Downtown San Jose’s monthly art gathering, South First Fridays, continued its long-held tradition of displaying eccentric local art to residents, transforming a once desolate parking lot into a makeshift gallery amid unhealthy air quality conditions.
As indoor spaces are closed and large gatherings are prohibited because of the coronavirus pandemic, “The Outsider,” an outdoor art market, was created as a part of a collaboration with Downtown San Jose’s new
“al-fresco” outdoor dining and market expansion following social distancing mandates.
South First Fridays was typically held on a blocked off section of First Street in Downtown San Jose and was a monthly event with more than 20 art booths before the pandemic. The public art walk hosted galleries, restaurants, cafes and a rock climbing gym that all participated in the event prior to COVID-19, said Cherri Lakey, co-organizer for the event.
Lakey said they had to use some “tricky language” in describing the event online and on social media.
In order to avoid calling the event a gathering, Lakey used the terms “al fresco program,” which allowed artists to gather outside using the neighboring restaurant’s more relaxed restrictions. The event was relocated to an empty lot between Kaleid and Anno Domini galleries.
Because large gatherings are still under tight scrutiny, some artists have lost their space and audience for their work.
“Artists were pretty well driven underground by this [pandemic],” Lakey said. “We wanted to bring them topside.”
The art walk took place in Anno Domini’s parking lot with staggered pop-up booths that displayed a dizzying display of sculptures, paintings and handicrafts.
At the immediate right of the entrance, a DJ played spooky vibraphone, percussion-driven techno and 1980s remixes to set the mood while couples, groups of friends and individuals walked through the lot.
Artists of varying art styles participated in the outdoor artwalk in hopes of selling their work and engaging with the community.
Many artists also used the event to get inspiration from other local creators.
“Since I just started [creating art] during the quarantine, it’s really nice to be able to meet people in the field,” local artist Nathaniel Verbeck said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Verbeck sketched five charcoal art pieces portraying his interpretation of hands which he displayed at his booth. He spent time at the event working on his first acrylic paint venture using wood as a canvas.
In the next booth was Kathy Wood, who was selling “Robert Graham-style” shirts, a high-end dress shirt for men known for their busy patterns with themes ranging from Halloween to Western.
Wood creates the shirts by sewing together patterned fabrics that complement each other, now with a matching face mask to complete the pandemic-chic look.
She was accompanied by her model and husband Wayne Wood.
Because of Wayne Wood’s fondness of modeling his wife’s creations, the Woods said they carry three to four shirts in their car in case people ask about his outfit while they’re out in public.
“We’ve traded shirts for bottles of wine before,” Wayne Wood said. “And they were good wine too.”
Delilah Bender, a San Francisco State studio art sophomore, worked on a stop-animation puppet of a skin walker while at her booth. A skin walker is a Native American folk creature, which she reworked into an original design to show a transition from man to werewolf.
“I’ve been in a spookier mood,” Bender said of her inspiration for the skinwalker, “but I’ve always been fascinated with monsters.”
Along the other side of the events’ booths, an artist sat on the floor kneading a beige ball of clay on a small wooden board.
Shayla Putnam, a ceramicist and sculptor from San Francisco, said she has been a long-time participant in South First Fridays. Putnam molded clay on the ground in a live demonstration of her art.
“Even though [South First Fridays] works a bit differently now, I’m glad we [are] still [able to] do a little bit of art,” Putnam said, referring to its shift from previously displaying art on the blocked-off First Street, to the art walk’s new parking lot venue.
Jean-Luc Pedanou displayed his new painting series of silver-metallic paint splatters with splashes of primary colors on canvases in a back corner of the lot.
As the sky darkened, Pedanou set up a silver light fixture that fit in nicely with his art pieces on the table, almost resembling some of his other work. “This isn’t a piece of art,” he said with a laugh.
In regards to the event Pedanou said it was nice to be out, “[However, the event is] a fraction of what it was because of the COVID shut down.”
Inside the Kaleid art gallery, which looked and smelled like it was preserved from the 1970s, loads of art was showcased, from wire art to bronze sculptures.
The different styles of art all under one roof were astounding. Art gallery goers could walk away with a series of Post-it art or even a Van Gogh-style rendition of the California coastline using globs of paint to create motion.
With a diminished crowd but plenty of art to be seen, South First Fridays still delivers a taste of San Jose culture with offerings from talented local artists of all mediums.
