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Episode #128 – Issue 17.1 Preview

Daniel and David share about the making of issue 17.1, “Discover.” This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Vimeo, and YouTube. Join us on Friday, November 22, for Pick-Up Party 17.1, “Discover” at The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. This issue’s magazine in-real-life experience celebrates the creatives featured in the issue, including graffiti legends […]

Episode #127 – Miguel Kultura

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. What does it mean to find your voice? For Miguel Kultura, a Mexican American musician, rapper, and producer, the answer lies in the beats he produces and the stories in his rhymes. Growing up in San José, Miguel loved hip hop, funk, and soul […]

Episode #126 – Tara de la Garza

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Join Tara for the opening of her solo exhibition, “Mining the Plastocene,” at Felix Kulpa Gallery in Santa Cruz on Friday, November 1, as part of First Friday Santa Cruz. Tara de la Garza’s art finds beauty and meaning in discarded materials. As a sculptor and artist […]

Episode # 125 -Russell Brown – Sr. Principal Designer Adobe Inc.

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Russell Brown began working at Adobe in 1985 as a graphic designer, art director, and the company’s 38th employee. His journey to that role began with a creative spirit that traces back to his youth. Growing up in Kent, Washington, Brown was more interested […]

Tessie Barrera-Scharaga

Tessie Barrera-Scharaga is an artist who makes connections: connections between language and culture, art and communities, the past and the present, and, most importantly, between people. Walking into her studio space, curious viewers quickly realize that this is one artist who is not limited to the canvas. Her work tables hold glass plates, ink, clay, brushes, and an assortment of paper, while books line the shelves and carefully placed pieces hang from the walls.

Danilo Parra

San Jose native, an award-winning Chilean-American Film Director based in New York, debuted his first solo art exhibition at @empire7studios. This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION: My name is Danilo para. This is my first solo exhibition. It’s being held at Empire Seven galleries, and the show is called in limbo. I’m […]

Kija Lucas – Enchanted Garden

Kija Lucas, an artist specializing in photography and installation, discusses her exhibition "The Enchanted Garden" at the Palo Alto Art Center. The exhibition, inspired by her father's gardening business.

Brodie Brazil

Castro Valley native San Jose State Alum Brodie Brazil has turned an early love of storytelling into a 20-year broadcasting career covering the same Bay Area teams he grew up cheering for.

Episode #122 – Imara Osorno

Un Puente Sobre El Río San Juan: A Story of Borders This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Join Imara at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) on Friday, September 6, for the opening of her duo exhibition “Un Puente Sobre El Río San Juan: A Story of Borders,” Featuring work from her […]

Issue 16.4 Pick-Up Party Review

Under the light-strung trees of Mexican Heritage Plaza in East Side San José, the South Bay arts community celebrated the release of Content Magazine issue 16.4, “Profiles”, and 2024 Content Emerging Artists Esther Young and Elba Raquel. The August 22 Pick-Up Party was an event only San Jose could cultivate–a meeting point for diverse cultures, technological […]

Stephanie Metz – In the Glow

Over the years, though, Stephanie’s relationships with many things—including art, sculpting, femininity, and the color pink—has changed.

Preservation Action Council San Jose – Ben Leech

This feature is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. The Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) is a dedicated historic preservation advocacy organization committed to celebrating the vibrancy of San Jose’s architectural and cultural heritage. As a member-based group, PAC*SJ works to ensure that historic buildings and sites are recognized for their significance and potential. […]

Episode #121 – Issue 16.4 Preview with Daniel and David

Daniel Garcia and David Valdespino Jr., the Cultivator and Developer of Content Magazine, trace back to the creation of this issue through Pick-up Party 16.4 at the School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza.

Episode #120 – Tommy Aguilar – Universal Grammar

Tommy Aguilar discusses the very early days of his interest in music and event production, the nuanced arena of producing music events in the South Bay, what events he has coming up, and the future of Universal Grammar.

Needle to the Groove

At the center of Needle to the Groove Records lie four friends whose bonds have been strengthened in the pursuit of amplifying art. “Don’t put any of our jokes on the record,” cautions Allen Johnson. “Unless they land,” chimes David Ma. The witty banter among Johnson, Ma, Michael Boado, and Jeff Brummett reveals the camaraderie […]

Arts Los Altos

MAKING SPACE FOR ART IN LOS ALTOS If you are lucky enough to connect with mixed-media artist Maddy McBirney, she may be inspired to create an art piece for you. McBirney explains, “I was always the kind of artist that just made things for other people. I didn’t sell or market my work. If I […]

SJ Creative Ambassadors ’24

Each year since 2018, the City of San José’s Office of Cultural Affairs has selected a number of artists in a variety of disciplines to be named creative ambassadors. These artists all have deep roots in the city and have shown creative inspiration in their fields, as well as a passion for connecting with the […]

A Stroll Through Chris Esparza’s San Jose

*The article originally appeared in issue 5.1, “Sight and Sound,” 2013 From his 90s exploits at Ajax to the more recent Naglee Park Garage, Chris Esparza’s impact on downtown San Jose has come in many phases. He looks to take his next step with Blackbird Tavern. Long-time downtown ambassador Chris Esparza remains one of the […]

Episode #119 Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho – “Starting Fires”

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Experience J.Duh’s first solo gallery exhibition, ‘Starting Fires,’ from August 10 to September 7 at Empire Seven Studios in San Jose, Japan Town. The opening reception is on Saturday, August 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring music from Flipside Lovers and DJ nic0tine. […]

Jason Adams

Skateboards to Stencils Growing up in the quintessentially suburban Almaden Valley of San Jose, professional skateboarder and artist Jason Adams was always drawn to the raw vitality of punk rock and its striking aesthetic, or really anything that stood in opposition to the smothering suburban splendor. Around the age of 13, Adams was introduced to […]

ZIGGY

Fighting for Something Else In rap music, as it is in real estate, location is everything. As an emcee, the municipality you represent can mean instant credibility and a springboard to success—or it can hang as a detriment to your progress. Cities like Oakland, Atlanta, Detroit, and New York all have cultural capital that allows […]

The Cilker School of Art and Design

West Valley College believes in the power of a well-rounded education to shape a future that extends beyond the classroom. Each year, graduating students have the opportunity to showcase their capstone work—a testament to their growth and achievements—to peers, instructors, and the community. In the third year of the Cilker School of Art and Design’s […]

Francisco Graciano

Montalvo Art Center – “A Path Forward: Honoring Ohlone Land & Spirit” This feature is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Francisco Graciano has been creating art in San José for as long as he can remember. His multi-disciplinary practices include sculpture, painting, music, and tattoos. His work centers on themes of evolution […]

Mariachi Azteca

Mariachi music has existed for decades in its current form, and it is an important part of Mexican culture and folklore. Their signature charro costumes and sombreros are iconic, and the traditional songs serve as a type of Mexican oral history. Learning to be a mariachi is a skill often passed down from one generation […]

AKOMA ART

An Experience That Opens Your Heart It’s not surprising that Keith Hames named his performance ensemble Akoma Arts. The Akan people of Ghana call the human heart “akoma.” This word represents not only love, but patience, tolerance, faithfulness, goodwill, and unity. These are his values and the ethos of his West African ancestors. Since childhood, […]

Kuumba West African Dance – Tiye Garrett

This feature is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.

Episode #118 Kimberly Snyder, Executive Director of New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU)

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Kimberly Snyder developed a love for creative artmaking from a young age and was inspired by sewing and crocheting with her grandmother. Her passion for art history began with classes at the University of Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she explored the narratives, historical contexts, […]

James Mertke

A (Still) Life of Avocados, Lemons, Oranges, and Strawberries. The morning before an art event, you might find James Mertke unloading the Tetris puzzle of art pieces and display shelves from his car. It’s been a little over a year since James started participating in art markets, and although he’s still learning the ropes, he’s […]

16.3 Pick-Up Party Review

Content Magazine and The Cilker School of Art & Design at West Valley College in Saratoga are not just partners, but a community united in their support for South Bay Artists. Over the past few years, this community has grown, coming together during the changing seasons to celebrate emerging, established, and student artists. Each year, […]

We Are In Our Urban Native Era

How fashion reflects stories of the land. To be indigenous is to recognize that you are part of the land, and just like our own bodies, we need to protect and take care of the well-being of the land as well. Native fashion continues to share the stories of the land and to remind us […]

Episode #117 – Lauren Schell Dickens – San Jose Museum of Art

Our job is to ask the questions that the audience is thinking so that we can all connect with what the artist is thinking. -Lauren Schell Dickens, Chief Curator San Jose Museum of Art Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. The current San José Museum of Art Exhibition, Seeing through Stone, is on […]

Episode #116 – Flammy Marciano

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, and raised in San Jose, California, internet sensation DaQuane Fox, better known as Flammy Marciano, tends to be ahead of the curve when it comes to gaming, streaming, and even music. He began his music career in the late 2000s under the name […]

Fitoor

Enter Fitoor, Santana Row’s new contemporary Indian restaurant and lounge, and find yourself transported. The front room, a low-lit space swathed in dark-wood panels, rich earthy browns, and a plethora of plants, somehow gives the impression of a forest after midnight. The slat ceiling, carved into a wave of wood, seems almost to ripple with […]

Reconnecting Our Minds to Native Fashion: Explore what the world of fashion is all about from the Native Perspective.

Blue hues spill into the windows, bouncing off the textured eggshell white walls, creating a nice, soft glow of cool serenity. The fly on the wall can’t tell where I end and the empty bed begins. I am fully embraced by the linen sheets I purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond when it was still […]

Chopsticks Alley – Trami Cron

Since its founding in 2018, Chopsticks Alley Art has been a platform that elevates the perspectives and cultures of Southeast Asian Americans through a blend of cultural events, traditional art forms education, and carefully curated gallery exhibitions. The programming at Chopsticks Alley Art has provided a voice for young artists and empowered them to create […]

Episode #115- Bree Karpavage of First Friday Santa Cruz and Ann Hazels of Radius Gallery

This podcast is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcast. Bree Karpavage and Ann Hazels are breathing new life into the Santa Cruz art scene. First Friday Santa Cruz is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. As part of the celebration, First Friday Santa Cruz and Radius Gallery, also celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, […]

Episode #114 Zoë Latzer

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Zoë Latzer is the Curator and Director of Public Programs at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José (ICA San José). Growing up in Loomis, California, on the outskirts of Sacramento, Latzer became familiar with the concept of underrepresented narratives. Specifically, she became familiar with Loomis’ history […]

Kathryn Dunlevie

Kathryn Dunlevie has always possessed a magical perception of the world around her, even before she became an artist. Growing up all over the United States, Dunlevie developed a deep appreciation of what gives a particular area a sense of place. Nowadays, her artworks a connecting thread, bringing disparate places and ideas together in what […]

Tim Thompson

At first glance, the Space Palette might appear to be an alien device. It consists of a large, oval frame filled with a series of holes (4 large and 12 small). If only observed, its function will remain a mystery. However, once you physically interact with the object, its purpose is revealed. By passing your […]

Taryn Curiel

Born in Mexico City and currently based in Silicon Valley, Taryn Curiel’s passion for art has been with her since early childhood and has culminated in a body of work filled with sensation and enigmatic energy. Techniques involving texture, lines, and a muted color palette help her in her signature use of the figure with […]

Jackelin Solorio

Jackelin Solorio is an agent of visual language. Each photo, each ceramic, each video performance that emerge from her studio are a question and a dare.

Stephen Longoria

The first thing you may notice about Stephen Longoria is his gentle Texan accent. In his friendly manner, he’ll be quick to tell you about the craft of printmaking, his love of drawing his cat—or a one-eyed version of it—or his affection for his Texas hometown just north of the Mexican border. While he doesn’t […]

Episode #113 – The Dean Team

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. At West Valley College in Saratoga, Shannon Mirabelli-Lopez and Mel Vaughn have joined forces to launch the college’s first interdisciplinary graduation expo, STEAM’D Fest, where “Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Design” reimagine collaboration. Guided by the collective vision of Dean of The Cilker School of Art […]

Kim Meuli Brown

Featured Artist: Kim Meuli Brown Kim Meuli Brown is an artist and graphic designer whose journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Textile Design from UC Davis. Inspired by nature, Kim’s creations blend traditional textile techniques with contemporary innovation. Her canvas, often cotton, silk, or wool, becomes a testament to the beauty of local […]

MANIK

K nown simply as “Manik” to most, Dalton got his nickname while digging through his mother’s record collection as a kid. Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 album Are You Experienced caught his eye, and the song “Manic Depression” altered his name forever. Born and raised in San Jose, Dalton describes his love for downtown: “Skaters, indie bands, […]

René Lorraine Schilling-Sears

Her Vision, Her Voice. René Lorraine Schilling-Sears, a graduate of San Jose State with a BFA in Pictorial Arts, has moved from oils to watercolor and pen, giving a voice to what she sees.

