Silicon Valley Open Studios begins this weekend
This weekend kicks off the 30th year of Silicon Valley Open Studios, an annual event that lets art lovers get an in-the-studio look at some of the great artists working in the South Bay, and on the Peninsula and coast.
“The fact that this event has lasted for 30 years is a testament to its popularity,” says SVOS Executive Director Mel Thomsen . “In fact, SVOS grows bigger every year because visitors enjoy interacting with the artists and seeing a lot of their work at one time.”
More than 380 artists will be displaying one-of- a-kind art at 150 locations over the next three weekends. There’s something from every variety of visual media, including sculpture, photography, painting, fiber arts and printmaking. Silicon Valley curators and gallery owners often make the rounds looking for emerging talent, and given that nearly everything is for sale, it’s not a bad way to kick-start an art collection.
Artists in 27 cities stretching from Burlingame to Gilroy will have their studios open between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. As usual, each weekend covers a different geographic area, so go to www.svos.org for the schedule.
BALLET TRIBUTE: Dalia
Rawson of the New Ballet School in downtown San Jose — the school that emerged when Silicon Valley Ballet folded — let me know about a special event taking place Saturday at the school’s studios. It’s a tribute to the life of local ballerina and ballet teacher
Gloria Vauges Mohr , who died Feb. 19 at age 83.
Mohr was a dancer with the New York City Ballet under the great George
Balanchine and was a beloved ballet teacher with her own studio, the International Ballet School in Campbell, where she taught from 1958 until she retired in 2014.
“Ms. Mohr inspired generations of dancers with her elegance, her joy, and her inspirational love of ballet and zest for life,” Rawson said. The celebration of her life will take place at the New Ballet School, 40 N. First St., at 5 p.m. Saturday. A GREAT MARCH IN MAY: The March of Dimes’ March for Babies drew a huge crowd of more than 3,500 to History Park last Sunday. The three sites in the Bay Area holding events this weekend — in San Francisco, Pleasanton and San Jose — raised nearly $2.5 million, including $1.1 million in San Jose, where participants took a three-mile walk through Kelley Park around Happy Hollow Park & Zoo and back to History Park.
There were a lot of fun characters to keep kids engaged, too, including San Jose Barracudas mascot Frenzy, San Jose Giants mascot Gigante, Danny the Dragon from Happy Hollow and characters from California’s Great America.
A TREAT FOR MOMS: On Mother’s Day, Symphony Silicon Valley is presenting all the ladies in the audience with a rose and See’s chocolate truffles after “Prokofiev & Sinfonietta,” featuring conductor Gregory Vajda and pianist Natasha Pa
remski . This has become a Symphony Silicon Valley tradition, and helping hand out the 50 dozen roses will be Jennifer Watkins, the symphony’s CFO and general manager — and a mom herself.
Tickets are available for the 2:30 p.m. performance at the California Theatre at www.symphonysiliconvalley.org for details.