The First Fridays Art Walk is back along with Street Mrkt indie urban art faire!
First Fridays ArtWalk SJ in SoFA District, Historic District & Martha Gardens District
Street Mrkt indie urban art faire out on S. 1st St. in SoFA District
Friday, August 1st 5pm–10pm
Bring friends and family for a unique night out in downtown. Stroll through all the exhibits hosted by downtown’s best galleries, and then enjoy Street Mrkt as it transforms S. 1st St. into an open air gallery full of incredible hyper-local artists.
Join us as we come together to ensure that the arts, creativity and community thrive!
Admission is free (spend it with the Artists!) and family friendly.
Full line up at www.southfirstfridays.com
— SOFA District —
• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design
366 S. First St.
Final view:
The Hunters and The Dreamers
Zero Cents (Andrew Schetter)
For hundreds of thousands of years, Homo sapiens have carried forward echoes of our vanished relatives-Neanderthals, Denisovans, and others-whose traces linger in our DNA and our stories. This exhibition is a meditation on those echoes and what it means to be human. Across millennia, our ancestors expressed themselves through rituals, art, and myth, leaving behind stories that repeat across cultures and generations: tales of survival, transformation, love, and loss.
Through these paintings, I reach for that ancient current-the pulse of storytelling that predates language, drifting between past and present, capturing moments of chase, embrace, sorrow, and hope. Boats float in the void, figures cross thresholds, and every journey is both a departure and a return, a melancholic dance through time that reflects who we’ve been, who we are, and who we might become. It's about confronting what haunts us—not to destroy it, but to understand it. To tame it. To let it teach us something real. We are built from many pulses, stitched together by memory, rhythm, and myth.
Some of us walk in the light. Some live in the shadows. Often, we do both.
And that’s okay.
This is humanity.
• KALEID Gallery
320 S. First St.
Artist’s recepton:
"888" Force129 Solo Exhibition
Force129 is an artist & designer from San Jose sharing mixed media artworks on a variety of surfaces.
• MACLA / Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
510 S. First St.
El Arbolito by Jet Martínez
MACLA is showcasing the work of influential Bay Area artist Jet Martínez, known for creating vibrant works of art that engage the traditions of Mexican folk art with contemporary aesthetics.
El Arbolito presents new work and takes inspiration from Jet’s native culture’s rich traditions, mixing ornate patterns and abstract forms to examine the passage of time.
Plus FREE performance at our Castellano Playhouse:
Come to MACLA and vibe to the sounds of DJ Toonin spinning live all night during our Mercadito, featuring local Latinx art vendors. Support community artists, grab some unique finds, dance and celebrate cultura with us! Photo courtesy of DJ Toonin
• Phantom Galleries at The Pierce Apts. Lobby Gallery
2 Pierce Ave.
Artist’s Reception:
Visual Umami Savory Landscape Photography
Jerry Berkstresser Solo Exhibition
Six different feasts for the eyes to savor, each featuring a nearly six-foot wide panorama for the main course and side dishes of standard sized photographs to complete the menu. Color, black and white, and infrared photographs are on display, each with a unique interpretation of the subject.
About the Artist:
Jerry Berkstresser is a contemporary San Jose-based photographer with a life-long passion for photography. He is best known for his creative use of infrared photography that renders water as black, vegetation incandescent white, skies inky black with brilliant white clouds. His panoramas are far wider than standard and capture the viewers attention from afar, inviting a closer examination to reveal the intricate details.
• Phantom Galleries “Urban Abstractions” Murals
San Carlos St. between S. Market and S. 2nd Streets
Urban Abstractions
featuring artists: Apexer, Emoventur, Force129, Joey Reyes, Gwen Marcado-Reyes, Poesia and NoA–
Seven amazing artists have painted “Urban Abstractions” murals on the sidewalk planters at the south gateway to SoFA District. These works are a signal to the passersby that we are an arts and culture district with galleries, music venues, residents and businesses that foster creativity and care about inspiring community well being. Stop by and check out this great project by Phantom Galleries in partnership with San Jose Downtown Association.
• San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
560 S. First St.
Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa: Blood Be Water
Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa is a Mexican-Guatemalan artist based in Oakland, CA, whose practice is a profound exploration of cultural heritage, identity, and transformation. In his first solo institutional exhibition, Blood Be Water, Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa presents an immersive installation featuring new airbrushed paintings, charcoal drawings, oil pastels, and ceramics. Drawing from muralism, street art, and Latin American folk traditions, Samayoa constructs a visually striking, deeply personal exploration of heritage, identity, and transformation. Blood Be Water is curated by Zoë Latzer, Curator and Director of Public Programs.