Episode #112 – Zach Waldren

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Episode #112 – Zach Waldren, Tailored By Design LLC Zach Waldren founded his consulting business, Tailored by Design LLC (TBD), with a passion for customized user experiences. As a kid, Zach loved going to Disneyland, where he noticed commonplace items in the park, such as trash cans, […]

Episode #111 Steven Huynh – Owner of Goodtime Bar

Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Software engineer-turned-small business owner Steven Huynh is the co-owner of Goodtime Natural Wine Bar in his hometown of San José. Steven’s love for natural, low-intervention wine began as a hobby he found through travel but later inspired him and his wife to open their own business during […]

Printers’ Guild

For twenty-two years, volunteers at the San Jose Printers’ Guild have kept the art of printing alive. In a world where books can be…

FlipSide Lovers

First united by a single rare song, Anthony Perez and Stephanie Ramirez, known as Flipside Lovers, are on a mission to share California’s oldies story with the globe. The genesis of analog DJ duo Flipside Lovers can, coincidentally enough, be traced to a single 45 record. Anthony Perez began playing “You’re Acting Kind of Strange,” […]

Episode #110 – Jonathan Borca

This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. Jonathan Borca is a San Jose community leader, performer, and rapper. He is currently the Deputy Director at the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza and the San Jose District 5 Arts Commissioner. He performs poetry and rap as ‘The […]

LEFT COAST LIVE – Chris Esparza

Original article published in Spring/Summer 2010 Every year, 12,000 people travel from all across America to hear music by over 1,400 performers during a four-day period. With more than 80 venues from which to choose, listeners have the opportunity to see a host of new faces and acts. The event is heralded by musicians and […]

Davied Morales

SVCreates Content Emerging Artist 2023 Fish swim, birds fly, and human beings create. In an unassuming suburban garage in South San Jose, a music studio is tucked in parallel to a parked car, storage totes, and hanging bicycles. Often, you can find a poet getting active in the studio, chipping away at refining his craft, […]

Cinequest Underdog

A Sneak Peek at Harsimran Sandhu’s Short Film Pulp Cinequest Film & Creative Festival is back again. And stronger than ever. From March 6th to 17th, over 200 films, celebrity Q&As, and prestigious after-parties will mark the 33rd year of Silicon Valley’s premiere film fest. On opening night, a steady stream of moviegoers flowed into the […]

12th Anniversary Celebration

Pick-Up Party 16.2, “Sight and Sound,” was the 12th anniversary celebration of Content Magazine featuring the innovative and creative people of Silicon Valley. The party was an ambitious collaboration among venue host Creekside Socials, event designers Asiel Design, Filco Events, and Illuminate SJ Now!!!, along with supplied food by Barya Kitchen ,and the dozen or so creatives featured […]

Keana Aguila Labra

SVCreates Content Emerging Artist 2023 Putting Pen to the Past A shoulder-hung tote swings in the mid-morning air as Keana Aguila Labra approaches a sanctuary of creative inspiration. Depending on the day, that sanctuary may be a cafe, a public garden, or a library. Wrapped in the canvas tote are tools for building historical foundations […]

Dan Fenstermacher

SVCreates Content Emerging Artist 2023 Such is Life A wheat-pasted poster on a San Francisco sidewalk may be commonplace for 99 percent of passersby. For photographer Dan Fenstermacher, the details caught his eye from across the street: an ambiguous lower body clothed in shorts and walking shoes—leg tattoos exposed—standing on a trail with marketing copy […]

Dalia Rawson

Dalia Rawson is the South Bay’s authority on all things ballet. A longtime performer with the now-defunct Cleveland San Jose Ballet Company, the Saratoga native has performed for numerous companies in addition to holding backstage management positions with the Silicon Valley Ballet. With the closure of that company, Rawson founded The New Ballet School in […]

Episode #109 Trevor Jones – Minnow Arts

Listen and watch on Spotify | YouTube | Vimeo | Listen on Apple Podcast Trevor Jones is a family man, building designer, and co-owner of Minnow Arts Gallery in Santa Cruz, California. Trevor was born and raised in Cupertino before studying economics and international studies during his undergrad and earning a master’s in architecture from […]

Episode #108 – Content Year Review

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcast The Cultivator and Developer of Content Magazine review a year of publications. Daniel Garcia founded Content Magazine in 2012 and has cultivated the longest-running South Bay Arts magazine ever. David Valdespino Jr. Joined the Content team full-time in January 2023 as a production manager and writer. In […]

Issue 16.1 Pick-Up Party

The South Bay arts community rallied in Los Altos on November 30th to celebrate the release of Content Magazine Issue 16.1, “Discover.” Hosted at the stunning State Street Market food hall on the corner of State & 3rd Street in Los Altos, we invited the artists, musicians, organizations, and contributors featured in issue 16.1 to […]

Episode #107 Pamela Walsh – ⁠Pamela Walsh Gallery⁠

Pamela Walsh is an artist of a different sort. As a gallerist, her work lives in the margin between artwork and art buyer. A gallerist’s art is not just curation but creating a space that brings people to artwork and telling those stories-becoming a conduit between artistic expression and the community that is engaging with […]

wisper

Wisper’s life resembles an uncanny stack of page-turners. Conversations with him dredge up metaphors, tuned specifically to the relationship between identity and outcome. Subjective as art and truth may be, the sublime coincidences within his experiences hint at more.

Kia Fay

As a stylist and vocalist, Kia Fay utilizes her disparate creative outlets for the same unified purpose: helping others celebrate their authentic selves...

Episode #106 Marcus Lyon – Human Atlas, The De.Coded Project

In this follow-up to Podcast #81, we reconnect with Marcus Lyon, artist, photographer, and founder of A Human Atlas, after completing his Silicon Valley project entitled De.Coded, which launched in October 2023. In our conversation with Marcus, we talk about what he learned from his time with Silicon Valley change makers, how this project differed from […]

Trinh Mai

Tracing Roots: Trinh Mai Finds the Beauty in Life through Honoring Cultural Heritage Heart first, Trinh Mai aims to bring people together through art. Finding comfort incolor and peace in faith, her multidisciplinary works honor her Vietnamese culturalheritage and shine a light on larger storiesof shared humanity. “We have to draw strength from our community […]

Ikuka Bakery

Japanese Pastry and Desserts IKUKA pastry and dessert shop at State Street Market in Los Altos takes its name from the first syllables of the Japanese words imo (sweet potato), kuri (chestnut), and kabocha (pumpkin). The goal of its creator and general manager, Miyuki Ozawa, is to bring the namesake flavors popular in Japanese baking to the South Bay. Miyuki […]

The Game’s Afoot – City Lights Theater Company’s Holiday Whodunit

If your Christmas season has become packed with tinsel-clogged, holly-infested Hallmark films, it’s time to shake things up with a good murder. A holiday whodunit at the City Lights Theater Company seems suitable for the season. After all, what December is truly disaster free? The Game’s Afoot (also known as Holmes for the […]

The Good Salad

Founder and CEO of The Good Salad, Sanad Al Souz, is on a mission to shake up mealtime by offering healthy and delicious signature chef-crafted salads.

Episode #105 Rosé – Hip Hop Artist, Rapper, & Singer.

Rooted in the Bay Area and based in San José, Rosé began pursuing music at 16 to bring a new era and sound to the scene. As an emerging rapper and hip-hop artist, Rosé is working hard to establish himself by performing, releasing new projects, and building a local and international fanbase. Inspired by artists […]

Episode #104 Noriyuki “Ken” Okada – Jazz bassist, composer, and arranger.

Listen and watch on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcast As a jazz bassist, composer, and arranger, Ken Okada has spent his life finding the groove. Unlike in other genres of music, in jazz, bass is the glue responsible for holding the group together. When composing music, Ken is less concerned with being credited with […]

San Jose Taiko Founders

Not many folks can say they have evolved—if not created—a new type of art. But starting in 1973 when Roy Hirabayashi cofounded San Jose Taiko, a professional performing company, Roy and PJ Hirabayashi have cultivated a new Asian-American art form.

Episode #103 Carman Gaines, Associate Director of Local Color

In our conversation, we discuss Carman’s journey to working for Local Color, her experiences as an artist and arts administrator, and her inspiration and approach to life.

Episode #102 Connie Martinez, C.E.O. of SVCreates

It is a bittersweet moment for SVCreates as we celebrate the legacy and retirement of our fearless leader, Connie Martinez.

Episode #101 Brandon Quintanilla – Cultural Night Market

In this conversation, BQ and introducing Content guest host Troy Ewers, discuss BQ's rise as an entrepreneur, the development of EMLN, organizing events, and personal growth.

Episode #100 – Andrew Espino – 1Culture Gallery

Andrew opened 1culture Art Gallery & Collective in May of 2022. The gallery rotates shows every six to eight weeks. Andrew is working more with guest curators to increase his impact on the scene.

Angela Johal

Angela Johal seems, as her work does, to conjure up and harness energies that have been waiting for just that moment. Order and intensity, color fill and negative space, control and free flow, all emanate from and embody her and her work.

Photographer Abraham Menor

With Digging Sound Collect, photographer Abraham Menor utilizes his masterful eye for the moment to elevate the seemingly mundane exercise of collecting records into a celebration of culture and heritage.

Yosimar Reyes

Mexican-American Queer Poet and Public Speaker

Ervin Wilson

23-year-old, San Jose–raised singer and rapper Ervin Wilson displays the self-confidence and conviction of someone much older. He sums up this purpose with the motto, “The Authentic Speaks,” which represents all facets of his life, from his music to his spiritual conviction, to the way he walks into a room.

Paul J. Gonzales

“Five, four, three, two…” Standing in his living room, where bright teal couches and dark walnut cabinets complement cerulean walls, Paul counts down to his own interview: “Are you ready for launch? Let’s go!” In the world of artist and designer Paul J. Gonzalez, possibility is as limitless as outer space. No conversation is ordinary, […]

Episode #99 Athenna Crosby- Model, Actor, and Host

Crosby is the spokesperson for San Jose’s Cinequest Film Festival. Her initial encounter with Cinequest was through a summer camp in high school hosted by the company, which resulted in one of her proudest successes.

West Valley Cilker Students 2023

West Valley College's innovative reimagining of the community college experience provides students with a well-rounded education emphasizing creative expression and critical thinking.

Yoon Chung Han

Yoon Chung Han brings together two building blocks of San Jose—art and technology. Her project allows residents to record their stories verbally and then use that recording to create a 3D-printed artwork using recycled materials.

Episode #98 -Rhonda Holberton – Interdisciplinary artist and Professor of Digital Media

In our conversation, Holberton talks about her interest in engineering and its influence on her work, what it means to be a steward of creation and the digital world, and her moral obligation to "leave this place better than it was when she arrived."

Derrick Sanderlin

With every show Derrick Sanderlin played with his band Sine Wave, he transformed tension into a story for justice.

K-Café Patisserie and Tea House

Some places have such big personalities that they almost seem alive. Take, for instance, stories such as Alice in Wonderland or Howl’s Moving Castle with settings so colorful that they become their own character. On rare occasions, you may find a location like those in real life. San Jose’s K-Café is absolutely one of them.

#97 – Kung Fu Vampire

Kung Fu Vampire is a legend in the Bay Area hip-hop scene. Born and raised in San Jose, he first came up with the name in 2001, then spent the next decade building up his rap reputation, playing shows around the Bay and then the state.

Jess Sylvester – Marinero

For singer-songwriter Jess Sylvester, growing up in the Bay Area and discovering Mexico has allowed him to create music that brings together diverse and seemingly disparate influences that reflect on chicanx realities.

Bird & Willow

Brother-sister folk-rock duo known as Bird and Willow creates poignant, delicate melodies braced by lush orchestral soundscapes.

15.3 Album Picks

Album Picks 15.3 Curated by Needle to the Groove

Issue 15.3 Pick-Up Party Review

15-3-pup-review

Sefa Samatua

A modern spin on traditional Samoan tattooing.

#96 – Jonathan Gomez, Cofounder of Asiel Design and the Midtown Immersive Night Parties

#96 - Jonathan Gomez, Cofounder of Asiel Design and the Midtown Immersive Night Parties

#95 – Daniel Garcia – Photographer and Founder of Content Magazine

Daniel shares his motivation, development as a photographer, and a sneak peek at what guests can expect from his upcoming solo show.

#94 – Alyssarhaye Graciano – Visual Arts Curator at MACLA San Jose

Alyssarhaye Graciano is a San Jose Native, practicing fiber artist, and current visual arts curator at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA).

Sarah Williams

Artist and designer Sarah Williams evokes the nostalgia of the everyday with her sharp but expressive linework.

# 93- Bree Karpavage – Collage Artist

In our conversation, Bree shares her experiences creating art of her own, producing events, and the evolution she has gone through in various phases of her life.

#92- Haley Cardamon – San José Day

Haley Cardamon is the founder of San José Day

Mesngr

A San Jose native, Mesngr is a self-taught illustrator, street artist, mentor, and teacher. The rebellious start to his journey blossomed into his work becoming part of the visual landscape of San Jose. Large mural works in Japantown, a high school mascot mural for the Yerba Buena Warriors, and his large bus and character piece in the Alameda Artworks parking lot are just a few works bearing the Mesgnr handle.

Pedro "Aquihua" Perez -Calpulli Tonalehqueh

Calpulli Tonalehqueh is an Aztec Dance Group based on the foundation of wisdom, harmony, and culture.

#91 – Ann Ostermann – Open Studios & Events Director

Ann manages the complex production of our annual Open Studios Art Tour with a joyful attitude. She is the liaison for several hundred Open Studios artists, event sponsors, and volunteers.

Girafa (2013)

Born and raised in the city of San Jose, Girafa has been writing graffiti across many Bay Area neighborhoods. It wasn’t until his conviction three years ago that he was forced to take time off for self evaluation.

The Changing Same

“The Changing Same [production] was a concept that literally came from a conversation me and Tommy had about music and society, the idea that ‘roots’ and urban music forms can [be] and often are the most progressive, quickly evolving, and influential genres,” shares Sake.

1Culture

This gallery started as a traveling pop-up and moved into a storefront across the street from San Jose City Hall. The shop, as it’s referred to by the small team that runs it, is owned by local real estate agent and art supporter, Andrew Espino.

Anjelah Johnson

While other children played at house or hospital, Anjelah Johnson stacked books onto an imaginary desk, scattered papers everywhere, and fantasized that she was a stressed-out white-collar worker. “That was my dream growing up,” Anjelah reminisces.

Amplified

Since first forming his thoughts around beats, Andrew Vicente has been relentlessly documenting his truth in song. The man known as Amplified shares his grassroots journey.

#90 – David Valdespino, Jr. – Content Production Manager

We are excited to introduce Content's new Production Manager, David Valdespino Jr.

Raul Peralez

As councilmember, Peralez encourages community member involvement through participatory budgeting, a process that includes brainstorming ideas, encouraging volunteers and experts to develop project proposals, and voting on and funding projects. As he continues to look out for our city’s interests through his duties as councilmember, Peralez will soon be volunteering as a patrol officer for the Police Reserve Unit.

Shannon Knepper

Graphic designer Shannon Knepper cut her creative teeth in Seattle and Pittsburgh, but for the past five years, she’s called San Jose home. With a focus on printmaking, Shannon creates greeting cards, T-shirts, and other 2D art through her brand, War Admiral Press.

Avery Palmer

Many artists focus on only one type of media for their entire career, but Avery Palmer isn’t like most artists. He has delved deeply into painting, drawing, and ceramic sculpting throughout different phases of his life. Inspired by surrealist painters such as Salvador Dali, his figurative art presents cryptic metaphorical scenarios exploring the complex nature of human existence

Tyson Johnston

Painter, Tyson Johnston, and his paintings—with their bold fantastical images in thick layers of watercolor and other media—reach out powerfully to audiences, in both theme and style.

Jai Tanju

If you run into Jai Tanju, he’s either somewhere in San Jose on his bike, camera in hand, or out on a skate or photography trip in some serene and strange landscape, or he could be in Seeing Things Gallery, which he owns and operates.

#89 – Eva Rorandelli – Evaro Italia

Eva Rorandelli is a fashion designer and founder of Evaro Italia, following in the footsteps of her father Massimo and his father before him, who began manufacturing leather goods in Florence in 1943.

Content Emerging Art | Oscar Pangilinan

Born and raised in San Jose’s Alum Rock neighborhood, saxophonist Oscar Pangilinan began playing in jazz ensembles in middle school, and his passion for music continued as he pursued a degree in jazz studies at San Jose State.

Ricardo Cortez | 408{ART}

Ricardo Cortez embodies San Jose’s culture at its core, combing his love of art and the lowrider community. He earned his master of fine arts in digital art at San Jose State University. Cortez developed his graphic design and fine art practice within the intersection of technology, sculpture, and culture.

Kathy Aoki

Filling in the cracks of modern culture with fantasy. Kathy Aoki’s satirical work lives within the cracked veneer of modern society, driven by concept and executed by any medium necessary.

Miguel Machuca

Miguel Machuca likes working in charcoal because it’s like ash—like what his body will one day become.

LaToya Fernandez

Educator, Activist, and Community Leader, LaToya Fernandez, dedicates her career to teaching students equity and justice. As a Restorative Justice Coordinator, LaToya has served in local San Jose schools supporting students, educators and families through cultural responsiveness, restorative practices and community engagement.

14.4 Album Picks

Album Picks and review curated by Needle to the Groove

West Valley Cilker School 2022

The Cilker School of Art and Design has developed a world-class community college of art and design that exposes students to cutting-edge technology and critical thinking.

Amy Hibbs

Amy Hibbs is a visual artist and environmentalist whose work addresses themes of belonging and empathy through interaction with the urban landscape. With a desire to increase healing for individuals, communities, and ecosystems, Hibbs uses a variety of media and techniques to highlight the dualities of joy and pain, beauty and disgust, slow and fast.

Hapa’s Brewing: Good Friends and Good Brews

Good Friends and Good Brews The Midtown Arts Mercantile on Lincoln Avenue houses some of the city’s most innovative and creative businesses, while connecting…

Cromwell Schubarth

By day, Cromwell Schubarth is editor of TechFlash and senior technology reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal. By night, Schubarth puts down the digital camera and pursues his passion for instant photography. Using a variety of old and new film types, Schubarth captures the artistic side of the Bay Area through a retro lens.

Jordan "Gatsby" Melvin

How a young rapper from North Carolina found his creative wonderland in San Jose.

#88 – Priya Das

Priya is the creator of Mosaic's inspired framework for social cohesion using the Arts and drives the creative vision, programming strategy, artist relations, and community outreach.

#87 – Angela Ostermeier – VP of Development, Cinequest

Angela joined the Cinequest team as the Events & Development Manager in 2018 and has expanded her role and responsibilities to VP of Development.

Tommy Aguilar: Music at the Pagoda

(Article originally appeared in issue 5.0, “Underground” – Winter 2013.) The man behind Universal Grammar helped bring Kool Herc and DJ Jazzy Jeff to his hometown. He’s felt the elation of a successful club run coupled with the sobering lows of watching fickle audiences grow disinterested in his message. Through it all, he’s remained a […]

#86 – James G. Leventhal – Executive Director of ICA San José

James G. Leventhal is an enthusiastic art leader and visionary who has worked at top museums throughout the Bay Area and the United States. Now, as of January 2022, he is back in San Jose as the executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Art San José (ICA).

Greaseland Studios: Kid Andersen

Andersen portions his time among Greaseland, recording and producing for blues artists, and touring as the guitar player for the blues band Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, a band he has played with for several years. He bears the visual cues of a bluesy character: his blonde hair is slicked back; he wears a pair of brown-hued, tinted Ray-Bans; his voice rumbles agreeably, like the sound of a motor engine idling; and he carries an almost-Southern drawl when he talks.

Joe Noonan

“I’m very fortunate to be connected to some organizations that I truly, sincerely love, and I think those organizations see that because I go all in."

Fashion: Express Yourself Part 2

What is fashion to the South Bay? How are we defined by what we wear? I'm on a mission to explore what San Jose Fashion style looks and feels like. How we as South Bay Arean people are represented by our clothes.

#85 – Tony Gapastione – BraveMaker

Tony’s first feature film Last Chance Charlene invites much-needed conversation about death in our culture that largely keeps it at arm’s length.

Tank Shop

The 29-year-old rapper and founder of Tank Shop, Yonex Jones, said his favorite thing in the store is definitely the music.

14.3 Pick Up Party Style & Fashion Show

This Pick-Up Party had a flare to it. The attire worn to this event was unique to what I typically see at a Pick-Up Party.

Reyes Muertos Klothing

Reyes Muertos Klothing was originally the brainchild of artist and lifelong San Jose resident Carlos Rodriguez.

Pilar Agüero-Esparza

Staying inside the lines has never been Pilar Agüero-Esparza’s style. Over her 30 years as a practicing artist, she’s evolved from producing traditional two-dimensional art to creating three-dimensional pieces that address issues of culture, race, and home life.

Eco Freak Fashion Show

Creatives of the South Bay are vital to expanding the culture, making way for the future, and paving a path to greatness.

Ryan Carrington

A quilted red, white, and grey American flag stitched from carpenter’s pants, suits, collared shirts, and scraps of red ties. The delightfully unexpected choice of materials is common throughout Ryan Carrington’s work.

Fashion: Express Yourself Part 2

As we explore fashion here in the Silicon Valley more, let's try to focus on what the South Bay has going on. I started this journey by speaking with Kimmy at Black and Brown on San Carlos street in San Jose and Araceli from Thrill of the Luxe.

Teatro Visión

It was the end of July 2019—just days after a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Monday morning ICE deportation raids in Chicago were dominating the news—and Teatro Visión was about to present Raíces, a theatrical piece focused on the boundless human journey of immigration.

#84 – Ruben Escalante – Studio Manager & Mentor

In our conversation, Ruben tells how art, music, and movies were always a way to cope with life's challenges, how they came to San Jose, and how discovering South First Art Walk opened their eyes to the creative scene.

#83 – Lola + Kenneth Collaboration

The time he spent with Lola from 2014 until her death in December 2016 brought out in Ronquillo the artist he always wanted to be. “I was getting further and further away from my dreams and goals,” he says. “I had to come home to make my dreams come true.”

#82 – Stacey Kellogg – San Jose Walls, Director of Strategy & Development

Stacey is an attorney and program manager by trade and an art lover and community builder by heart. Stacey focuses on strategic partnership development and social impact for San Jose Walls. Born and raised in San Jose, she is passionate about creating a legacy of impactful public art in her hometown.

DTSJ – Theater & Stage

Issue - featured-article. Category - art-venues

#81 Marcus Lyon – A Human Atlas

Photographer Marcus Lyon has been in the South Bay with his team, Camila Pastorelli, and Joe Briggs-Price, working on the next edition of the Human Atlas projects.

Fashion: Express Yourself

Fashion style defines and groups people together to form a distinctive culture. Fashion style has the ability to drive social change, represent a community, and deepen the connection and attachment to the land and people residing there.

Thang Do: Exploring a Modernist Visionary of the Bay Area

In the heart of San Jose’s SOFA district, across from the fluorescence of Anno Domini and ambers of Café Stritch, is the unassuming home of Aedis Architecture & Planning in the W. Prussia Building designed by W.H. Weeks. The firm sits atop a growing marketplace, driven by the passion of Senior Principal Thang N. Do.

#80 Scott Knies

Starting as founder and owner of the Fencing Center in 1981, Scott's career changed as he and other business owners looked to represent the needs of downtown businesses and the Downtown community experience.

Randall King

Randall King is the kind of artistic director that most theater companies dream of having. With a focus on the importance of the midsize theater companies and an ability to work both backstage and front and center, King has transformed San Jose Stage Company into one of the finest theaters in the area

#79 – Nick Panoutsos – Composer and Bassist

Bassist and composer Nick Panoutsos' released his first solo album Monos.

#78 – L. Mattock (Mattie) Scariot – Director of Poppy Jasper International Film festival (PJIFF)

Mattie Scariot became Director of PJIFF in 2018 and grew the festival to an 8-day regional festival including Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, Hollister, and San Juan Bautista.

Evaro Italia: El Prado Fashion Showcase

Tasteful and elegant, this show was a jewel. Flashes of Tuscany inspiration seeps between the seams. Fashionable details. People swarming their seats eager to see Evaro Italia Design director Eva Rorandelli's latest designs, presenting ten looks of her latest collection set up in a European style showcase.

Yolanda Guerra

A full-time artist with her own studio at the Alameda Artworks, Yolanda has been teaching art for eleven years. Born in San Jose as the youngest of nine, she chose to pursue her BFA in Art while her classmates became engineers or graphic illustrators.

#77 – Amanda Rawson

In our discussion, we talked about Amanda's path to becoming the project manager and research director of Art Builds Community, her role, and the work they have been doing for the County of Santa Clara Office of Women's Policy on a project called Womanhood.

Abby Bettencourt: 6th Street Art Studios

When Abby Bettencourt thinks about describing her creative process, she imagines a carousel. She envisions a steady rotation of ideas circling through her mind, like the ornate rides at fairs and amusement parks. The ideas glide by, passing out of view to ruminate in the background, then resurface once more for assessment and reinterpretation. Nothing is ever fixed, but always in motion and guided by the fluidity of change.

Style at Pick-Up Party 14.2

People came to slay at the ten-year anniversary Pick-Up party for Content Magazine. Phones were out recording the vibes and rhythms of the performers. The atmosphere of the chilled air invoked the many layers of long sleeves and coats. Ten years of spreading creative content through the imaginative process of art and creativity.

San José Arts Advocates (SJAA)

The SJAA is a collaborative effort across many involved in the cultural landscape of California. In an area globally known for technological innovation, the role the arts play in San Jose can get lost, voiceless. The group is a central voice for arts advocacy and education in San Jose and is planning ways to address the impact of AB 5 and many other policies and issues permeating the arts.

10th Year Celebration

The 10th Anniversary of Content Magazine issue 14.2 Pick-Up Party was an exciting evening of culture and community that celebrated many talented artists and passionate art lovers

Ken Matsumoto

In 1996, a week before his studio space was set for demolition as part of a Redevelopment Agency project, Ken Matsumoto saw it—a “for rent” sign on the old North-Side Walnut processing plant in the heart of Japantown. It was fate and a journey that would eventually lead to the start of Art Object Gallery. […]

Ezra Mara

Ezra Mara was born in Russia, where she received her MFA before moving to the US more than 20 years ago. Her work has been shown in galleries across the country, as well as in Moscow. Her quarantine oil-on-canvas series, Ana’s Days, shows the same woman posing against a variety of backgrounds, her expression stoic and resigned.

8th Lake Fashion Show

A crew is gathering at the entrance. Silhouettes of models dance in the dark. The lights come on, and out come the first model as they step onto the runway. The 8th Lake Fashion Show on February 4th, 2022, was a night to remember.

Sunol Community Day Murals

Santa Clara County Office of Education's Sunol Community Day School has worked in partnership with SV Creates to guide students through collaborative processes to create murals that explore social justice themes.

Episode #76 Corinne Okada Takara

A mixed-media artist and the first Creative License Ambassador in the program’s pilot year, Corinne Okada Takara composes technology-integrated projects and crafts sculptural work out of elegant yet mundane materials, like silk, food wrappers, newspapers, and plastic produce netting.

Chine Slender

When you first hear “CVNT KALL ME BRO,” the sheer force of the two-minute onslaught feels like the sonic equivalent of running into a brick wall.

The Hollow

The theater is showcasing its first ever murder mystery performance and they’re starting with a bang. The Hollow is a play written by the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie, and takes the audience on a trip to the sunny English countryside… but there’s a storm coming.

Pick Your Poison

Comics Brian “BMo” Moore and Ruben Escobedo III decided to not only be comics in their own right, but to also take on hosting their own show, where five of the Bay Area’s best comedians compete against each other in a format that’s half improv, half standup, a dash of weirdness, and all laughs.

There is No Failure, Only Life

Local artist Gianfranco Paolozzi has some interesting ideas about change, failure and the things we buy only to discard.

Cuong Nguyen

Cuong Nguyen’s paintings give the sense that if one were to reach out to the painting, one would be able to feel the texture of skin and the life that he imbues onto canvases, a feeling long associated with classical styles of painting. His work demands that viewers stop to study the portraits he paints in hopes of absorbing every detail into their minds. “It’s realism, but drawing humans doesn’t have to be so realistic,” says Nguyen. “It doesn’t have to be every wrinkle of the skin. I don’t go for that.”

Chicks in Bowls: San Jose Chapter

Skating has quite the quirky history. The first recorded invention of skates was credited to an 18th century instrument maker and inventor...

Designing the State Street Market

A 20,000 square-foot abandoned grocery store on State Street, between Third and Fourth Streets in Los Altos, has recently opened as a modern food hall after four years of planning and repurposing. The project was led by Los Altos Community Investments (LACI) founder and principal Anne Wojcicki, also of 23andMe. She envisioned transforming the space into a vibrant community hub and extension to the Los Altos Farmers Market. LACI partnered with Gensler’s San Jose office to bring that vision to reality.

Magick Blues Band

Cultivated from a love for classic rock and strengthened by music’s potent connectivity, Magick Blues Band’s debut is the realized vision of an idea conceived years back by its founding members.

Haley Cardamon- B.A.C.K.

Jumping in headfirst. That’s how Haley Cardamon would describe her explosive entry into the magazine industry. Born and raised in East San Jose, Cardamon harbors a deep love for not only the city of San Jose as a whole, but more specifically, the creativity and diversity she sees all around her—creativity that she believes is often overshadowed by San Jose’s notoriety in the tech industry.

Sally Ashton: Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

What is a poet laureate anyway? This elevation of a notable poet began in the British Royal court during the 1600’s. The duty of one appointed to this position was to compose official poetry for the king’s or queen’s birthday as well as for great public occasions such as victories in war, coronations, and births and weddings in the royal family.

David Perez

David has managed the sort of things that few do, including earning the title of Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. His words blend playfulness and insight, both in poetry and interview.

Episode #75 – Gensler Designers Corinda Wong and Brian Corbett

This episode of the Content magazine podcast is a little bit different. I conducted the full audio interview with Corinda Wang and Brian Corbett of Gensler about the Los Altos State Street Market project. Corinda is the design director and senior associate, and Brian is the studio director.

A Different Drum – San Jose Taiko

For ten years I have heard booming thunder during springtime in downtown San Jose. It wakes me up and makes the windows hum. The sound motivates me to slip on some sandals and hustle down to Japantown. That thunder means San Jose Taiko, every bit as powerful and exciting as the first day I heard them.

Journey to the Druniverse

People don’t know what race or age I am under the mask, under the guise of the character. The mask lets people develop their own interpretation of who Dru is. I like that people can have their own personal experience with the music.

Episode #74 – Donbon: Donny Foley

Welcome to the wonderfully whimsical, twisted, and delightfully inappropriate world of Donny Foley, aka Donbon. This Donny does it all, comics, painting, children’s books, vintage resale, cartoons and more. He is not out to change the world with his art, he just wants to make people laugh and brighten their day.

Content Pick-Up Party Style

Bare bulb string lights hung above as Sound Wave did their "thang" on stage. A wave of people flooded the third floor of Urban Blanco. At the same time, smiling individuals sipped on Prosecco and nodded their heads to the music's beat at last Thursday's Content Magazine release party for issue 14.1 - the 57th issue to conclude the 9th year of print. As is anticipated and expected, the night contained exclusive local performers and artists displaying their work from right here in our community.

Episode #73 More Más Marami Arts

In this episode, we speak with Marissa Martinez and Matt Casey, cofounders of More Más Marami Arts. Marissa is a playwright and a creative writer, and Matt is a theatre producer and organizer.

More Más Marami Arts

At the age of 12, Marissa Martinez started writing fan fiction about her favorite show, Avatar: The Last Airbender (still her favorite show to this day). Greatly invested in the storytelling and character development, especially those of her favorite characters, Toph and Katara, she joined an online community that gave her a platform to share fan fiction for books she was reading as well.

