TO BECOME

Sketching stories is Suhita Shirodkar’s superpower. Her wonder at San Jose’s history pushed her to explore through walking and sketching, capturing the essence of her new city. As a first-generation immigrant to the valley, Suhita allows sketching to be her compass, navigating the archives and neighborhoods. “To sketch like that, to discover, the importance is on the seeing. You’ve walked a moment or a place with your eyes to draw it. It’s not sketching to become an artist; it’s sketching to see, to become intimate with your environment,” she clarifies.

Suhita’s project will allow attendees to experience San Jose from a new perspective. Whether you’re a native or a transplant to the area, a sketch walk will allow the public to build a new relationship with the city, not by becoming an artist but by being intentional with how one interacts with their surroundings. Each sketch walk is accompanied by someone familiar with the neighborhood who will share their knowledge of the city’s history. “I want everyone to walk away with their own visual record in their sketchbooks, creating a deeper connection to the place they call home,” Suhita says.

Suhita Shirodkar is a reportage artist and educator. She leads sketch workshops and sketch walks worldwide. Her recent San Jose–based projects involve documenting the vintage signs around San Jose in sketches and sketching portraits of people in recovery from addiction and homelessness. Suhita is currently a resiliency resident with WIRED magazine and holds a master’s degree in communication design from Pratt Institute. C