Installing an art exhibition can be painstaking, precise work. But it is probably not as dirty as it was for co-curators Alyssarhaye Graciano and Olivia Esparza when they helped artist rafa esparza create an adobe floor for “From Their Hands to Ours,” a new exhibition at MACLA’s downtown San Jose gallery.
They made mud and incorporated straw and manure, and the artist ultimately left the shoes he was wearing embedded in the adobe. One of the surprising aspects of the piece is that visitors can walk around the hardened perimeter.
“From Their Hands to Ours,” which opened Dec. 5 and runs through March 8, is a collaboration between Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) and the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga. Graciano is MACLA’s visual arts curator and Olivia Esparza is Montalvo’s Marcus Curatorial Fellow. The other artists involved, in addition to rafa esparza, are Estefania Ajcip, Miguel Arzabe, Edra Soto and Arleene Correa Valencia.
Each of their pieces touches on a sense of identity or place and what they have inherited from their ancestors. The adobe floor, for example, reflects not only rafa esparza’s Chicano heritage but his relationship with his father in making adobe bricks. Edra Soto’s art is reminiscent of the fences in her native Puerto Rico. And Miguel Arzabe’s woven-and-painted piece is inspired by Bolivian textile arts.
“I think you can look at this exhibit and see that focus on tradition and cultural heritage is on clear display,” said San Jose City Councilmember Anthony Tordillos, who attended a preview reception Dec. 4. “‘From Their Hands to Ours” is all about exploring the ways the tradition, stories and knowledge that are passed down throughout the generations inform the way that we can show up and navigate the world.”
MACLA is at 510 S. First St. in downtown San Jose and is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free except for special events.
KEEP ON SKATING: Good weather has helped provide a good start for Downtown Ice, the San Jose Downtown Association’s skating rink at the Circle of Palms. Rink Manager Tricia McNabb says even though the rink didn’t open until Nov. 28 — a couple of weeks later than usual — attendance has been strong so far with Mayor Matt Mahan and other city staffers stopping by for a spin last week.
If McNabb had one holiday wish, though, it would be for a five-figure sponsor to keep the rink open through Super Bowl LX in February. It’s currently set to close Jan. 19, but a few more weeks would be a nice treat. Any takers out there?
The rink is gearing up for its extended holiday hours starting Dec. 19, but until then it’s open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., with longer hours on Friday through Sunday. It’s $21 to skate, and that includes skate rental. Get more information at www.skateunderthepalms.com.
BIRTHDAY GIVING: Some people would welcome a big party when they turn 90, but not Lew Wolff, the former owner of the Oakland A’s, San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel. He hit the milestone birthday Dec. 13 but wouldn’t allow his daughter, Kari Wolff, and son, Keith Wolff, to throw him a party to celebrate. Instead, the Wolff family is donating 50 full scholarships to Yavneh Day School in Los Gatos. Kari Wolff was a longtime elementary grade teacher at the school, and three of Lew Wolff’s grandchildren are graduates.
That news was delivered on a handsome card filled with “Lewisms,” some of Lew Wolff’s words of wisdom. A few gems from the card: “We need a Developers Anonymous”, “Instead of ‘What if,’ ask yourself ‘Why not?’,” and “Where There is a Lew There Is a Way,” that last one uttered by his grandson Drew at age 8.
SHOW BUSINESS: Speaking of birthdays, beloved author Jane Austen’s 250th is on Dec. 16. If you’re in the mood to celebrate, you could always take in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley.” The play, a Christmas sequel to Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, is at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto through Dec. 28. Tickets are at theatreworks.org.
HERITAGE IMAGES: A new display at the Los Altos History Museum is opening Dec. 18 and will document some of the town’s early residents through historic portraits, paintings and sculptures. “Portraits of Los Altos” was inspired by Anna Knapp Fitz, who sculptured many terracotta busts and painted portraits of Los Altos townspeople. Sophia Lujan, the museum’s curator of collections, says some of the families featured include the Duvenecks of Hidden Villa fame and farming families like the the Brubakers, Furuichis and Smiths. Get more information at www.losaltoshistory.org.
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: The first night of Hanukkah is Dec. 14, and Santana Row in San Jose will again be the site of a community celebration at Park Valencia in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant. Just look for the giant menorah and get there in time for the festivities, which run from 4 to 7 p.m. with live music and family-friendly activities.