Brian Boitano

As Brian Boitano skates onto the ice, the psychological weight is colossal. “It’s like the microwave gets turned on,” he describes, “and you’re cooking from the inside out, ready to explode.” The roar of 20,000 throats tidal waves over him and washes across the Saddledome. The almost palpably solid feeling of 20,000 pairs of eyes latch onto the back of his neck like a grappling hook. He strikes an erect pose, made all the more commanding in a blue military uniform. Silence falls like an ax. The music swells. And Boitano’s skates stir to life.

Colorstory Sammy

Sammy Koh’s landscape paintings are an invitation. Though photorealistic in detail—each frond of a palm tree drawn with a tiny brush—they present as open-ended offerings more than a precise, predetermined point of view. Like the way Sammy views her life, moments of beauty in nature are fleeting. But they can be evoked, regifted, to facilitate peace and healing.

#72 – Suzanne St. John-Crane – ALF

In our conversation, Suzanne shares her passion for music and ALF's mission to join and strengthen diverse leaders in our community, to create and support networks for good. To find out more about ALF, visit their website at alfsv.org

Nicholas Knopf

Though artist and craftsman Nicholas “Knoffy” Knopf has been immersed in creating art since a third grade writing project entitled “Attack of the Melting Zombies,” it wasn’t until this past year that he found the courage to share his work with others. Those admiring his work today, however, are given a look into his journey through a palette of creative experiences and influences that still inform his bold and surreal yet relatable work.

Annmariz Milagros

These sweet and naughty, sexy and peachy girls do it all: thighs and plump asses galore, they reflect inner dialogues you just might relate to.

Kristi Yamaguchi

When Kristi Yamaguchi saw the ice show at the Hayward Southland Mall as a little girl, she was in awe. “Just seeing the lights and the costumes…the performances were just really magical the way they all came together,” she remembers. “As a six-year-old, it’s like wow.”

10th Street Distillery

Spend an hour talking about whiskey with Virag Saksena, and it will feel like you’ve taken a master class on the subject. A longtime fan of the versatile spirit, Saksena is the cofounder—along with Vishal Gauri —of the 10th Street Distillery, one of San Jose’s first hard alcohol producers since prohibition.

Apis Floral – The Flower Guys

Flowers are intertwined with feelings—and Jose Ibarra and Efrain Escalante of Apis Floral get that.

#71- Rebecca Herman & Mark Shoffner

Rebecca Herman and Mark Shoffner have been artistic collaborators since 1999, creating sculptures and installations incorporating textiles, wood, bamboo, paper, and reclaimed materials. Their recent work draws on art and architecture from different cultures to create new interaction sites and refuge in contemporary society.

Polina Edmunds

Meet the Iron Butterfly, the ninth-placed Olympian and two-time US national silver medalist, Polina Edmunds. And while Edmunds’ nickname fits the weightless way she maneuvers across ice, there’s more to it than that.

#70 – Brandon Roos – Arts Journalist, DJ, and Content Magazine Contributing Writer

Brandon has been a contributing writer for Content Magazine since our second year of publishing in 2013. In addition to Content, Brandon has written for Metro Silicon Valley and San José Jazz.

SVCreates Content Emerging Artist Awards

The SVCreates Content Emerging Artist Award, awards unrestricted cash prizes to support artists while they pursue their creative work.

Episode #69 – Conrad Egyir

Conrad is a Ghanaian artist based in Detroit, working in figurative narratives of the African Diaspora. His work blends religious and West African folk iconography within domestic scenes, portraying a deep understanding of the history of portraiture. He utilizes shaped canvases and relief elements to reference stamps and postcards as metaphors for migration; journals, books, binder tabs, and chapters as metaphors for time and the archiving of ideas.

Alexa Arena, Google senior director of real estate development

How Google’s downtown megacampus will transform San Jose’s art landscape. Interview with Alexa Arena, Google senior director of real estate development.

Linda Gass: Stitched Paintings

From an aerial angle, the landscape is broken down in a patchwork of shapes and condensed colors like a massive, earthy quilt. Linda Gass captures that feeling through her map-like “stitched paintings,” art that addresses water and land-use issues in California and the American West.

The Art of Disability Culture

The Art of Disability Culture — Working Towards Access and Inclusion at the Palo Alto Art Center

Episode #68 – Danny Thien Le – Vietnamese-American Poet and Public Librarian

Danny Thien Le, known by many in downtown San Jose as "Dandiggity" has been a key personality in the cultural scenes in San Jose from poetry, event planning, arts & music advocacy, and fashion entrepreneurship.

Pivot: The Art of Fashion

Blurring the lines between fashion and art. Founders and producers Tina Brown and Rose Sellery have set out to blur the lines between fashion and art while engaging their community and setting themselves apart from the norms of the fashion industry.

Danny Le, a.k.a. Diggity

Elements of art, music, writing, philosophy and community come together in his laundry list of mainstays and bylines. Blogs, music collaborations, stores, galleries, design houses, dance crews, poetry, and activism are portions of his multifaceted persona. Try to label or define Dandiggity and you will quickly realize there may be no definition for what he does. Creator, organizer, and director all seem to fall short of capturing the energy and initiative that have made him one of the most diverse people you will meet.

Low Conspiracy Car Club

East San Jose was arguably the hub of the lowrider golden age during the late ’70s and through the ’80s, despite its LA roots—a period Abel refers to as the “King and Story Days.” From Friday to Sunday, Low Conspiracy (which was 80-members strong at its peak) cruised the boulevard with dozens of other clubs late into the night. Thousands of car enthusiasts milled around on the sidewalks and daydreamed themselves into many a driver’s seat.

Sawyer Rose: Carrying Stones

Sawyer Rose is a sculptor and installation artist who has been working on a project called the Carrying Stones that is currently on display at the NUMU through January 23, 2022.

Stacy Frank

Over the last three years, Stacy developed an entirely nontoxic techniques that are fast and get quick results—using a process of cutting out stencil board and using the stencil board in a combination of masking as printing elements.

Beyond Van Gogh

Ever been so drawn to a piece at an art museum that you've wanted to submerge yourself in it? Dive through the canvas and swim around in the paint? At Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, you can.

Cynthia Cao

When Cynthia Cao was a young girl, her mother liked to reward her with trips to Michaels. There, she would buy stamps for her collection. It was an inexpensive way to encourage creativity—drawing and painting were her childhood hobbies when she wasn’t reading or playing outside, happily entertained with the family pets.

Ray Furuta

A San Jose native, Ray Furuta has devoted his career to the flute. As a prodigious high school student, he was invited to take private lessons with renowned flutist Carol Wincenc and continued to study under her private instruction through college.

Episode #67 – My-Linh Le – Multidisciplinary Storyteller

My-Linh Le now describes herself as a Multidisciplinary Storyteller as she has moved from being an environmental lawyer to freestyle dancer, choreographer, and director of a forthcoming film, "Mudwater." The film is an adaptation of the turf dance project she started and developed known as Mud Water Theatre.

Nirvana Soul

With how well they get along, you’d have no idea that Be’Anka Ashaolu and Jeronica Macey were sisters, let alone flourishing business partners. Together, they built Nirvana Soul.

Sara V. Cole

Even as a baby, Sara V Cole held art materials in her hands. Her mother inspired her to find no limit in her creativity, and Cole truly hasn’t.

Ally Spray

Ally Spray is an 18-year-old, visual artist. She creates many of her abstract works of art on paper using Sharpie markers and pens. Most contain vibrant and colorful creations with detailed patterns, shapes, and lines.

Anno Domini

If you’ve ever participated in the First Friday Art Walk, or seen the Phantom Galleries while strolling downtown, or been in to Kaleid Gallery, you’ve probably heard about Anno Domini, operated by Brian Eder and Cherri Lakey, two very passionate individuals who have set out to cultivate the art scene in San Jose.

Ed Solis

I would love to see more public space engagement… As a teenager, Ed Solis didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life,…

Shiloh Ballard | SVBC

Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition: Seeking equity and inclusion in the bicycle movement, making bikeable streets for all.

Prince Ali: The Path of Art

How does a professional dancer survive a global pandemic?

Francisco Ramirez

As Francisco Ramirez grew up, art became a form of escapism from a turbulent home life. It was a hobby for a long time. Only recently has Ramirez begun taking it seriously, picking up mural work and other commissions to keep himself afloat.

West Valley Fashion Design and Apparel Technology 2021

The Fashion Design and Apparel Technology (FDAT) program at West Valley College was established in 1985 by a group of industry professionals for the students who wish to gain knowledge and experience in the field of fashion. At the end of each year, we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating students with a fashion show that represents their individual collection.

Joseph Arruda

Is it real art or is it digital art? This is the question that San Jose artist Joseph Arruda is frequently asked, and his answer is: both. Influenced by award-winning American artist and writer Bill Sienkiewicz’s aesthetic to “learn all the rules so you can fundamentally figure out when to ignore them,” Arruda creates what he calls an “art hack,” mixing a variety of digital and traditional techniques to create his abstract and portraiture artwork.

Claudia Blanco

Born in Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico, Claudia Blanco was surrounded by art from birth. Blanco’s father was a part-time jeweler whose font books fascinated her as a child, as did the painted signs and screens sitting around the screenprinting shop her uncle ran.

Rodrigo García

Artistic Director of Teatro Visión As a boy, Rodrigo García was told that performing arts made a good hobby, not a career. This assumption was flipped on its head, however, after he moved from Mexico City to the States and encountered Teatro Visión, a theater that inspires, empowers, and dignifies Latino voices while also exploring […]

Jonathan Crow

Jonathan Crow’s stylistic theme fits into the context of current events, but our quarantine and global pandemic increase the emotional potency for viewers. His art may reveal hard truths while also offering a catharsis that brings you back from the void.

Isaac Lewin

Artist Isaac S. Lewin is a multidisciplinary artist with a studio at the School of Visual Philosophy in San Jose. He creates unique sculptural pieces in two different styles: signs that contain text-like forms with no concrete meaning and large, three-dimensional, welded-metal wireframe structures.

Force 129

While spray painting on canvas remains his primary mode of artmaking, the phrase “the world is your canvas” holds literal meaning for Fernando Amaro, Jr.

Diane Villadsen

There’s a picture book kind of playfulness to Diane Villadsen’s photos. Not only do they practically twirl with sprightly youth and wonder, but they also toy with colors and shapes. They remind the viewer to let out that inner kid for a breath of fresh air.

Martin Malvar

Finding inspiration in skateboarding and the world around him for his crisp, allusive art.

#66- Scott Fulton – Special Project Manager San Jose Jazz

Scott played a primary role in the development of the Boom Box, the mobile box truck stage. He has recently led the project to transfer a section of the 310 South First office space (home to SVCreates/Content Magazine and San Jose Jazz) into a performance lounge called the "Break Room."

Enoteca La Storia

Benvenuti! Welcome to Enoteca La Storia, an Italian wine bar run by Mike Guerra and Joe Cannistraci. The combination of the word “enoteca” (or “wine library” in English) with “la storia” (“story”) is as thoughtfully paired as the pasta is with the pinot noir.

SP2 Communal Bar and Restaurant

You just know when you meet people and you like them and you get along with them, you’re just going to be surrounded by…

Nicolas Echeverri von Broen

Art can do a lot of good things for people—it can make them feel like they never have, articulate previously unknown emotions, provide direction and open the heart, and given the right (or wrong) circumstances, art can even save a life.

Nomikai

In the restaurant business, success is born from something even simpler than good food and drink: people’s propensity to connect with one another. Kathy and Tone Tran know a bit about this social connection, and it’s allowed them to remain successfully in this business for over ten years.

Episode #65 – SoFA Pocket Park – Veggielution

In this episode, we speak with Rosa Maria Gordilla, the Environment Education manager, and Emily Schwing, the Public Affairs Director, to hear how the SoFA Pocket Park project came about and the plans and programs for space.

Jeremiah Kille

Torn between the real and concrete and the abstract and otherworldly, artist Jeremiah Kille creates art that finds the happy medium in between extremes of technique and style.

Mezcal

Here it is not just family-owned, it is family-operated, right down to Adolfo Gomez himself greeting you at the door.

Orchestria Palm Court

What’s old is new again at the Orchestria Palm Court, a gem of a restaurant in San Jose’s theatre district.

Oleg Lobykin

Born in St. Petersburg to a military officer and a midwife, Oleg Lobykin has always enjoyed creating. “I always liked to escape from reality, to be in your own world and look for things like curves in the clouds.

Episode #64 – The Business of Art and Culture

Join our conversation with SVCREATES CEO Connie Martinez on the Content Podcast as we discuss The Business of Arts and Culture.

Valley Verde

Helping Santa Clara County to become the healthiest region in the country, one home garden at a time. Raul Lozano hopes to have planted 20,000 gardens in Santa Clara County.

Episode # 63 – Jeffrey Lo – Playwright

Jeffrey Lo received the Arts Council Silicon Valley 2012 Artist Laureate: Emerging Artist Award (the precursor to the SVCreates/Content Magazine Emerging Artist Award). Lo is also the founding artistic director of San Jose’s ‘06 Ensemble where he wrote and directed “A Kind of Sad Love Story,” “Barcelona Love Song” and “The Chase.” He is producer of the New Play Development Factory which highlights and develops the work of local Bay Area playwrights.

Wall of Rainbows

Marie Cameron is a Los Gatos artist who usually works in oils and mixed media assemblage. However, during the pandemic, she has been embroidering silk rainbows onto vintage photographs.

Hidden Histories

Japantown Augmented Reality Project Unearths the History of a Unique Neighborhood.

Episode #62 – Toni Vanwickle – Adobe Sr. Director of Digital Workplace Technology and Services

Toni Vanwinkle is the Senior Director of Digital Workplace Technology and Services, focused on keeping Adobe's diverse and global workforce innovative, collaborative, and productive everywhere.

Tōno Coffee Project

There’s a reason so many of us have such positive associations with coffee. Sure, it tastes great—but it’s not as if that flavor surpasses everything else you’ve ever passed over your taste buds. So what then? “It’s not so much about the coffee,” Bryan Chiem reveals. “It’s about coffee being the glue that brings people together.” He elaborates: “We can sit in a lab all day and talk about how it tastes or the science behind the coffee, but if we have no one to share it with then it means nothing.”

Episode # 61 – Danny Sanchez – The City Peace Project

In our conversation, we talk about Danny's transformation to being the founder of the City Peace project as well as discuss his book "Post Traumatic Quest: From pain to purpose, purpose to peace, his memoirs, which is accompanied by three songs he had written and remastered for the May 2021 release.

Clandestine Brewing

Picking the perfect spot to grab a cold beer can be a formidable task. With so many breweries and restaurants with full beer menus in San Jose, the choices are endless. But if you’ve ever felt the options on tap were a bit underwhelming, Clandestine Brewing offers artisanal, small-batch brews to suit even the most adventurous palate. Originally tucked away in the Monterey Avenue manufacturing area—as the secrecy in their name suggests—this co-op of homebrewers is now serving in the SoFA District of San Jose. Rob Conticello, one of the co-owners, shares the brewery’s journey.

Miguel Kultura

Juan Miguel Saucedo’s work as Miguel Kultura may have been birthed out of a time of crisis, but he’s since used his creative message to inspire cultural pride and compassion...

