Explore new threads at San Jose’s quilt museum
In the eight months since she became executive director of the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, Nancy Bavor has tried to get one message out to the public: “This is not your grandmother’s quilt museum.”
Regulars in downtown San Jose’s art scene certainly know that the museum — which first opened in 1977 — regularly explores cutting edge work in textile art, showcasing cultural pieces that illustrate how much our world really is connected by threads. But it’s a harder message to get out to the general public, Bavor says, which often thinks of quilts as something quaint that you curl up under on the couch or find hanging in a craft fair.
If that sounds familiar, you should check out “A Day at the Circus,” a free community open house on Sunday. It showcases three new exhibitions on display at the museum, including “Without a Net,” Santa Cruz artist Susan Else’s exploration of the world of circuses and carnivals. It’s whimsical and thought-provoking at the same time and its three- dimensional textile sculptures, many with moving parts, really show the versatility of the medium.
The event, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes mask-making, DIY hand puppets and other allages artmaking activities, as well as two performances by the Cambodian Cultural Dance Troupe of San Jose, who wear intricately embroidered costumes and masks. Artists in residence Michelle Wilson and Anne Beck also will have an open studio for their fascinating, community-based Rhinoceros Project.
Get more information at www. sjquiltmuseum.org.
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS»
The San Jose Museum of Art will
welcome the Year of the Dog with a community day of its own on Saturday. Assemblyman Ash Kalra will provide the opening remarks at 11 a.m., and there will be artmaking activities throughout the day. The Rising Phoenix Lion Dance Association will perform at 3 p.m. Admission is free, but you can reserve tickets and get more details at www.sjmusart.org.
Meanwhile, Eastridge Mall in San Jose will be the site of a three- day Tet Festival, featuring lion and dragon dances, talent and fashion shows and carnival games and rides. The festival, which will be set up in the Sears parking lot, will run Friday from 3 to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. GARLIC FESTIVAL ALREADY COOKING » A belated congratulations to Todd Trekell, a development project manager at Toeniskoetter Development, who took over in November as the president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association. It’s a big year to wear the Garlic Crown as the 40th annual festival is coming up July 27-29.
Festival organizers are already looking for submissions for two big parts of the milestone festival: Art for the festival poster and recipes for the Great Garlic Cookoff. You need not be fromGilroy — or even the Bay Area — to participate in either the poster search or the popular amateur cooking contest (Last year’s winning poster entry came from Diane Grosman of Winter Haven, Fla.).
Get more details on both by going to gilroygarlicfestival.com and clicking on “Festival.”