tee Nee waitress who confirmed it’s a family-owned place staffed by cousins. She thinks an uncle  came up with the name because the place is so small. “You should see our kitchen,” she said. I think this is becoming my favorite Thai restaurant because the vibe is so warm and homey and every dish I’ve had there has been a winner.

IMG_9701Afterwards we rolled down to The Usuals, stepped inside, and my head started to spin from sensory overload. There was so much going on, I couldn’t process it. Clothes, photos, music, people, jewelry, live hair-styling. Most disconcertingly there were models walking around the store being photographed by paparazzi. I’m just not used to this. It seemed every time I stopped somewhere to catch a breath, I was in somebody’s way, awkward like an ox, so I did the only sensible thing. I stepped outside for some ice cream.

CIMG1270Treatbot was there with their van. Treatbot is one of the South Bay’s social-network-promoted roving upscale food trucks, a trend that’s sweeping the nation. They sell ice cream sandwiches and cones but they have a gimmick: there’s a karaoke machine attached to the truck. Instant party. A customer was serenading his family with “Superfreak” as I was placing my order. “Temptations, sing!” I ordered an ice cream sandwich on chocolate chip cookies and the flavor I chose was “408,” a lascivious chocolate concoction with caramel ribbon and Oreo cookie crumbs. It was sinfully heaven. I think the flavor is their own original creation; their ice cream is made locally.

CIMG1272Sufficiently bumped up to a higher energy level, I once again broached The Usuals and this time managed to sync up with my surroundings. I had a great talk with Josh Marcotte, the photographer behind Lost San Jose. His granddad was an old-time San Jose resident and history buff so Josh grew up hearing stories and appreciating our landmarks and neighborhoods. Recently however he became increasingly aware of how the past is fading away, either on its own or hurried along by development and progress. Parts of San Jose are becoming “lost.” At first he tried to capture some of the receding treasures in writing, then taught himself photography and took to the lens instead. He walks around and snaps images of aged architecture and decaying city scapes. The result is a haunting, evocative collection. His interest resonates with my El Camino Real obsession, and he has inspired me to kick my own photography up a notch.

IMG_9705IMG_9736I did in fact have my camera with me so I took a bunch of photos. Josh brought his enchanting collection of vintage cameras and had them on display in the store. Cameras as it turns out are extremely photogenic. Also photogenic was Eva, a model who tirelessly circulated around the store all night promoting Ready2model, cheerfully posing for anyone with a camera, your humble blogger included.

It was a great evening. I’m not much for nightlife so it was a real treat to get out and hang with the hipper set for a while. I love that The Usuals are on The Alameda. The Millares exhibit a blend of creativity, currency, and community-sense that will drive The Alameda’s Town Center to new pinnacles of cool. I may not be hip enough to go there with them, but at least I’ll be able to say I bought the tee shirt.

The Usuals

http://www.shoptheusuals.com/
1020 The Alameda, San Jose, CA
408.294.4500

See all my photos at Flickr.