Art plays an important role in communities. It speaks of cultural and historical points of view, engages people and enriches lives. This is certainly what the Knight Foundation believes as well, and they have just put their money behind it for San Jose. The foundation, a long standing organization which supports “…transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts” has recently announced 17 San Jose area groups will received a total of $630,000 in grants. The goal of the grants is give support through art to reflect the cultural diversity of our region, and/or produce excitement around our public spaces to actively engage our communities.
The Knight Foundation grants are going to a diverse selection of arts groups, from large, well known organizations to smaller, more intimate companies. The entire list can be seen on the Knight Foundation blog. For the more established arts institutions, such as the Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose Museum of Art and Silicon Valley Creates, the focus of the grants will be to expand some of their current innovative works, to help create a continuing interest in what they provide to the community. Each of the grants given will be put towards specific productions or exhibits already in the works. MACLA for example is getting $25,000 to support the production of “57 Chevy” a play headed by renowned actor Ricardo Salinas. The Institute of Contemporary Art has been granted $50,000 for an LED art installation by Bay Area artist Jim Campbell.
With the goal of the Knight Foundation and their grants being to support cultural diversity through art, many of the grant recipients are smaller, grass roots programs that are representative of cultures from around the world. They will now be able to gain a wider audience with the funds. Naatak, America’s largest Indian Theater company will receive $30,000 to support its 50th production this fall, “Vrindavan”, as well as towards other productions in 2016. San Jose Taiko will have $20,000 to help continued performances around the region. They bring Japanese drumming to public areas and interact with their surroundings.
There are also some organizations that work on bringing art to wider audiences with unique approaches and ideas. Two Fish Design will have $20,000 in support of its annual festival SubZERO, which showcases emerging subculture art. Seeing Things Art Gallery will get $10,000 in support of its proactive approach to engaging San Jose residents directly with their art exhibits. Recently they invited people to send artist post cards at a mass art-mailing event, spreading the vision of San Jose Art around the globe.
Receiving such an incredible amount of funding for our arts programs is something that we will all benefit from. The San Jose art scene is another great aspect to our vibrant area. When you are ready to buy or sell a home, we at Haylen Group are here to help you with all of your real estate needs! If you are unsure what your options are, call Helen Chong at (408) 800-LIST or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also visit us at our website for available listings and additional information.
