The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is home to a historic building with a noble past—one that has been serving the community since the late 1800s.
Initially a US Post Office, it also served as the city’s public library before becoming a contemporary art museum in 1969. The building’s unique century tower clock, which is still wound every week, has become an iconic landmark of downtown San José and the Museum is proud to be its steward. Shelter in place may keep us from entering the building, but the opportunities for engagement, learning, and community building abound. We revisit our beloved building virtually and patiently await the time we can safely welcome you back again.
SJMA is a historic landmark! Designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke and constructed of locally quarried sandstone, this Romanesque building was constructed by the US government in 1892. See the photos HERE.
We dug into the vaults to share the blueprints for the historic wing portion of our building. The building was designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke, however, local architect Theodore Lenze updated the design, building the spire several feet taller than originally planned. And during the 1906 earthquake, the building suffered little damage, except for Lenze’s clock tower, which partially collapsed. See the blueprints HERE.
See how others view the Museum. By the steps of the Museum lies the location of California Historical Marker 461, the site of California's first state capital from 1849–1851 encircled with palm trees. Today, the Circle of Palms is a hub of downtown activities, hosting a number of events and attractions. See the Flickr photo gallery HERE.
We're reminiscing favorite pastimes at SJMA. We miss being a place to see art, but also as a hub of congregation and festivities. We look forward to sharing these experiences with you in the future! See the Facebook photo album HERE.
On behalf of Oshman Executive Director S. Sayre Batton, the staff, and Board of Trustees at SJMA, we thank our amazing volunteers for their amazing generosity and many years of service. We miss you all and look forward to reuniting at the Museum soon! Watch a short video HERE.
Join our Community Online
San José Museum of Art believes that art has the power to transform minds. During this challenging time, we are here to provide some artful moments to enjoy from home. Discover more about your favorite artists and exhibitions. Learn how exhibitions are made with Director of Design + Operations Richard J. Karson and drop in for our ever-popular late-night Facebook First Fridays, also online.
San José Museum of Art (SJMA) has always been both a resource and a partner to the Silicon Valley community. During Shelter in Place, the Museum is committed to creating and providing thoughtful programming online—making us truly a museum without borders. See what SJMA has to offer.
Feeling isolated? Don't let shelter-in-place stop you from connecting with one another. Join local DJ Omar Perez live from his living room as he spins melodic and moody songs to soothe the soul, and those night-time ballads that make you wish the night never ends.
SJMA’s education department is creating new art-making videos and lesson plans. They can be found on the newly launched Education Facebook group and on the Online Education page web page. Each week they focus on a particular art-making theme, delving deeper every day.
SJMA’s ever-popular summer art camp is moving digital! There will be virtual artist studio tours hosted by local artists, art-making tutorials, and lots of fun!
This week we moved our gallery talk online, hosted a poetry invitational virtually, and held an online prom. Don’t worry if you missed any of these events. They were all recorded and will be available shortly, under our Museum from Home section.
11TH ANNUAL POETRY INVITATIONAL [online]
Presented by SJMA
+Poetry Center San José
In honor of National Poetry Month, Bay Area poets created new works inspired by art in the San José Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Hosted by Janice Lobo Sapigao the Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County and co-sponsored by Poetry Center San José, the event featured poets Mighty Mike McGee, Janice Lobo Sapigao, and Eileen Hernandez-Cuellar who recorded their poetry in their respective homes. Originally slated to occur in real time, the event was moved to online, and was pre-recorded.
PROM NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM [online]
SJMA celebrated International Dance Day with the New Ballet by hosting an online prom in solidarity with all of the high schoolers whose proms have been canceled! DJ Yas provided the soundtrack and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Ben Needham-Wood led a dance mob. Pre-event video tutorials for DIY corsages, crowns, punch and snack recipes, makeovers, and flash-mob choreography were created and live HERE. Presented in partnership with Mezcal,Mosaic Silicon Valley,New Ballet,Persia,Rosies & Posies, and San Jose Museum of Quilt & Textiles.
It feels like forever since we’ve seen a butterfly or been able to walk amongst our palm trees. We invite you to re-look at art inspired by and made with nature.
Artists often allow us to see something familiar from a different perspective. They challenge us to think more closely about the world we live in and the things we interact with every day. SJMA celebrates Earth Day and Earth Week by sharing works of art that invite us to think about the environment, its fragility, and its beauty.
Diana Thater uses technology to emphasize the fragility of nature in Untitled (Butterfly Videowall #2). Comprised of five video monitors and two fluorescent lights, with the power cords uncovered on the ground—these screens tempt the viewer to get as close as possible, which results in the viewer becoming dangerously close to the art.
Thater filmed monarch butterflies as they rested on the ground at a butterfly sanctuary in México, where millions of monarchs hibernate after their migration from Canada. Due, in part, to the lack of foliage in which the butterflies normally take refuge, their only option was to gather together on the forest floor—an extremely vulnerable position. By placing upturned monitors on the gallery floor, Thater created a meditative experience through which to consider the lives of other creatures who share this planet. See a video of the artwork HERE.
Andy Goldsworthy created a site-specific installation for his exhibition, Breath of Earth, at SJMA in 1995. Burnt Patch required three full days to install by three people. The pine sticks used are from a specific area of the Sierra Mountains near South Lake Tahoe, called Fallen Leaf Lake. SJMA Director of Design + Operations Richard J. Karson went with Goldsworthy and learned the artist's process. Branches were snapped off trees with a park ranger’s approval. The center blackened sticks were burnt by Goldsworthy and Karson at SJSU’s outdoor foundry. Karson keeps a blowtorch on hand when he installs the piece to re-char some branches as they are placed in the center. Each time Burnt Patch is installed, branches need to be snapped to fit a particular section. When the larger branches run out, Karson goes to the mountains to collect additional branches. When it rains, the sticks absorb the water and bend slightly as they dry. In this sense, the piece is alive.
This artist collected pieces of nature to create a sculpture, which was placed in the Museum’s outdoor sculpture court. People could then view the work from a distance, either from an outdoor balcony above, or through the glass windows. By using works collected from the mountains and that anyone could pick up or step on, but placing them in an environment that creates a barrier to touching them, Goldsworthy asks us to reexamine the value of these objects that what we break or burn in the woods.
The SJMA Education team has been exploring materiality this week, looking at the many ways we can create art! We were inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's Burnt Patch and his ephemeral art practice. Spend some time outside and get creative with what's around you! Watch the video HERE.
Reminder: Stay at home to complete this project! If you can't gather natural materials, try using objects inside your home! This natural found object art video is part of SJMA’s newly launched Education Facebook group and Online Education page, with new tutorials and videos posted daily.
Thank you for being part of our community
San José Museum of Art believes that art has the power to transform minds. During this challenging time, we are here to provide some artful moments to enjoy from home. Discover more about your favorite artists and exhibitions. Attend a public program online and drop in for our ever-popular late-night Facebook First Fridays, also online.
Artist Spotlight | Diana Thater’s Untitled (Butterfly Videowall #2)
Diana Thater, Untitled (Butterfly Videowall #2), 2008. 5-flat screen LCD monitors, brig monitors, Brightsign player with SD card, HDMI splitter, 2 fluorescent light fixtures and Lee light filters. Collection of San José Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Acquisitions Committee with additional funds provided by the Lipman Family Foundation. 2016.05.
Installation view of Almost Human: Digital Art from the Permanent Collection, San José Museum of Art, California, 2019. Photos by JKA Photography.
Andy Goldsworthy’s Burnt Patch Installation Andy Goldsworthy, Burnt Patch, SJMA, 1995. Pine sticks from the Sierra Mountains. Collection of San José Museum of Art. Gift of Andrew Goldsworthy and Cheryl Haines Gallery. 1995.03
Facebook First Friday
This sponsorship initiative is led by the Facebook Art Department, which provides opportunities for artists to create new, large-scale, site-specific installations on Facebook campuses nation-wide, with the goal of fostering creative experimentation and supporting neighboring artistic communities. For more information, visit fb.com/artistinresidence or go to Instagram @fbairprogram.