• San Jose Jazz
310 S. First St.
SJZ Break Room @ First Fridays ArtWalk SJ
Drop in anytime from 5:30–9pm to hear the future of jazz with the young artists in our High School All Stars U19s, who will play selections including "What About Me?" by Snarky Puppy and "Best Part," by H.E.R./Daniel Caesar. Then the Michael Webster House Band takes the stage. At the All Ages Jazz Jam, bring your instrument to join in!
• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
520 S. First St.
Kay Sekimachi: Ingenuity and Imagination
Kay Sekimachi: Ingenuity and Imagination showcases more than 40 works from Berkeley collector Forrest L. Merrill’s comprehensive holdings, that represent every decade of this internationally renowned Bay Area artist’s long career. Sekimachi combined influences from her Japanese heritage and early training in painting and drawing with a thorough exploration and mastery of complex technique.
On view are ethereal hanging sculptures; delicate, origami-like printed artist “books,” bright seamless lidded boxes, abstract textile wall hangings, and weightless bowls and baskets made of Japanese paper and desiccated leaves that push the boundaries of what might be considered a textile. This is a not-to-be-missed chance to see the full scope of this pioneering artist’s work.
Pictured: Leaf Bowl, 2007, by Kay Sekimachi, from Forrest L. Merrill's collection, as photographed by Lee Fatherree.
Also on view: Virginia Davis: Art and Illusion
Virginia Davis: Art and Illusion Master weaver Virginia Davis (1929 - 2023) discovered weaving in the 1970s and over the ensuing 40 years created a significant body of work that manages to be simultaneously elegant and bold. The exhibition features 21 textiles that explore Davis’s interest in optic phenomena, and art and textile history and technique
�Virginia Davis works with ikat weaving and other resist techniques, both as an internationally exhibited studio artist and from technical, historical, and ethnographic perspectives. Her awards include a Fulbright to India and Several individual Visual Artist grants from the NEA (including a residence at the Cite International des Artes, Paris) and the New York State Council for the Arts. In 1995, in Mexico, via a joint NEA and Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes award, she taught and researched Mexican resist techniques. She has taught and lectured widely on structure to surface subjects: warp and weft painting and ikat, weave resist, stitch and tie resist, indigo vat.
— HISTORIC DISTRICT —
• Chopsticks Alley Gallery
38 S. Second St.
Chopsticks Alley Art's Flow in Secret Garden Exhibition
Step into an oasis where wisteria cascades and lotus flowers bloom. Voonbin Leow works with batik, a traditional Indonesian art form that uses hand-dyeing techniques to create dreamlike tapestries with flowing colors and organic patterns. Yachen Xie creates wearable art that flows with effortless movement, turning fabric into a living expression of nature. Let the colors around you stir memories, inspire reflection, and bring a sense of serenity.
7pm Performance: Verses in Bloom, a Night of Poetry in the Secret Garden, inspired by the exhibition.
Join us for an evening of spoken word as poets Joseph Jason Santiago La Cour, Yan-Yin Choy, and Gita Baliga-Savel share original works inspired by the Batik art and fashion of featured artists.
Let their words guide you through a lyrical journey of color, culture, and connection within the serene setting of our current exhibition.
• Works/San Jose
38 S. Second St.
Stand Up!
Works presents its 2025 member art exhibition—the title “Stand Up!” asks broadly what your art stands for—from concrete to abstract statements: formal, societal, environmental, etc. We need to Stand Up! This exhibit is a wide-ranging survey of South Bay and nearby artists. From the most experienced and collected regional artists to to new voices, see the work of more than 80 artist members who help support your community art and performance center. Don’t miss this impressive salon of talent in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, digital art, and more. While we have many members who support our community mission but don’t consider themselves artists, this show celebrates creatives who volunteer and contribute to increase opportunities for everyone.
— MARTHA GARDENS DISTRICT —
• Art Ark Gallery
1035 S. Sixth St.
A Tribute to South Bay Drag by Miguel Espinosa
A tribute to South Bay Drag is a show about the intersection of drag performance, community, and fine art. Free photoshoots were offered and the images are prominently displayed in the gallery. The project celebrates the diversity and ingenuity of South Bay drag artists with multiple Drag Shows.