Synchronized Swimming

The Bay Area is the most recognized hub for synchronized swimming in the world. But while synchro remains strong, synchro in the United States as a whole has fallen behind.

Episode # 60 – Fil Maresca – Filco

Whether they realize it or not, anyone who has been to an outdoor festival in San Jose in the past 20 years has probably encountered Filco Events, the aptly-named production company headed by Fil Maresca, quietly one of the city’s most significant drivers of cultural community events since he moved here in 1989.

Ruben Escalante

Ruben Escalante suffered a heart attack as a freshman in high school. But this is only surprising until Ruben reveals the trauma he endured as a child: the father who went out at least once a week and came home drunk, angry, and violent; the early death of the grandfather who was the only one that could subdue his dad’s temper; the constant and vicious attacks at school by bullies who could not accept a sensitive, poetry-loving brown boy.

Episode #59 – Doug Hughmanick -ANML

Doug Hughmanick is the found and creative director of ANML Design, a digital agency that crafts simple and elegant design solutions, marrying form and function to create valuable connections between businesses and people.

Doug Hughmanick – ANML Design

As a teenager, Doug Hughmanick’s creative outlet was graffiti: spray paint was his medium of choice, and the South Bay was his canvas. Someone suggested he channel his artistic abilities into art school, an idea he had never thought of before. Hughmanick found out about Academy of Art in San Francisco and was intrigued. Two years into the art school experience, he realized a career in design was his future.

Erika Gómez Henao

Color is abundant in artist Erika Gómez Henao’s work. Through the use of several artistic mediums, including painting, performance, and ceramics, the vibrancy of Gómez Henao’s work captures audience attention, while her choice in subject matter commands it. Born and raised in Colombia, Gómez Henao credits her love of color to the richness of both her culture and the area where she grew up.

The Business of Arts and Culture

Silicon Valley’s cultural ecosystem is a vast, organic network of hundreds of small- to mid-sized multidisciplinary arts and cultural organizations and thousands of artists, creative entrepreneurs, volunteers and individual participants. IN 2021 SVCreates released this report "The Business of Arts & Culture" about this ecosystem.

Fanny Retsek

Originally from South Pasadena, artist Fanny Retsek attended Loyola Marymount College for a degree in European history before relocating to the Bay Area in her late twenties. Her interest in art grew out of a study of art history, and after moving to the Bay, Retsek earned an MFA at SJSU with a focus on printmaking.

Episode #58 – Maryela Perez – Visual Artist, DJ, and Curator for MACLA

Maryela originally came to San José after graduating from UC Santa Cruz. She was looking to gain experience and develop a resume to become an urban planner. Through AmeriCorps and a program called Public Allies, she landed an internship with the Park and Recreation Department of San José. Once in the city, Maryela began to connect with the creative community, which led her to become a curator at MACLA.

Martha Sakellariou – Walks of Art

Martha Sakellariou began her journey earning multiple degrees from the Athens School of Fine Arts in Greece. She went on to obtain her MA in printmaking from the Royal College of Art in London. In 2005 she worked as the Creative and Art Program director for a climate change awareness program for Friends of the Earth, London. In 2013, her family moved to the Bay Area where she now holds a studio space as an independent visual artist with the Cubberley Artist Studio Program in Palo Alto.

Tony May: infinite variability

Tony May’s 1920s downtown home is peaceful, with dried leaves hanging from strings, handcrafted cupboards displaying his and others’ work, and the soft hum of water boiling for a cup of tea. There is the normal collection of items that gather after living in a place for nearly forty years.

Episode #57 – Emily McEwan-Upright – Gallery 1202

In our conversation, Emily shares her mission for Gallery 1202 and her large aspirations to provide the South Valley arts community affordable creative spaces to pursue their dreams through the recently formed non-profit 6th Street Studios and Art Center.

Racial Equity in Philanthropy — A Perspective

After many years in a career dedicated to racial justice, through community activism, arts administration, and nonprofit leadership, I now find myself in the midst of a hot topic of the day — Racial Equity in Philanthropy. And it’s about time!

Episode #56 – Chris Jalufka – Evil Tender

Chris Jalufka is a Bay Area-based artist and writer focused on the world of design, illustration, and limited edition posters. His articles have appeared in Content Magazine, HOW Magazine, Print Magazine, Juxtapoz, and various sites and his venture, Evil Tender.

Silicon Valley African Film Festival

When Chike Nwoffiah arrived in the Bay Area from Nigeria to pursue a career in biotech, he was shocked to see the way Africa was portrayed. Home to over one billion people, it’s a vibrant land full of both modern cities and rural villages, yet few are exposed to the rich diversity and vitality of the continent and its people.

Cisco Kid

Joey “Jam” Flores pays tribute to War and to his uncles, Sonny and Rudy Madrid, who paved his way in the culture of music.

Episode #55- 3Below- Shannon Guggenheim

In our conversation, Shannon sure about the journey to opening. The road they have been on through COV-19 and the spark of hope they feel as they can see the light a the end of the tunnel as they slowly to reopen.

3Below Theater

A renovated theater is easy to miss on the outside, but 3Below promises multifaceted entertainment for those who come in search of adventure.

Adobe Founders

I’ve always told our employees who want to rise in management, just go out and hire people who are incredibly smart. Smarter than you…

Episode #54 – Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo

Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo is a visual artist, poet, teacher, and 2021 Creative Ambassador with the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Jose.

Robert Ragazza

Robert Ragazza finds inspiration on the tough streets of San Jose, and through his photographs, exposes the city’s heart.

Polaroid Jay

At his show “Almost Famous,” held at Cukui last March, Jay Aguilar completely covered the single wall he was given with his photography. From nearly floor to ceiling, each meticulously placed, independently developed square shot portrayed various local scenesters and musicians. The sheer volume of his work was overwhelming, but what made the evening extra special was how each portrait brought back memories of the many shows he had memorialized on film.

Folk and Traditional Arts — A Perspective

Traditional art draws from ceremony, celebration, and community. These are important for passing on the cultural values in our ethnic communities from generation to generation. The richness of our neighborhoods is the displaying and sharing of the traditional arts in the community.

Episode #53- San Jose Spotlight

For a city that has been fasting in a desert for years, San Jose Spotlight might be just the thing to quench the community’s thirst for news.

Anabella Piñon

Using a variety of mediums, from photography to linoleum cuts, Anabella Piñon finds visual symbolism in the tumbleweed’s transient form.

San Jose Spotlight

As the 10th-largest city in the United States, San Jose’s local news offerings are startlingly sparse. The Mercury News has reduced its staff reporters in recent years, even while buying out many of the surrounding community newspapers. Metro fills some of the holes in San Jose coverage, but as a free weekly, its scope is limited. Online publications like Patch have struggled with readership, and TV news outlets spread their resources across the entire Bay Area. All of this leaves Silicon Valley residents with few opportunities to read about local politics, community issues, and other important news affecting their lives.

Episode #52 – Peter Hsieh – Writer and Director

Peter Hsieh is a writer and director from San Jose, California, who has written over 30 staged-plays. His full-length play "Tangerina" was a finalist for the 2015 Orange County New Play Festival, and the short play "A Room with Modern Furniture" won 3rd place at Playwrights CageMatch 2013 at Douglas Morrisson Theater. His feature film, "Drive All Night," which he wrote and directed, is premiering at Cinequest Film & Creativity 2021 online festival.

Recycle Bookstore

Founded in 1967 by Pat and Joan Hayes, Recycle Bookstore has become a San Jose institution, where visitors can wander through cases of books, from literary classics to special interest texts, in the company of the shop’s well-loved felines. The distinctive character of each cat, detailed on the bookstore website, matches the character of the shop’s offerings—many of the books are rich with the history of previous readers. In 1998, Eric and Cynthia Johnson bought the store, and in 2004, they opened a second location in Campbell.

BAMN—By Any Media Necessary

Beneath the light-hearted narrative frame, there lies the distinct punk-rock ethos of urging viewers to “do it yourself,” despite what supposed gatekeepers may say. The storyline mirrors the way BAMN’s core unit of creative partners feel about their own road to success. Self-described underdogs of the scene, BAMN strives to share compelling stories that inspire community pride. That inspirational, and at times political, message stretches across several forms of media.

Jeff Chang

Since leaving his native Hawaii for UC Berkeley in 1985, writer and scholar Jeff Chang has emerged as a potent contemporary cultural critic and one of hip-hop’s leading advocates. Jeff Chang may be one of today’s leading contemporary cultural scholars, but there are plenty of signs that he’s still very much a fan of the culture he writes about so eloquently and thoroughly.

Gabriel Edwards

Gabriel Edwards, who goes by Gabe, is a full-time artist and dad, living with his wife and daughter in San Jose, and with a son on the way. Over the past six years, Gabe has been working on two large, ongoing projects: drawing collages of objects from horror films using a style called “knolling,” where the artist arranges various objects in parallel with each other on paper, and recording his own audiobooks on cassette.

#51 – Eric bui – San Jose Artists

Eric Bui looking through his social media feed, you will notice that he enjoy drawing with ink and pen to a digital tool like Procreates. Recently, Eric has been found himself in the local spotlight because of a piece he had submitted to a group exhibit curated by the City of San Jose called "Holding the Moment," a series of works by 77 artists displayed at the San Jose International Airport.

Allan Barnes

Allan Barnes creates stunning photographs that look as if they were unearthed from an antique book in an old library, and that’s because the process he uses is more than 150 years old. The technique, called wet plate collodion, results in monochromatic pictures that are haunting, soft, and beautiful, with a grainy depth that can’t be recreated with modern film or filters.

Dirty Beats: Aaron Schwartz

A love for underground bass music culture has guided Aaron Schwartz’s journey as both a DJ and producer. With a record deal newly inked, he’s set to continue sharing his heavy grooves and whirlwind rhythms.

#50 – Brendan Rawson – Executive Director, San Jose Jazz

South Bay native Brendan Rawson has worked in the local arts scene for more than twenty years. Since joining San Jose Jazz (SJZ) in 2012, Brendan has worked to increase their education programs' impact and conceived many of their most successful initiatives, including Jazz Beyond programming and the mobile Boombox Truck stage.

t.w.five

Artist Duo Brightens the World with Colorful Vinyl Art

#49 – Halfdan Hussey – CEO and Founder of Cinequest & Creatics

Cinequest was one of the first California institutions to make tough choices to move the festival after six safe days of in-person events but then had closed the rest of the festival. Fortunately, Cinequest leadership was already working on a digital media platform called, Creatics that they could alter to include online screenings in the summer of 2020, which has been a great test run for this year's Cinequest Online Festival March 20-30th.

Matthew Heimgartner

Although a visual artist now, Matthew Heimgartner was initially drawn to the creative world through storytelling. Writing stories throughout his childhood in San Jose and adding doodles in the margins, it wasn’t until 2017 that he made what he considers the official switch—that is, showing his artwork publicly.

Ato Walker -Making Truth Funny

If you want to visit a real-life Moe’s Tavern, visit the Caravan Lounge, San Jose’s grand dive bar. You won’t see Homer Simpson or Barney, but Jägermeister is on tap and on Wednesday nights you’ll meet Ato Walker, who hosts its weekly comedy show.

Stories for Solidarity

Mikomi Yoshikawa-Baker, “Miko,” desperately wanted to protest the murder of George Floyd. But, given the police’s rampant use of tear gas and rubber bullets, she also wanted to keep herself and her young daughter away from the crowds. So she looked around the downtown neighborhoods, noticed all the boarded-up windows, and discovered the best way to join the movement—by calling in an army of creatives, buying up gallons of paint, and depicting powerful antiracist messages on the ubiquitous blank lumber.

#48 Marianne McGrath – Independant Art Curator and Consultant

Marianne K. McGrath is a Los Gatos, California, local who used her background in art and art history to build her own business, MKM Art Consulting, LLC., to practice curating, art consulting, and art education. Marianne holds a BA in art and 3-D design, as well as an MA in art history from San Jose State University. Her passion for art led her to a career focused on sharing art with the community, especially seen through her work with the New Museum Los Gatos (formerly The Museums of Los Gatos). Art exhibits and projects hosted by MKM Art Consulting include "To Hear and Be Heard" and "31 Women."

Episode #47 Chad Johnston – CreaTV San Jose

Chad Johnston, CEO of CreaTV San Jose, sees immense opportunity and a chance to reshape what we’ve come to know as Public Access TV, and transform it into a powerful public tool for local storytelling and media activism.

Chad Johnston – CreaTV

Electronic Greenspace: Chad Johnston and CreaTV Harness the Local Power of Public Access for Digital Activism.

# 46 – Ato Walker – Humorist, host, and emcee

He calls himself "Mr. Walker." He started out hosting comedy nights at San Jose's Britannia Arms and now performs at the Ice House, San Jose Improv, Laughs Unlimited, Rooster T. Feathers, and the Caravan Lounge. He's also emcee'ed Music in the Park and San Jose Jazz Festival stages.

#45 Jorge "J.Duh" Camacho – Contemporary Artist

Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho uses the symbiotic duality of his creative process—fine art versus street—to create unique, vibrant, and witty works of art.

Rachel Spung and the Soul Service

Hailing from Monterey and San Jose, Rachel and the Soul Service deliver sparkling musical freshness—a groovy yet unprocessed blend of soul and R&B. The group’s tight chemistry is the clearest quality of their performance, resulting in a unity of sounds that comes across as fun, entertaining, and constantly innovating.

J.Duh

Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho uses the symbiotic duality of his creative process—fine art versus street—to create unique, vibrant, and witty works of art.

#44 Dana Harris Seeger and Yori Seeger – School of Visual Philosophy Cofounders

Their passion for art and community lead them to launch the School of Visual Philosophy in 2013. The vision was to provide a place for artists to learn, create, and develop a new pedagogy for creative craftsmanship and art.

School of Visual Philosophy

School of Visual Philosophy: An Arts Revolution. Yori and Danna Seeger, husband and wife, new parents, artists, educators, and revolutionaries.

Content Conversations 2021

Content Conversations 2021: A few Notes for the conversation.

Guerilla Wanderers

Some storytellers steadfastly hold that plot should sweep a narrative’s characters along on a journey. Others adamantly advocate that characters’ reactions to their surroundings and circumstances should drive the plot. It’s a heated debate among fiction aficionados. Sean McCarthy, founder of video production company Guerilla Wanderers, seasoned director, writer, producer, visual effects supervisor, and actor, lands in the character-driven camp.

#43 Sinjin Jones – Transmedia artist and Artistic Director at Pear Theatre

In 2019, Sinjin moved from Colorado to the Bay Area and is currently rounding up his first year as the Artistic Director at Pear Theatre in Mountain View, California. Sinjin has been able to use his skills in multiple medias to innovate creative solutions to keep Pear Theatre running during the global pandemic.

Dirtbag Dan

The Zae baby! Every show began with the same battle cry, followed by a vocal roar and a flash of the 408. Daniel Martinez—known…

#42 Juan Sanchez – Founder and Creative Director of Baunfire Digital Agency

Juan founded Baunfire in 2003 to provide "great work" for his clients and soon realized that a "great team" is the key to the quality of Baunfire's service. As a digital design agency based in the heart of Silicon Valley, downtown San Jose, they have partnered with leading global brands and forward-thinking startups to design and develop elevated platforms on the web. Baunfire has partnered with a diverse group of high-profile clients including Nike, Netgear, Honda, Cisco, The Walt Disney Company, and more.

