San Jose officials have been boasting of late how the city is again considered the safest big city in the country. That’s likely true unless you’re a piece of artwork.
Last weekend, four small, colorful alebrijes figures by artist Fernando Escartiz were swiped from the exterior wall above the entrance to the San Jose Jazz Break Room on the corner of First and San Carlos streets in downtown San Jose. Surveillance video on the Break Room entrance Friday night shows someone on a bicycle stopping, going out of frame and then getting back on the bike with at least one of the figures.
The remaining three figures — made mostly of wood, papier mache and foam, have since been removed from the building, which is a smart move but also a heartbreaking one. The alebrijes were a fond and festive reminder of the “Alebrijes en San Jose” exhibit that was downtown for nearly two months, a showcase of Mexican folk art with eight giant magical animals in and around Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
“When it happened, it was rough,” said Monique Valenzuela, San Jose Jazz’s business and education development coordinator, who was the project director for all the public “Alebrijes” events this summer. “It was literally the last element we had that was coming down after Dia de los Muertos, and to some degree it robbed us of that closure we were anticipating from the exhibition.”
She talked to Escartiz and said the artist would not let the theft deter his passion for public art. “He really wants to emphasize that it’s not about the money or the property loss. The biggest loss he feels is the offering to the community,” Valenzuela said. “We shouldn’t be surprised, but that shouldn’t prevent us from feeling like we can put something unique and valuable on display. We need to have more of this out there, and we need to respect it.”
This latest crime comes right on the heels of the theft of “Momotaro,” a bronze statue that was a gift from San Jose sister city Okayama. The statue of a boy and his two animal companions — a monkey and a dog — were cut from their base near the San Jose Center from the Performing Arts. Stills from surveillance cameras released by San Jose Police show two people with bikes apparently taking the pieces away in a shopping cart the morning of Sept. 25.
Famously, another sister city statue, this one from Pune, India, was stolen from the Guadalupe River Park in 2023 and discovered by a Mercury News reporter at a metal scrap yard north of downtown. The following year, a sculpture weighing more than 600 lbs. and worth $100,000 was taken from an art studio near San Jose Mineta International Airport. It ended up being chopped up and sold to a scrap yard, which sadly is probably the fate of Momotaro, as well.
San Jose Jazz is hoping someone has seen the missing figures, and anyone with information about either current case should contact San Jose Police. It’s a cliche to say “This is why we can’t have nice things in San Jose,” but public art shouldn’t need to be surrounded by fences or spikes. Sadly, it seems like it’s up to the community as a whole to keep a better eye on these works of art.
GOING, GOING, GONE: Fortunately, there were no art thefts at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art’s 45th anniversary celebration and auction Saturday night — but there were some great deals that raised money for the downtown gallery. ICA San Jose Executive Director James G. Leventhal says the numbers are still being added up, but the event was above and beyond any measure of success.
“For 45 years, the ICA has always been more than than an arts presenter. This is a place where creativity flourishes and where people can make connections with the arts,” said Liz Waldo, a longtime arts professional in the South Bay who was an assistant director at the ICA in 2000-2008.
The event also honored longtime patrons Nicki and Pete Moffat, who spoke passionately about the role of the ICA and arts in our community, and artist Naomie Kremer, who was unable to attend.
QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOR: Speaking of good times, it was a blast to return as the quizmaster for the second annual San Jose Q&A, a trivia contest about the city’s history held at San Jose Stage Company last Thursday night. The event drew about 200 guests, who raised more than $200,000 for the Michael Van Every Burn Center Fund at the Valley Health Foundation.
Returning champion Janikke Klem of Heritage Bank of Commerce held onto her trivia crown, holding off San Jose attorney Steve Ellenberg and Carl Salas, the founder of Salas O’Brien engineering firm who recently served a six-month sentence on the San Jose City Council. Van Every and former Mayor Tom McEnery gave some levity to the proceedings as emcee and judge, respectively.
After two rounds of questions, Klem won on the last question: “This band’s hit ‘All Star’ was featured in a hit 2001 Dreamworks animated movie.” The answer, of course, is San Jose’s own Smash Mouth. But you knew that, right?