Art showcases the female perspective
This is the final week to catch “Vision: An Artist’s Perspective,” a compelling exhibition at Kaleid Gallery in downtown San Jose that showcases the work of female artists.
The show, which closes Saturday, includes work from 38 artists from around the country, including Bay Area artists Sara Cole, Diyar Al Jazzi, Lynn Dau, Beth Fein, Yolanda Guerra, Joanna Kao, Mido Lee, Ruth Waters
and Corinne Whitaker. All the pieces — whether photographs, paintings, sculpture or mixed-media — convey some aspect of what it means to be a woman in today’s world.
“This exhibition has fabulous, thought-provoking and gripping works,” said Karen Gutfreund, who co-curated the project with
Sherri Cornett in collaboration with UniteWomen.org. Kaleid’s space was too limited to display everything, so more pieces from the juried show are available to view online atwww.gutfreundcornettart.com/info-vision.html.
The exhibition was created with a specific purpose, Gutfreund says. She and Cornett are focused on “art as activism” exhibitions. “As you may know, women currently get very poor representation in galleries, museums and make pennies to the thousands compared to male artists,” she said.
Check out the talent and diversity presented at “Vision: An Artist’s Perspective,” and you’ll walk away further mystified why that is. Kaleid Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. at 88 S. Fourth St.
STELLAR SERVICE: It was unfortunate to hear that California Cafe in Los Gatos will be closing at the end of the month, as it is not renewing its lease in the Old Town shopping center.
You can also count Bob Lowry among those who’ll be sad to lose the eatery, which opened in 1985. Lowry, who was the principal at Fisher Middle School in Los Gatos from 1987-94, was cleaning out his San Jose garage this summer when he discovered a card from a Fisher family thanking him for his service. Enclosed was a $50 gift certificate to California Cafe.
Lowry doesn’t know how he neglected to take out the gift certificate in 1994, but he called California Cafe anyway to explain. “The restaurant’s response? I was told to keep the original certificate (which had an expiration date of June 1995) as a souvenir, and that a $50 gift card would be being held for me at the restaurant when my wife and I came to dine — 22 years later!” Lowry said.
Lowry and his wife, Frances, cashed in the two-decade-old gift last Saturday and wanted to thank the staff at California Cafe for their generosity.
WHERE NO MOVIE’S GONE BEFORE: Some fans seeing “Star Trek Beyond” at the Camera 12 in downtown San Jose are getting a little more of the sci-fi flick. That’s because Camera 12 is just one of a few theaters in the country screening the movie in Barco Escape, an “immersive cinema” format that uses three screens to widen the image and give the impression it wraps around the audience.
“We are jazzed that Camera 12 is Barco Escape’s South Bay home,” Camera Cinemas owner Jack NyBlom said. “I think it’s a format that will grow, in ways similar to what happened with IMAX if the quality of the content is what it has been and they continue to work with top creative talent.”
Cinequest has showcased Barco Escape for its past two festivals, and last year’s “The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” was the first mainstream feature to be released with Barco Escape scenes. About 20 minutes of the new “Trek” film use the format. The transitions between one screen and three can be distracting and there is a surcharge for seeing the movie in Barco Escape, but you can bet we’ll see more movies using the format in the future — and I don’t just mean Kirk and Spock’s 23rd century.
DINNER WITH OBAMA: Silicon Valley Education Foundation CEO Muhammed Chaudhry was personally invited by President Barack Obama to join a select group of Muslim-American officials, guests and community members at the White House on Thursday night for a Eid al-Fitr dinner to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
While Chaudhry was invited to the same event last year, it still carries tremendous significance. “It continues to reflect the incredible amount of symbolism the White House has,” he said.
Chaudhry got some work done, too. He bent the ear of U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith about education policy and the importance of math and science programs for school kids. Chaudhry says Smith praised the Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s math and science intervention programs, Elevate [Math] & Elevate [Science], as “model programs” for the nation.
BANGING THE DRUM: When Whole Foods Market opens its new store at Santa Clara Square on Tuesday, it’ll do so with nods to Santa Clara symbols, old and new. The always entertaining Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps will get things started at 9:30 a.m., and from noon to 2 p.m. fans can hang out with 49ers mascot Sourdough Sam, the team’s Gold Rush cheerleaders and some 49ers alumni.
And, instead of just cutting a ribbon, the upscale grocer will be breaking a loaf of bread.
SJSU MOURNS: There’s a celebration of life planned 11 a.m. Monday for Charles Whitcomb, San Jose State’s former vice provost for Academic Administration and Personnel, who died July 15 at age 70. Whitcomb, who earned two degrees at San Jose State, was a member of the SJSU community in various roles over a 40-year span that ended with his retirement in 2012.
The memorial will be held at the Music Concert Hall at San Jose State, with a reception following.