Montalvo Arts Center: Lucas Artists Residency

The Montalvo Arts Center, besides being a beautiful local park, is home to a number of artists from all over the world.

Baunfire

Juan Sanchez’s journey to founding a digital agency Act I Juan Sanchez loved the city. He would wander the streets, marveling at the cool…

Kristina Micotti

What kinds of people become full-time artists? Sometimes it’s the kind that meticulously plotted their futures, enlisting in daily portfolio camps and yearly summer intensives. Other times, it’s the kind—like Kristina Micotti—who let their careers evolve naturally, flowing with the course of their lives, somehow winding up exactly where they wanted to be. In every way Micotti interacts with her creative practice—whether in choosing it, developing it, or taking it full-time—Micotti proves that you don’t always need to plan. Sometimes it just works out.

Asiel Design

Whether it’s styling the latest looks in weddings or pushing modern design to the next level, Jonathan and Linnae of Asiel Design give new meaning to event planning.

#41 S. Sayre Batton – San Jose Museum of Art

Sayre shares about the adjustments and changes the museum has made during COVID-19 and some of the plans for the museum moving into 2021.

S. Sayre Batton

During her career, Susan Sayre Batton has held a number of art museum positions, including deputy director at Honolulu Academy of Arts, collections consultant at Norton Simon Museum, and her current position as Oshman Executive Director at San Jose Museum of Art.

Knowmadic

Knowmadic is a rare example of the San Jose artist who has found legitimate financial success through music. “The first real royalties check that I got that let me know I could quit my shitty day job and do what I love for a living.” He also pointed out that he found his unique sound four or five years into his career, and that is where he marks the beginning of both his artistic and monetary success.

Conscious San Jose

Of the people, by the people, for the people: such is how the Conscious San Jose Festival came about—how it operates in every moment and how it dreams for the future of our world. It’s a celebration of yoga, wellness, music, art, food, but most of all, community—a rosy bubble of possibility where anyone is accepted, and everyone belongs.

Lucidbeaming | Tech Art

Joshua Curry’s studio is a tech haven saturated with LEDs and wires, screens flickering abstract visuals, gently humming monitors, a congregation of speakers, and two electric keyboards...

Gallery 1202

Gallerist Emily McEwan-Upright opens Gallery 1202, offering a home for marginalized and underrepresented voices in the art world.

April Gee

With the vision of empowering artists through greater exposure in the marketplace, April Gee's Petite Galleria offers carefully curated, individual, handcrafted art. April seeks people whose art embodies that passionate maker spirit, so it is unsurprising that her work at Petite Galleria empowers April to pursue her own passion: making music as Containher.

#40 Joe Miller – Graphic Designer, Educator, and Arts Administrator

In our conversation, Joe shares about a design lesson "nugget" as well as talk about the roll of graphic design for cultural equity and inclusion. Jos also shares the vision and future of Works San Jose and the change they have had to make during COVID-19.

Episode #39 Karen Kienzle – Director of the Palo Alto Art Center

Karen Kienzle is Director of the Palo Alto Art Center and oversees this vital community organization's vision, budget, marketing efforts, and staffing. Karen brings more than 15 years of experience in arts administration to the Art Center and a Lecturer San Francisco State University's museum program.

Tyler Gordon

Painting Prodigy and Regular Kid. At age 14, Tyler Gordon and his art are already in the national spotlight.

Chris Elliman

Chris Elliman moved to the US from England in his teens, when his father landed an industrial design position at Apple in 1985. Through his creativity, talent, and persuasive persona, he finds himself thoroughly linked to the creative culture and history of the South Bay and Downtown San Jose.

Episode #38 Michael Ogilvie – City of San Jose’s Director of Public Art

Michael Ogilvie, formerly overseeing public art programs in Las Vegas and Clark County, as San Jose's public art director, seeks to deepen San Jose inhabitants' appreciation of their home and leads the city's public art program by stewarding over 250 works of art, research, and plans and evaluates public art projects.

Episode #37 Janice Lobo Sapigao – Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

Lately, two topics seem to be on the mind of Santa Clara County's latest poet laureate, Janice Lobo Sapigao: death and childhood. Though "beginning" and "end" might seem polar opposites, they're closer than we often give them credit for.

Michael Ogilvie

Assisting with this mission is Michael Ogilvie, San Jose’s public art director. Seeking to deepen San Jose inhabitants’ appreciation of their home, Ogilvie leads the city’s public art program by stewarding over 250 works of art and research and also plans and evaluates public art projects.

Episode #36 Steve Borkenhagen – Urban Confluence Silicon Valley

Steve Borkenhagen has been an entrepreneur and business owner in Silicon Valley since 1975. He opened Camera One Theater, the first repertory cinema in San Jose, and partners in 1975. Since then, Steve had founded and operated multiple bars and restaurants in the South Bay Area, including Eulipia Restaurant from 1977 to 2012 when they transitioned to be Cafe Stritch.

Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk was an honored guest of Cinequest Film Festival 23 as a Maverick Award recipient, earning the award for his unique outsider voice that continues to have an impact on mainstream culture. In addition to receiving a Maverick Award, Palahniuk attended the festival in support of a screening of the short film “Romance,” written and directed by Andy Mingo and based on Palahniuk’s short story of the same name.

Felt Love

How do we care for our loved ones well? This question, simple in theory, isn’t always so straightforward. A group of San Jose State University students explore this concept in their story Felt Love, a 2D and stop motion animated short film. In Felt Love, a mom/seamstress finds her son peeking his head through her sewing room doorway, hopeful of story time, and must figure out how to balance work and family. It’s a straightforward film, but it’s sure to strike a chord — especially considering current events. Moms and dads attempting to work from home during the pandemic will feel a pang of sympathy for this mother and her internal battle as she’s torn between spending quality time with her family and providing for them.

BraveMaker

Storytellers, for instance, commit feats of valor too. Take the Bay Area film festival, production company, and film collective BraveMaker. “At our heart,” says Founder and Executive Director Tony Gapastione, “we really exist to elevate brave stories for justice, diversity, and inclusion.” He leans forward, elbows on knees, revealing a lens shutter tattooed on one forearm. “[We] talk about things that we know in culture are necessary to talk about… Let’s get better at having hard conversations!”

Art Business and COVID

Design a business plan for a mom and pop shop. Throw in all the extras, goodies, and toppings, like locally sourced content, community building, local economy boosting, and anything else that sounds good. Do not be shy, put it all in there. In fact, build your dream business. Have you got it in your head? OK, now take this business plan and put it in a blender.

Black Sheep Made

So much of makers’ making takes place outside of the public eye, the effort is embedded deeply and meaningfully in their products, but is perhaps not readily apparent to the naked eye. There is a particular joy that comes from encountering a maker like Allysarhaye Graciano of BlackSheepMade, who can often be found during events crocheting or hand-knitting something on the spot for a customer, such as one of her incredibly popular pet beds, one-of-a-kind rugs, or elegant plant hangers.

Navigating Communications & Engagement for the Arts Part #1

In this shelter-in-place season, arts organizations and creatives have faced new hurtles in engaging audiences, donors, and artists. But what better way of overcoming the odds than with a little creative problem solving? Navigating Communications & Engagement for the Arts, a three-week series created by SVCreates, San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, and genArts Silicon Valley, supports the arts community by sharing strategies employed by a variety of sectors. This is the first of three classes held on October 20th.

Second Hand Hustle

Seeking ’80s and ’90s swag? Jaypee Inguito’s your man. Through his store, Second Hand Hustle, and its offering of curated vintage men’s clothing, he hooks…

Episode #35 Cain Ramirez – Paper Moon Coffee Company

Cain co-founded Cowgirl Bike Courier, a San Jose-based bike messenger service, with Amanda Muehlbauer in 2014. After running the business for a few years in the South Bay, better business opportunities led him to San Francisco; but after an injury and changes in the messenger industry, Cain retired from that business. Soon after, the contacts he had made as a messenger led him to his next gig with Paper Moon Coffee Company.

Joe Kaplow

Joe Kaplow Keeps the Folk Tradition Alive in Santa Cruz County...

Episode #34 Omar Rodriguez – Kooltura Marketing and Eastside Magazine

Omar Rodriguez founded Kooltura Marketing to provide creative communications agency that works through the paradigm of multicultural marketing, a form of marketing that bases its strategy and methods on the people, culture, language, and history of the community it hopes to target. Kooltura has targeted San Jose’s Mayfair community and downtown San Jose.

Episode #33 Ren Geisick – Americana Singer-Songwriter

Ren Geisick isn't a typical jazz or country singer. As a matter of fact, she categorizes herself as an Americana singer-songwriter. Growing up with country and jazz icons playing through the stereo in her San Jose home, she is equally influenced by Bob Dylan and Nina Simone; she flows seamlessly, from the soulful delivery of a jazz ballad to the carefree lilt of an American folk song. Ren is a solo artist and co-leads new funk and soul band The Anachronistics with William Bohrer.

Episode #32 Demone Carter – Rapper, Creative Catalyst, and Nonprofit Professional

Demone Carter's original plan was to be a "famous" rapper but found himself in the arts nonprofit world after starting after school youth hip-hop dance program. He continues to Rap and make music, but that transition led his path to become an influential voice in the South Bay creative scene. From overseeing MALI and the School of Arts and Culture programs to co-hosting a Rap culture podcast with Needle to the Groove team members, Dave Ma and Nate Leblanc, which has recently been pick-up by Stony Island Podcast Network.

Harumo Sato

Everything about Harumo Sato attains a critical mass of joy, color, and wonder. You can see it in her paintings and murals, where every character she draws could be your otherworldly spirit friend.

Episode #31 Trami Cron – Chopsticks Alley Art

Trami Nguyen Cron, the founder of Chopsticks Alley Art, and author of her 2016 debut novel, VietnamEazy: A NovelaboutMothers, Daughters, and Food. Having lived in cultural crossroads for most of her life Trami founder Chopsticks Ally Arts in 2018 to bring their people’s artwork outside of their community into the mainstream so that “our narrative, our voices, our version of things is being seen.”

Episode #30 Karen Gutfreund – Activist + Feminist Curator + Artist

Karen Gutfreund is a curator focusing on feminist and social justice themed art and is also a practicing artist. She has been a contributor to Content Magazine with her piece on "Art as Slow Change" (http://bit.ly/artslowchange104). Karen's current work is a catalog featuring 147 artists with over 350 works titled, "Not Normal: Art in the Age of Trump" as is a visual protest of the Trump administration.

Natasha Sandworms

Local indie rocker Natasha Sandworms is learning to write from a place of happiness.

Episode #29 Usha Srinivasan, Founder and President of Sangam Arts

Founder, and President of Sangam Arts Usha started reconnecting with native forms of art from her home country, which led her into the local arts and culture scene.

Bellabeat

Urška Sršen, CCO and Founder of Bellabeat, redefines the territory. “That’s an interesting question because I think they are very intertwined… There is a connection between tech and art because tech is, at least in the consumer space, useless without design. Tech is a very creative process.” For her team, being artists and developing new technology are one and the same. Both disciplines are about developing something from scratch, and fighting for the creator’s own ideas, values, and creations.

Model Search

Model search editorial with Scout Model and Talent Agency

Episode #28 Jonathan Williams – Tabard Theatre

Jonathan Williams took the helm as Executive Artistic Direct in July, amid the COVID pandemic. As a theatre, their performances (and revenue) came to an abrupt halted with the shelter-in-place orders. Immediately, the Tabard team began to think to go way to pivot and produce a live-stream format and presented one-man show performances of "Looking Over the President's Shoulder," featuring James Creer.

Bare Back

Photographer: Daniel Garcia / Assistant Photographer: Arabela Espinoza / Stylist: Mariana Kishimoto / Producer: Elle Mitchell / Hair Stylists: KC Benson and Helen Yoo for Bedlam Beauty and Barber / Makeup Artist: Zenia Marie / Talent: Ivy for Scout Model Agency / Horse Trainer: Crysta Causin of Morgan Hill Riding Academy / Wardrobe: Christina Morgan Cree, Rachel Riot Designs, CRIV, K. Michael Jewelry, Black Cat Hats / Location: Coyote Lake Harvey Bear Ranch, Spade & Plow

Episode #27 Jessica Paz-Cedillos – Executive Director School of Arts and Culture

Jessica accepted the School of Arts and Culture's role in March 2019 with years of experience in community service and activation. She brings those skills, knowledge, and passion to her new position, which has been vital. They have had to pivot t they working out the mission to catalyze creativity and empowers the community.

The Cruiser Shop

Explore downtown Campbell and you’ll find The Cruiser Shop tucked inside a Valley-of-the-Heart’s-Delight-era courtyard on Campbell Avenue. Walk inside and you’ll meet Dominick Guida….

DJ ThatGirl

With years on the scene and a wealth of connections, DJ ThatGirl is now harnessing her network to empower female DJs through recently launched DIME Talent Group.

Jemal Diamond

Starting out as an actor but ending up as a director, Diamond eventually made his way up to Chicago where a vibrant and extensive small-theater scene welcomed him. Soon, he was running a small theater company with his friends, but meeting after meeting led Diamond to experience something of a crisis of faith. “[I] had a major life crisis and pretty much quit theater forever,” Diamond says. “It was then I decided I wanted to make visual art, particularly visual and graphic design.”

Marissa Ahmadkhani

Born and raised in Gilroy, Ahmadkhani decided to go to college at Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo because of its location. Soon after arriving, she found a group of like-minded creatives in the tightly knit English Department, a refuge in a sense from the polytechnic focus of the university. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English literature.

Donnelle McGee – Exit Strategy

A local novelist on the finer points of complete disappearance. A good story is like an addiction. It separates you from yourself, steeps you in a world different from the one buoyed by your immediate surroundings. But, according to McGee, only one brings you back whole.

Assembly Bill 5

With the misguided adoption of Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) this past January, Sacramento is undercutting fundamental parts of the ecosystem for the performing arts in California. The law has resulted in a multitude of scenarios in which artists are losing opportunities to create and California audiences are losing the opportunity to benefit immeasurably from experiencing the artists’ work.

Art as Slow Change

Activist art is on the rise, particularly in the last two years. While it used to be rare to have art institutions hosting activist exhibitions, they are now being shown across the country and in locations that even just a few years ago would have seemed improbable. Imagine a gallery or museum in a conservative southern town having an exhibition on the theme of racism or Black Lives Matter. The whirlwind of rhetoric and hyperbole from the current administration spewing xenophobia, misogyny, and racism has galvanized artists into action, bringing to light injustice and inequalities.

Tshaka Campbell

If you’ve seen slam poetry live in the Bay Area, chances are you’ve seen Tshaka Campbell performing. Campbell has dedicated his artistic life to sharing his world of words and the performance of his own perspective.

Leily Khatibi -Digital Art

How many books and bloggers have warned us of the isolation of our digital screens? Of the threat of social media corroding friendships or of virtual reality overriding real life? But here’s the thing about tools: They can harm or they can help. It’s up to the user to make that choice, and immersive experience designer Leily Khatibi knows this better than most.

Liquid Agency

Over the last half-century, Silicon Valley has become the global center of innovation—the world’s brightest minds flock here in droves.

TOToast- Transient Occupancy Tax

It’s an overwhelming understatement to say this has already been a rough year for California’s creative ecosystem. No sooner had we begun to grapple with the unintended yet utterly predictable consequences of Assembly Bill 5 and explore potential solutions with lawmakers, COVID-19 came around and threw the whole world upside down.

Crooner Thiccricc

Crooner Thiccricc offers honest music from his bedroom to yours.

Brittni Paul

A vegan, eco-conscious artist who paints endangered species into reclaimed wood and uses soy-based ink and plant-based packaging might sound intimidating—but Brittni Paul expresses her passion with graciousness: it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being informed.

Crystal Mendoza

Glimpse Crystal Mendoza on the glossy pages of a magazine and right away you’ll notice an air of certainty in how she presents herself. Poised in a sleek satin halter top and matching pants, both in a shade of smokey lavender, the Latina model observes the viewer coolly over a martini glass filled to the brim with pearls—as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Patrick Hofmeister

At 20 years old and homeless, it was the gift of a paint set and easel that presented Patrick Hofmeister with a path to find his inner strength. Through art, the San Jose native discovered a compulsion to create, thus giving himself a sense of purpose and determination. Patrick immersed himself in the many different styles that came his way, first absorbing the likes of painter Mars-1 and pop surrealist Greg Simkins, among many others. Like Simkins, Patrick dabbled in graffiti at an early age. While he didn’t commit to developing his skills in this style, elements of graffiti gradients still influence his work.

Academic Coffee Community

Frank Nguyen has been on a journey for several years, moving toward opening his own crafted coffee house. From building out the space on South Second and Williams to running a pop-up from Five Points on West Santa Clara Street, Nguyen is looking to share his special coffee and select pastries with the community—and to help others to brew that perfect cup. [Editor’s Note: Location on South Second Street opened August 2017.]

Coffee Shift, Inc.

It’s easy to take for granted how effortless it is to get a cup of coffee. Anywhere you travel, you won’t have to search far before smelling the rich aroma coming from somewhere nearby. But finding a brew that not only tastes good, but that has been ethically sourced from the seed to the cup, is harder to do. For Tyler Pinckard, self-proclaimed coffee lover and CEO of Coffee Shift, Inc., his company’s focus is to disrupt the traditional coffee market to give more back to the farmers and provide better-tasting coffee for the consumer.

Episode #26 ¡Fiesta!

Fiesta Pamplona is a documentary project from local photojournalist and San Jose State alumnus Neal Waters. The beautify shot film records the process and events surrounding the Fiesta de San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain, which include the daily running of the bulls.

Episode #25 Needle to the Groove (NTTG) – Michael Boado & David Ma

Michael is one of the co-founders of the Needle to the Groove (NTTG) record store in San José and also know as DJ Basura. David Ma is part of the NTTG label, and is an accomplished writer, contributor, and curator to Content Magazine's Album Pick series. Check out latest selection at https://bit.ly/AlbumPicks123

Episode #24 Socorra – Musician and Community Organizer

If you have been listening to the Content Podcast, you have heard her song "Muddy Water" behind the intro and the closing credits. Socorra, featured in issue 9.2, has not only been performing and connecting with the local music scene; she has also helped organize events with Filco and raise the next generation of artists as a teacher with the School of Rock.

Episode #23 A Conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

A Conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with Valéria (“Val”) Miranda and Hannah Garcia. Valéria (“Val”) Miranda is the Executive Director of Santa Cruz Art League and a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant. Hannah Garcia is the Grants Program Manager and the Equity Catalyst for the Arts Council of Santa Cruz.

Episode #22 Jay Kim -Silicon Valley Pastor and Author

Jay Kim, as Silicon Valley pastor, found himself wondering if the Church's quick implication of new technologies happened without giving thought to want might be lost in its application. That gave way to him penning his first book, Analog Church (InterVarsity Press).

Episode #21 Rah Riley

In our conversation, Rah discusses how her plans to resign from Eastridge Center on March 13 to work abroad four months in South East Asia with Remote Year changed and delayed because of COVID-19. As a planner, how that has been a learning experience for her. We also discuss her thoughts on social media and what we have grown to discover and love about the uniqueness of the South Bay.

Episode #20 Cathy Kimball – ICA

Cathy Kimball - Executive Director and Chief Curator San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Cathy Kimball as been with the ICA since 2000 and has planned her retirement as the ICA turns 40, though she will continue to participate in various ways, specifically to assist with the Marcus Lyon project, "De.Coded: A Human Atlas of Silicon Valley" by the Packard Foundation, scheduled for 2022.

Episode #19 Ellina Yin – Only in San José

In addition to her prior roles as Co-Founder of Local Color and Founding Board Member of Catalyze SV, Ellina Yin is a firm believer that local government is ground zero of systemic change. As a community engagement enthusiast born and raised in Eastside San Jose, she is always on the lookout to raise awareness and encourage civic participation in more meaningful and productive ways.

Episode #18 Sam Shah – Co-founder Voyager Craft Coffee

Sam and his partner Lauren Burns have gone from a pop-up coffee trailing to three cafés. The most recent location (on The Alameda near Santa Clara University) opened right at the beginning of the Shelter-in-Place order for Santa Clara County because fo COVID-19.

Kerriann Otaño

The Life of a Modern-Day Opera Singer

Episode #17 Michelle Runde

In addition to contributing to Content Magazine, Michelle works as a Policy Counselor for one of the large Silicon Valley Social Media companies. In our conversation, Michelle reveals her love for Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and cast her vote for Star Trek over Star War.

Episode #16 Juan Carlos Araujo – Empire Seven Studios

Co-Founder of Empire Seven Studios (E7S) and POW! WOW! San Jose, along with his partner Jennifer Ahn, Curator and Gallery Manager. ES7 was established in 2008 as an urban contemporary art gallery located in Japantown San Jose at Empire St. and 7th St.

Episode #15 Grace Talice Lee – Writer

Grace Talice is a writer and contributor writer and editor with Content Magazine.

Episode #14 Joe Hyrkin – CEO issuu

oe Hyrkin has been the CEO of Issuu, a digital publishing platform, for the last seven and a half years, the longest he has been with any company in his career. Having worked in business development and sales for companies like Yahoo! and Flickr, Joe has spent most of his career working in the intersection of content and technology.

Episode #13 Ralph Buenconsejo – Graphic Designer and Animator

Ralph Buenconsejo recently launched out on his own as a freelance designer after working several years with the Baunfire Agency.

Episode #12 Esther Young – Songwriter

In addition to being a contributing writer and editor with Content Magazine since 2018, Esther Young's main creative outline is songwriting. Though, she might not tell you that she can be found at local open mic shows and slowing releasing her songs on Spotify.

Chelsea Stewart

Have you ever noticed how anything of worth—careers, relationships, books, antique vases—gains value not from the finish line, but from the journey? That attentive (sometimes painstaking) development provides rich meaning. It’s the reason why, when Chelsea Stewart paints, she’s much more fascinated with the process than the product.

Episode #11 Brad Sanzenbacher – Writer and Folk Musician

Though Brad's day job as a public relations profession for WRIKE involves a lot of writing, he has found that "creativity isn't a finite resource." As he seeks to be inspired in what he does for work, he discovers inspiration in his creative writing and songwriting, and vice-versa.

Episode #10 Kristen Pfund – Content Magazine

Kristen Pfund has been part of the Content team since 2014, first as a volunteer, and then brought on staff to help oversee the production of our events and assist with our partner relationships.

Episode #9 Jimmy Fonseca – Downtown Screen Printers

Jimmy Fonseca is an artist, muralist, and cofounder of Downtown Screen Printers. Join our conversation with Jimmy, who shares how being a resident artist at Local Color organically leads to form Downtown Screen Printers with Aliks Hernandez.

Episode #8 Genevieve Hastings

Genevieve Hastings is an installation artist and the director of the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose. In this episode, Genevieve shares how her curiosity has led her from studying linguistic and anthropology, to travel, and to directing a local gallery.

Episode #7 Avni Levy – Avni Creates

Avni Levy is a contributing Content photographer and, like most of our contributors, has a growing creative content business of her own. In our conversation, Avni shared here daily routine, a few helpful practices for creatives, and three great books, including "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod.

Episode #6 Massimo Chisessi – San Jose Jazz

Massimo Chisessi is the marketing director for San Jose Jazz (SJZ). In our conversation, Massimo tells about his experience in the arts, and with arts organizations. He explains the transitions the SJZ has taken to help musicians during the shelter in place order. As well as his sharing about his personal experience of the passing of his father during this COVID19 atmosphere.

Episode #5 Isaiah Wilson – The Come Up

Isaiah Wilson is one of the Cofounders of the Come Up, a collective that showcases local musicians and artists. In our conversation, Isaiah talks about his transition in the way he approaches producing shows and gathering.

Episode #4 Kerry Adams Hapner, Director of the San Jose Office of Cultural Affair

Kerry Adams Hapner has been the director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Jose for the last 12 years. She oversees the department and staff that helps shape the City’s artistic and cultural vibrancy, resources, and vision.

Episode #3 Sean Boyles

Sean Boyles Co-Owner of The Arsenal Art Store Sean Boyles is an artist, teacher, and co-owner of the Arsenal ArtStore in Japantown, with his wife, Roan Victor. We talk about this life as an artist, shelter-in-place, and the expansion plans for The Arsenal Art Store.

Episode #2 Dalia Rawson

Dalia Rawson, Director of the New Ballet, leads San Jose's school of classical ballet but credits her online gaming experience for their ability to transition to online classes during the shelter-in-place order. If the combination of ballet and gaming appears to be an odd pairing, what about Ballet and Aliens?

Episode #1 Frank Nguyen – Academic Coffee

Frank Nguyen is the owner of Academic Coffee, which has become a community favorite over the last few years. Recently, Frank demonstrated innovation, foresight, and care for his employees, as he adjusted his menu during the beginning days of the Shelter-in-Place order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Kieve

The Voice of San Jose Originally appeared in issue 5.4, “Form,” 2013. Bob Kieve has been in a love affair for almost three-quarters of a century. Even at the age of 91, Kieve nourishes that love as president of Empire Broadcasting, which owns KLIV-AM, a news radio station, and Hot Country 95.3 KRTY in San […]

Poet – McTate Stroman II

Hip-hop roots have always been in poetry. The earliest emcees knew that the human voice is the most powerful tool at our disposal, one that not only stirs a crowd but changes hearts and minds at the same time. McTate Stroman II lives and breathes by that tradition. Calling himself “the original breakbeat poet,” Stroman uses his gift of poetry to inspire others to find that tool within themselves and change the world around them. “I’m a poet who documents hip-hop,” Stroman says. “That’s how I understand myself.”

Rayos Magos

Rayos works full-time for a non-profit community health clinic, but having to work from home during the shelter-in-place (SIP) has blurred the lines between business and a sacred space for pleasure and relaxation. A wrench has been thrown into his normal routine since, like many of us, once he rolls out of bed, he is already in his office. His art has become his saving grace, giving him structure and routine as he enters his studio.

Stephanie Metz

Bay Area native Metz grew up in Sunnyvale. After studying sculpture at the University of Oregon, she settled back in San Jose with her high tech husband. “When I came back, I didnʼt have any connection with anybody art-related around here,” says Metz.

Mild Monk -Transcend Time and Genre

Henry Stein, a.k.a. Mild Monk, can cover a lot of ground. Lately, he enthuses about Japanese city pop, works of Haruki Murakami, Ella Fitzgerald, Tennis (the band), Studio Ghibli movies, and the composition of skate videos. “I want to be like a YouTube suggestion box,” Stein jokes. He wears his eclectic tastes on his sleeve, and all his projects seem methodically arranged and curated—from his album art to the videos he edits for his songs.

San Jose Bike Party

Building community through bicycling A cyclist yells the rally cry from within a colorful peloton of bikes. Other riders cheer on and ring their…

Dreamland Boxing Training Center

Search online for a San Jose gym that offers boxing, and you’ll find dozens that advertise this. Few are boxing exclusive. None have the Dreamland Boxing Training Center’s credentials...

SVLaureates

The SVArts program annually awards prestigious honors to Santa Clara County-based artists in a variety of categories and disciplines...

The Role of the Fan: Branding in Sports

Grab a seat behind the goal about halfway up the stands at Avaya Stadium. Take in the game and the air traffic of Mineta Airport in the distance, framed by the boxy downtown San Jose skyline and the peaks that form the Santa Clara Valley...

Dan Fenstermacher

Breathing life into a picture takes vulnerability. It’s an act in which the photographer lends the viewer his eyes and says, “Really look at this. Here is something to be seen.”

Loma Brewing Company

Kevin Youkilis, a former Major League Baseball all-star who won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox, has made a career out of being something of an underdog...

Native Digital | Visual Branding

Lines and texture, font schemes and color palettes, imagery and composition—all important decisions when it comes to creating the look and feel of a brand. In fact, the concept of branding is often synonymous with these decision points.

American Leadership Forum|Urban Innovation Network

“We’re at a critical juncture in our evolution, and the startup buzz of possibilities is palpable. I experienced it when I came here in 2008 to build CreaTV San Jose,” recalls Suzanne St. John-Crane, former CEO of CreaTV and current CEO of American Leadership Forum - Silicon Valley.

Humble Sea Brewery

The team at Humble Sea Brewery, including the co-founders—Nick Pavlina, Taylor West, and Frank Scott Krueger—have brought to life a brewery that is filled with energy, creativity, and, of course, delicious beer...

Swanton Berry Farm | Field of Dreams

The dog days of summer have surrendered to a season of renewal along California’s central coast, and Pedro Tortoledo is cultivating a field the way he worked his 20-acre farm a quarter century ago...

KATRAA | Matthew Molcillo

At 15, Matthew Molcillo was just a kid attending Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. Always drawn to the macabre, he spent class time drawing the demons that formed in his head—scaring him as much as they evoked his awe...

Joseph Domingo

Picture yourself attending LA Fashion Week. Let’s say you’ve somehow managed to secure a front row seat—so close you could stretch out your toes and touch the side of the catwalk...

SlimFold

Slim Fold has been the force behind the world’s thinnest, lightest, and strongest slim wallets and bags, designed and made in Northern California...

Alan Rath

Alan Rath’s body of work is the journey that results from exploring this and other questions about our relationship to the things we build. For the artist, the journey began as a childhood curiosity with the mystery surrounding machinery.

Yoseph Gebre

Artist Yoseph Gebre finds the essence of the human spirit in his expressive, vibrant artwork...

Jordan McKenzie

With distinctively sharp edges and material sourced from comic books and fashion magazines, San Jose native Jordan McKenzie creates and shares his eye-catching collage under the Instagram moniker, alldaydirt...

