It's true, be it through the back door of an article on San Jose in the Travel section, we're happy all the same that AD, KALEID, Phantom Galleries (though not by name but description) & the SoFA district (mentioned no less than SIX times) received a little ink in such a highly regarded and well read national paper. Perhaps San Jose's thriving art and culture image is at a tipping point.
This is the opening line of Josh Sen's article:
"ACRONYMS applied to up-and-coming urban neighborhoods often hint at grungy hipness, suggesting the presence of cutting-edge art galleries and underground nightclubs, with the promise of lattes and live-work lofts to come. So it is with SoFA in San Jose."
And then: "In a city that nurtures its art institutions, an underground art scene has also taken shape. Vacant buildings, which still blemish many downtown blocks, have been transformed into temporary exhibit space for local painters and sculptors, attractive place-holders until permanent tenants arrive.
The best established of these spaces, an airy, engaging gallery called KALEID, sits on South Fourth Street. Along with a collection of other downtown galleries, it stays open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays , a kind of roving art reception held on the first Friday of every month."
It's a well rounded snapshot of what San Jose is really up to lately with many worthwhile establishments getting the cred they deserve. Read the entire article here (It will appear in the Sunday, May 20th NY Times paper edition.)
