SAN JOSE, California (March 11, 2011) – The San Jose Museum of Art will host the event “Kaleidoscope: Eat. Play. Shop” on Friday, March 25, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The fundraising event will showcase Indian performance, art, fashion, and food in a night inspired by the current exhibition Roots in the Air, Branches Below: Modern and Contemporary Art from India. Highlights will include Indian lounge music, a fashion show, a Bollywood-style dance performance by Xpressions, and a marketplace featuring designer women’s apparel, jewelry, and gifts. Colorful and creative attire is encouraged. Advance tickets (before March 18) are $40 ($30 for members); after March 18, tickets are $50 ($40 for members). Tickets are available online at artsopolis.com or by telephone at 408-291-5372. All proceeds benefit educational programs at the San Jose Museum of Art.
Refreshments will include chaat delicacies catered by Turmeric and beer, wine, and “mangotinis” courtesy of Coach House Wine & Spirits. DJ Ramsay of RD Productions will play Indian lounge music. Featured designers will include: Oakland-based boutique Serrahna, which features contemporary fashions sewn from colorful Indian fabrics; Keyuri’s, makers of handcrafted henna candles in Fremont; Poshaq, offering silk scarves handpainted by artist Joyita Ghose; Ramp Fashions, purveyors of designer Indian and Indo-western wear; Pop-Att, who make pop inspired fashion and home accessories; and Oakland’s Suutra, designers of contemporary women’s apparel produced in India using time-honored, artisan techniques.
At 7:15 p.m. Serrahna will present a fashion show. Associate curator Kristen Evangelista, will give a tour of the exhibition Roots in the Air, Branches Below at 8 p.m. At 9 p.m. dance group Xpressions, led by artistic director Srividya Eashwar, will perform. Attendees will have the chance to learn Bollywood dance steps.
The special guest for Kaleidoscope is Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the United States. The Kaleidoscope Honorary Committee members are: Zakir Hussain of San Anselmo, chair; Tanuja Bahal, director of the India Community Center, Milpitas; Rajnikant and Helen Desai of San Francisco, S.K. and Neeta Gupta of Pleasanton; San Jose City Councilors Ash Kalra (District 2) and Sam Liccardo (District 3); Chris Mengarelli of San Jose; and Kanwal and Ann Rekhi of Monte Sereno.
“Kaleidoscope: Eat. Play. Shop.” is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART
The San Jose Museum of Art is a distinguished museum of modern and contemporary art and a lively center of arts activity in Silicon Valley. The leading institution in the area dedicated to the art of our time, SJMA is committed to providing access for its extraordinarily diverse populations and to pioneering new approaches to interpretation.
The San Jose Museum of Art is located at 110 South Market Street in downtown San Jose, California. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free to members and children under 6. For more information, call 408-271-6840 or visit www.SanJoseMuseumofArt.org.
# # #
Programs at the San Jose Museum of Art are generously supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, by operating support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the James Irvine Foundation; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the Adobe Foundation; and the Koret Foundation; the MetLife Foundation; and a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose.