I live midway between San Jose and San Francisco (I actually live closer to San Jose). For the past 13 years I've produced theater in San Francisco. The birth of my first son changed all that. I started accepting directing jobs down on the peninsula so I could be closer to home. It was great to live 10 minutes away from the rehearsal space/theater. When my theater company disbanded and I went to grad school, I started looking for opportunities to work in my community or at least a little closer to my community.
I've discovered a number of places on the peninsula ripe for a theater/visual arts/media organization. The city of San Jose stands out from the others because not only does it have enormous potential w/r/t spaces, support organizations, etc, but the city itself is actively trying to foster its arts community. It recently conducted an Artist Resource Survey and is hosting its first ever Artist's Town Hall on September 13 from 10 am - 3pm at San Jose City Hall. The event is an opportunity for artists and creative entrepreneurs to meet and discuss ways to make San Jose a more "artist-friendly" place.
The day starts with a Plenary Session with an introduction by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and keynote address featuring Richard Chuang, co-founder of PDI/DreamWorks animation studio. The results of the Silicon Valley Artists Resource Needs survey will also be presented. You have the choice of attending either the morning or afternoon session (or both). If you opt for both, a light lunch will be provided (you must register in advance). Go here to register. The afternoon session is a series of round table discussions and there will also be an opportunity to meet and exchange information with funders, arts service providers, and other resources for artists in San Jose.
As it turns out, I'll be in Portland and will miss the event. But I'm going to see if I can deploy an operative to go check it out. If you go, please let me know what you thought about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment