Public Programs

Photo by Rikki Ward

Public Programs

Facebook First Fridays

SJMA launched Facebook First Fridays on February 2, 2019, when 941 visitors attended from 5 to 10pm. Guests at these free monthly programs enjoy a lounge-like atmosphere with a DJ, bar, and open galleries. Facebook First Fridays increase accessibility by removing the admission barrier and offering worker-friendly hours. In the first six months of the program more than 48% of visitors were visiting SJMA for the first time.

Third Thursday

SJMA offers evening hours on the third Thursday of each month. Casual social-networking is encouraged and accompanying public programs engage and delight audiences, many of whom are new to the Museum. FY19 programs included: Third Thursday: 10th Annual Poetry Invitational Third Thursday: Creative Minds: Brendan Fernandes Third Thursday: Exotopia and San José Stories: The Vietnamese Diaspora Third Thursday: Holiday Music Third Thursday: Pecha Kucha Night: New Terrains/San José 2040 Third Thursday: Soundscaping

Creative Minds

SJMA is dedicated to building new audiences with wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary public programs for adults, from university professors and students to young professionals and lifelong learners. Topics in FY19 included: Creative Minds: A Conversation with Brendan Fernandes Creative Minds: Catherine Wagner and Glen Helfand Creative Minds: Rina Banerjee

Community Days

SJMA’s free community days include in-gallery and hands-on art activities taught by gallery teachers and studio arts educators as well as live performances by dance troupes, storytellers, musicians, and eclectic performers. Programs are geared for children and family audiences, with a focus on multicultural celebrations and multigenerational activities. These dynamic family days further the Museum’s commitment to reach a broad cross-section of the region’s population. Día de los Muertos Lunar New Year Maker Day

DIY Art

SJMA embraces the popular “do-it-yourself” culture with programs that bring out the inner artist in everyone. SJMA’s staff or guest artists lead participatory drop-in programs inspired by selected exhibitions or artworks.

Art 101

Art 101 programs are three-hour studio “crash courses” that are inspired by the artistic processes used to create artworks in current exhibitions.

Art 101: Booze and Brushes Art 101: Contemplative Walking with Kathleen Callan Art 101: Street Photography Art 101: Urban Sketching with Suhita Shirodkar

Lunchtime Lectures

The Museum’s monthly series of Lunchtime Lecture is designed for San José’s downtown workforce. From September through May, the series illuminates and grapples with contemporary art issues through cross-disciplinary perspectives offered by experts and educators. Building Community Archives and Documenting Stories of Refugees and Immigrants Flower Power For Freedoms Town Hall with Anna Martine Whitehead Living in a Material World Spontaneous Minds: The Creative Ethos of 1950s San Francisco Thanksgiving on Mars: Planning for Space Migration The Intersection of Art and Science The New York Times Feminist Reading Group Think Like an Activist: Embracing Hopes and Utopian Visions

Ballet dancers from The New Ballet Studio Company perform choreography by Brendan Fernandes titled, Inaction as part of Third Thursday: Creative Minds with Brendan Fernandes on February 21, 2019, photo by: Frederick Liang.