Bringing the art of Burning Man to San Jose
Not everything that happens at Burning Man stays at Burning Man. The famous freefor-all festival in the desert is known for its visual spectacle, and some of that art will be making its way to San Jose in the near future.
Kerry Adams-Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs, says she was inspired by the creativity on display at Black Rock City and saw the potential for using interactive, innovative art to create a spark in San Jose. She developed the idea with Kim Cook, Burning Man Project’s director of art and community affairs, and came up with a partnership called “Playa to Paseo” that will launch in November.
The first piece will be “Sonic Runway,” a light-art installation by Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant, that has visitors walking through a series of cocentric rings that light up in different patters based on the sounds around them. It was at Burning Man in 2016, and a traveling version was in London this summer. The piece will be unveiled at a 6 p.m. ceremony on Nov. 3, AdamsHapner said, and will remain at San Jose City Hall — on the Santa Clara Street sidewalk from Fourth to Sixth streets — for two to three months. Expect three to four pieces a year to San Jose, with the successor to “Sonic Runway” coming in early 2018.
The road eventually will travel both ways, too, as a goal of the partnership is to inspire San Jose’s art community to develop pieces that could wind up at Burning Man. “This isn’t just about bringing art downtown,” Adams-Hapner said. “We’re a community of makers and we want to inspire that.”
And we’ll get to experience some of Burning Man without the bugs, smoke and a layer of dirt.
INTRODUCING LA FAMILIA >> Congratulations to Veronica Escámez and her Redwood City family, who are being honored with the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley’s La Familia Award at the 28th annual Hispanic Foundation Ball next month. The Escámez family is just the second from San Mateo County to receive the award in its history.
Escámez, a teacher, theater director and social worker who came to the Bay Area more than 20 years ago, founded Casa Circulo Cultural in Redwood City in 2009. The nonprofit provides theater classes, music, dance, online radio and other activities for the community youth, as well as English, art and other classes for adults waiting for their children.
Her children have become important parts of the effort, too: Gerardo is a Taekwondo instructor; Octavio is a family fitness instructor, Fernando is an artist in charge of the theater’s set construction and Casa Circulo’s Redwood City parade floats and Manuel is a professor at the University of Mexico who gives guest lectures at Casa Circulo when he’s visiting the Bay Area.
The family will be honored at the annual gala Oct. 21 at the Fairmont San Jose. Get ticket information at www.hfsv.org.
COMMENDABLE PERFORMANCE >> Tabard Theatre Company has long had a reputation for producing shows that are accessible for all audiences in Silicon Valley, but that effort goes farther than you might realize. Since its very first production in July 21, Tabard founder Cathy Spielberger Cassetta has made sure there was a free, hands-on presentation for blind and visually impaired audience members before every Main Stage production.
Before last Saturday’s matinee of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind paid a visit to downtown San Jose’s Theatre on San Pedro Square to present her with a commendation for her dedication to bringing live theater to the blind and visually impaired. You don’t need perfect sight to clearly see what a valuable service that is, and you’ve just got to wonder why everyone else isn’t doing it.
MOVING CONVERSATION >> The Commonwealth Club of California cut the ribbon on its new headquarters on the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Sept. 12, with a ceremony featuring former Secretary of State George Shultz and a host of San Francisco dignitaries. Gloria Duffy, the CEO of the public affairs forum, was the emcee for the ceremony which featured a brass quintet from the San Francisco Symphony playing “Fanfare for The Commonwealth Club” composed by Michael Smith for the occasion.
Speaking to the San Jose Rotary Club last Wednesday, Duffy said she’s thrilled that the public affairs forum finally has a permanent home of its own. And she was even more thrilled to be in San Jose because it happened to fall on the actual moving day. “I packed all my boxes yesterday,” she said with a smile, “so I’m happy to be here today instead of in the middle of a move.”
STAND-UP CONTRIBUTIONS >> It was a big week for Michele Huntzinger. The San Jose resident and executive director of StandUp for Kids-Silicon Valley was honored as the winner of the San Francisco Giants’ Isabelle Lemon Community Spirit Award on Tuesday during a pregame ceremony at AT&T Park. The award recognizes a volunteer who exemplifies the commitment to community service and “can-do” spirit of Lemon, a Giants Community Fund board member and former promotions manager for KNBR.
With the award, Huntzinger received a $2,500 grant for the volunteerrun nonprofit, which aims to provide safe places for more than 2,500 homeless youth in Santa Clara County. Then, Wednesday morning, she was at StandUp for Kids’ fundraising breakfast, hosted by the silicon valley organization’s Leadership San Jose program. The packed house of generous earlyrisers at Villa Ragusa in Campbell contributed an additional $130,000 for the cause.