• Fuse Presents
199 Martha St.
“And, Then What?” by Sarah and Valentino Loyola
In this joint show, “And, Then What?” Sarah and Valentino Loyola attempt to describe the nature of human impact and minuscule scale of human existence as transitory; the reverberations of human behavior.
Sarah Loyola examines the relationship between the size of human impact relative to our scale in the universe with the use of cyanotype and paint. Her work focuses on light traveling across the solar system, and the collection of human detritus broken down by the ocean, yet still present long past an individual lifespan. We are all important in our minds, but on a cosmic scale, we are just passing through.
Valentino Loyola repurposes construction-grade kraft paper as a canvas to outline his body and the application of mixed media that elaborates case-specific environmental justice issues, punctuates the common dismissal of concerns to demonstrate solidarity with frontline communities that the adverse effects of climate change and environmental hazards have impacted.
Through a performative and research-based approach, his expressions of humanness are site-specific, graphic, and emboldened by the power of unity, making them statements of strength and resilience.
•Machu Picchu Gallery of the Americas
199 Martha St.
Paintings from a 1986 Journey to Perú by �Suzanne Peck
�Silicon Valley artist Suzanne Peck joined a Folk Art Tour to Peru in 1986, led by Olga Enciso-Smith, founder of the Machu Picchu Gallery of the Americas (MPGA). During the journey, she was deeply moved by the Peruvian people’s warmth, the joy in their way of life, and the striking beauty of the countryside and traditional dress. Upon returning to California, Suzanne began painting the people and scenes that had touched her heart.
In Grandpa & Grandson / Abuelo y Nieto, she captures the quiet bond between generations. “I painted this old man and the boy because of the love and respect that I felt the boy had for his grandfather,” she explains. Another painting from the series, Man with Harp / Hombre con Harpa, was inspired by “the musical gift I felt as he played this ancient harp.”
These pieces reflect Suzanne’s emotional response to the people and culture of Perú—a heartfelt tribute to a vibrant and unforgettable experience made possible by Olga's cultural tour that lasted 22 days in ancient and modern Perú.
• STREET MRKT indie urban art faire
Out on S. 1st St. between San Carlos & Reed St. in SoFA District
Come out for an amazing evening with incredible indie artists showcasing and selling their work. Artists are the heart and soul of our city and this is your chance to meet them in person, chat about what inspires them, and, in many cases- watch them work on site. We appreciate your dedication to ensure imagination and artistry thrives by supporting our hyper-local creative economy!
Join us on First Friday August 1st 5pm–10pm�Out on S. 1st St. in SoFA District downtown San Jose.
Free admission (spend it with the Artists!), and all ages welcome.
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Animate One /Isaac Bassard
BAGI /Bay Area Glass Institute
The Blunt Letters
Becky Arrguiano
Bungalow Glow Candle Co.
Julie Cardenas
Bryan Corbin
Crossroads Trading Co.
Current Tattooing
Joesph Demaree
Mario Dimas
Lorenz Dumuk
Mahsa Emoventur
Betsy Fessler
Floating House Tattoo
Fuse Presents
Leysar Garcia
Hand in Hand Henna
Higher Fire Clayspace
Maureen Holcomb
Hull House Market
Jodi 408
Royce Kim
Joe Mandrick
More Más Maram
Sasha Mufasa
Katherine Orjuela
Purl Bailey Crafts
Roger O.
Francisco Ramirez
Roxana Romero-Vega
Jacob Sandoval
Anya Satysheva
Mary Sesma
Stardrop Facepaints
Sundry 3D Treasures
• Awesome DJs in the Beer Garden:
Notorious PIG
Jswizza
Dougie
• Delicious FOOD TRUCKS:
Barya Kitchen Food Truck
Daily Grind Burger
Los Tres Hermanos Mexican Grill
Luvs Brownies
Me Oi Food Truck
Roadhouse 48
______________________
First Fridays ArtWalk SJ & Street Mrkt is produced by CURATUS in partnership with the participating galleries, museums and independent creative businesses.
South FIRST FRIDAYS ArtWalkSJ
Year round (except Jan. & July) rain or shine.
366 S. 1st St.
SoFA District in downtown San Jose, CA 95113
408-271-5155
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Also check out other Arts events in San Jose, Fine Arts events in San Jose, Exhibitions in San Jose.