Gallery Suha Suha

While they previously struggled between creations and practical living, the gallery space provides Haelee and Sung with the motivation to create.

Jan Berkeley: Quiz Queen

Is this information age making us dumber? Jan Berkeley often asks herself that question while she stays up late hunting for facts, and she probably has a better idea of the answer than most.

Allison Marie Garcia

Although artist and illustrator Allison Marie Garcia is still in school, her artwork shows the technical poise, confidence, and restraint of a veteran artist.

Product Design with Dan Harden

How do we communicate ideas with things? How do branded products speak to us, as consumers, through their design?...

Nils Peterson: On the Page

In 1963, by then a young professor of English literature, Nils arrived here to teach at San Jose State. He and new wife Judith had driven straight from New Jersey, all they owned packed in their car, a baby on the way. Today, as award-winning poet, beloved teacher, San Jose State University professor emeritus, and cofounder and guiding force behind the Poetry Center San Jose since 1980, Nils is an artist of profound presence.

Black Sand Beach

Name: Michelle Richardson Age: 20 Height: 5’9″ Hometown: Redding, CA Agency: Stars Management Favorite Book: Bone by Jeff Smith Favorite Music: ’90s hip hop…

West Valley Fashion 2020

The Fashion Design and Apparel Technology (FDAT) program at West Valley College is a two-year accredited career technical education program, established in 1985 by a group of industry professionals to fill the need for public education in the field of fashion. Recognized as a leader in fashion education, both locally and nationally, the program now offers two associate of science degrees and three certificates in design and production. We are honored to introduce to you the FDAT class of 2020.

Reshape Storytelling

May Yam, founder and CEO of May Yam Studios, LLC or MYStudios and the film and VR department manager for Cinequest, is bridging the wonders of storytelling and the experience of living them first-hand. In the months leading up to Cinequest, Yam and her team went through the festival submissions and created a program ready for participants to interact with.

Jill Bourne

The Quintessential Sexy Librarian* *Or so says Molly Ringwald Nestled near her fourth-floor office at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Jill…

TCS Spotlight: B. Lewis

Raised in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhood, Lewis attended Expression College in Emeryville, where he studied audio engineering. His remixes have flipped songs by artists as disparate as jazz pianist Robert Glasper and Bay Area rapper K. Flay, and he’s collaborated with a number of producers who have been key players in electronic music’s new vanguard, including Sweater Beats, KRNE, and Sango, a heavyweight in the buzzing crew Soulection.

Seti Institute

In an unassuming office building in Mountain View, a band of astronomers, astrobiologists, and planetary scientists—the new Magellans—are exploring the universe and trying to understand the origin and nature of life in it. Three of these explorers—Drs. Jill Tarter, Nathalie Cabrol, and Lori Fenton—have pushed through the barriers of this generally male-dominated science to become among the most respected in their fields.

Cosmic: Eric Ressler

Designing with a Purpose Eric Ressler of Cosmic, a digital design and branding agency with a focus on social responsibility declares, “branding and marketing, they’re…

Carlos Letelier

I grew up surrounded by artists and musicians. Their passion for creating definitely rubbed off on me, and it informs my work today. Ten…

Tea Lyfe

From Horchata to Vietnamese Coffee In a sea of conventional milk tea shops, Tea Lyfe revels in its differences. Curious about the story behind…

Ludwigs

Big beer, meatballs, mashed potatoes. It’s exactly what I’d love to eat at home.—Ben Bate German-English duo brings a taste of Europe to San…

Day Trip: Los Altos

Spanish for “the heights,” Los Altos does indeed boast a higher elevation than its two neighbors to the north, Palo Alto and Mountain View,…

Dj John Beaver

John Beaver has three passions: animals, music, and life itself. As a zookeeper at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, Beaver educates the community about…

Lorenz Mazon Dumuk

There’s nothing superficial about Lorenz Mazon Dumuk. He’s a poet. His love of poetry led him to California State University, East Bay’s Creative Writing…

Asha

"I am not my hair, but I am proud to say my hair is me,” declares San Jose poet Asha Sudra in the closing line of a defiant, spoken-word poem exploring oppression, the self-hate that comes from it, and the self-love that follows escape from those bounds. That poem, “Baby Hairs,” is a deep reflection on Asha’s own struggles with, and eventual embracing, identity.

The Mark Arroyo Trio

In 2012 the group began to explore their sound, performing extended re-interpretations of hip, melodically rich tunes like James Blake’s “The Wilhelm Scream” or Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.” Now their shows involve the three diving into the great creative unknown: completely improvising every number they play. The approach isn’t without precedent—jazz pianist Keith Jarrett has made a career of touring concert halls to improvise an entire evening of music—but it is unique to the San Jose scene.

Demone Carter

Demone Carter is an emcee with an encyclopedic understanding of hip-hop’s history and cultural influence. His lyrics are punchy, candid bits of verse that…

Ren Geisick

Ren Geisick isn’t a typical jazz singer. Equally influenced by Bob Dylan and Nina Simone, her music flows seamlessly, from the soulful delivery of…

Day Trip: Pleasanton

For anyone itching to get away from all the hustle and bustle of city life and wanting to spend a day in a quiet…

Heather Lerner

We have our own cool vibe happening here. Heather Lerner believes in finding the careful equilibrium between leading and following, and also in having…

Day Trip: Capitola

For anyone who hasn’t yet been introduced to Capitola, it’s time to get acquainted. Legend has it the name of this coastal town came…

South Bay Polo Club

We’re a people’s club. We want everyone to come out and enjoy the sport.—Francesca Finato It’s Friday morning at Gilroy’s South Bay Polo Club….

NonStop: New York

Visiting New York City can be tricky. A short trip only allows for a taste of the city, and the quest to make every…

Day Trip: Napa Valley

It’s ten o’clock in the morning in Napa Valley, and the first stop planned is a winery for a wine tasting. Yes, that’s correct….

NonStop: Seattle

Looking to get out of town for a weekend? Seattle’s a great place to explore. With daily flights to SeaTac International Airport from SJC,…

Day Trip: Livermore

On the eastern edge of the Bay Area, about 20 miles north of San Jose, sits Livermore, an art-loving, cowboy-turned-wine-country town with a Mediterranean…

Day Trip: Monterey

You always have plenty to see and do in Silicon Valley. But sometimes you just need to get out of town and off the…

Park Station Hashery

We try to keep it simple; we try to keep it identifiable; we try to keep it artisan. That’s why we call it San…

Ben Parr

You will always capture more attention and change more minds with a personal story people can relate to. Ben Parr had everyone’s attention in…

Grandview

From pasture, barn, and seed to table It’s a 20-minute drive from downtown San Jose to the Mount Hamilton GrandView Restaurant. From the terrace…

Sister Cities: Dublin, Ireland

President Dwight Eisenhower established the sister city program in 1956 to foster global awareness and peaceful relations. A design team from Dublin, Ireland, one…

Nonstop: Chicago

Though its ubiquitous nickname is “The Windy City,” Chicago has much more to offer its denizens than just wind and notoriously harsh winters. Chicago…

Good Karma Bikes

We work in the medium of bicycles to provide individuals with life-transforming opportunities.—Jim Gardner It was 2008, and Jim Gardner, a PhD engineer with…

Cinequest Goes Virtual

As a film festival representing the innovative Silicon Valley culture, Cinequest has always tried to stay ahead of the curve. From early adoption of…

Day Trip: Redwood City

Known for its near-perfect climate, and conveniently located halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, Redwood City is the oldest city on the peninsula….

School of Arts & Culture

Art is that light into other people’s cultures. Let it not be said that the School of Arts and Culture is an unfrequented place….

Day Trip: Palo Alto

Head out to the birthplace of Silicon Valley, where you can walk the historic streets that helped shape the technology industry of today. Visit…

Day Trip: Pescadero

There’s always plenty to see and do in Silicon Valley. But sometimes you just need to get out of town and off the grid….

Day Trip: Berkeley

Berkeley has a big name for being a relatively small town. Despite having just over 100,000 residents, Berkeley has a worldwide reputation and is…

Day Trip: Santa Cruz

You can’t overstate the undeniable draw of a place like Santa Cruz. Where else can you hike amidst the towering redwoods and then hop…

Day Trip Sacramento

If you are a Silicon Valley native, “a school bus ride to tour the state capitol” probably sums up your experience of Sacramento in…

Day Trip: Half Moon Bay

Think Half Moon Bay, and you likely think pumpkins, but it’s so much more. Winter is a special time of year along this part…

Biocurious: Eri Gentry

Biology isn’t the biggest conversation starter, but if we can get people interested through food and drink, maybe they’ll also chew on how they…

Bobbi Vie

When they say, ‘It sounds like you have a lot on your plate,’ I like to say I have a big appetite. Bobbi Vie…

Adega

In December 2015, Carlos and Fernanda Carreira opened Adega—Portuguese for “wine cellar”—on Alum Rock Avenue in East San Jose’s historic Little Portugal. They inherited and retooled the 33-year old legacy of the former Portuguese restaurant, Sousa’s.

Suhita Shirodkar – Urban Sketcher

Watercolor seems to have its own mind. Suhita Shirodkar, a local artist involved in the Urban Sketchers Movement, fills the pages of her journals…

Bay Area Movement

Opening the Door to Parkour [Editor’s Note: Bay Area Movement is transitioning to the name Sessions Academy of Movement as of September 2017.] When…

Chris Reed Music

Chris Reed radiates positivity, and like his music, it’s infectious. He offers up an emotional integrity as he engages listeners with lyrical themes ranging…

Arlene Biala

On Solace, Inclusion, and Poetry as Story Santa Clara County’s newest Poet Laureate, Arlene Biala, presents a rich Filipina and Pacific Islander heritage in…

Cukui: Orly

Rising from Humbling Beginnings People entrust you to do something that’s going to be permanent on their bodies, so you’ve got to not take…

At The Fairmont

Shooting in the International Luxury Suite and Fountain Restaurant at Fairmont San Jose provided the perfect backdrop for the Issue 8.0 Explore editorial. Look…

Ann Bridges

Novelist Ann Bridges has worked among Silicon Valley’s corporate elite. Her work aims to reinvent the suspense genre with challenging plot twists and a…

De-Bug

We’re a platform for people to tell their stories or live out their dreams. When Raj Jayadev took a temp job after college to…

Roberto Romo

Art is there to recover what is hidden and what has been lost.… Art starts a dialogue within yourself. Roberto Romo was born, as…

Heroes Comic Books

Twenty years since purchasing Heroes, Alan Bahr still anxiously waits to see what goodies will walk through his doors. If you live in the…

Local Wines

California’s Mediterranean climate is ideal for growing grapes for wine. Wine aficionados are spoiled for options in the Silicon Valley region. Here are three…

Thirdspace

Bringing art and community back to personal health A person’s “third space” refers to the sociocultural construct in which each person derives identity from…

Redemption – A Space for Ethical Makers and Buyers

Redemption Boutique owner Tammy Liu has watched the items we buy become increasingly disposable. While a low-priced tee from your local big box might work as a one-off, she believes, a beautiful garment made by hard-working, passionate hands can become a keepsake to treasure forever.

The New Tastemakers

Maxwell Borkenhagen and Hiver Van Geenhoven have known each other for years. More recently, they’ve become partners with a shared vision of attracting more…

Sister Cities: Okayama, Japan

President Dwight Eisenhower established the sister city program in 1956 to foster global awareness and peaceful relations. A design team from Okayama, Japan, one…

7.3 Album Picks

Curated for each issue of Content by Universal Grammar, Album Picks are highlights of recent music releases by some of Universal Grammar’s favorite artists….

Amy Dabalos

What if we had a culture of support, rather than a culture of competition? I believe in creating alliances in the music and artistic…

Jaime Fearer

Community Planning After a decade in the bookselling and book publishing industries, I discovered a new passion, and went back to school for community…

Wekfest

How the local auto scene and Wekfest grabbed the world’s attention, through youth and fully embracing the powers of social media. For a majority…

Mighty Mike McGee

It kills me that loneliness and boredom often are not motivating enough to generate more art. How would you describe yourself? Professionally, I am…

7.2 Album Picks

Curated for each issue of Content by Universal Grammar, Album Picks are highlights of recent music releases by some of Universal Grammar’s favorite artists….

Wow Cool Comics

From art school to zines to comics to advertising, what a long, wild ride it’s been The shop walls of Wow Cool | Alternative…

Susan O’Malley

We were honored to have interviewed and considered Susan O’Malley a friend. Her soft voice, gentle spirit and kindness is reflected in her work. We were inspired by her desire to make a positive change in our world. We will miss her and her influence. Our prayers and condolences go out to her family.

Cowgirl Bike Courier

Through our company, and our actions, we create the change we wish to see in the world. Cain Ramirez and Amanda Muehlbauer are pretty…

Vintage Electric Bikes

At first glance, you might mistake a Vintage Electric bicycle for an antique, until you spot the sleek electric engine nestled inside the seemingly historic frame. This fusion of classic and modern is the vision of Andrew Davidge, the Los Gatos native who started Vintage Electric Bikes to market his unique brand.

SJSFF

Two movie buffs turned their love of short films into the internationally known San Jose Short Film Festival. We want our films to speak…

Hurricane Roses

Written by Jon Havens Jon Havens plays guitar and occasionally sings for Hurricane Roses. We asked the former Content Magazine contributor to give us…

Frances Marin – Being in the Moment

Frances Marin is a multifaceted artist who paints, designs, and illustrates original and commissioned artwork. Taking on a variety of projects—from painting people’s dreams to creating large paper installations—keeps her open and always growing and exploring as an artist.

Hellyer Park Velodrome

San Jose is home to the only velodrome in Northern California. Hellyer Park Velodrome was built in 1963 and hosted the US Olympic Bicycling…

San Jose Fencing Center

Heath Winer and head coach Michael Botenhagen talk about the art of Fencing. Founded in 1981, the Fencing Center (TFC) is a non-profit club…

NonStop: Kauai

Sugar, pineapples, and coffee were the cash crops of the Hawaiian Islands for decades, but as the locals joke, these days the main island…

The Studio Climbing

Workouts in San Jose have just become a little more interesting. Touchstone Climbing has opened a rock-climbing gym downtown. Located at 396 South First…

Andre Hart

“I’m not a painter. I am an artist. It has nothing to do with paint or a color; it is something you are.” The…

ComedySportz

We are an eclectic, nutty group of people of so many amazing, fun personalities. From the moment audience members enter Camera 3 on Second…

Nonstop: Austin

Austin may be known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” but it is also a burgeoning foodie capital and home to some…

A Stone’s Throw Away

It’s about what you give back and how you change and help other people to become their best selves. I just want to give…

Sal Pizarro

Columnist Sal Pizarro Finds His Voice Growing up in the Bay Area, newspaper readers got to know Herb Caen and Leigh Weimers over their…

Hicklebee’s

In the end, however we get our stor ies, the important thing is to keep passing them on. People walking into Hicklebee’s at 1378 Lincoln…

Lacey Bryant

Lacey Bryant’s curiously innocent demeanor, cloaked in an army jacket and paint-spotted boots, does not convey the depth of her talent or the grandeur…