It’s been a couple of years since Google and Jamestown activated a stretch of downtown San Jose near SAP Center with its Creekside Socials, block parties with music, art and food trucks. Events have been held there ever since, but there wasn’t much else to draw people back there.
That should be changing, thanks to the opening this week of a massive “art corridor” and an 8,000-square foot beer garden operated by Hapa’s Brewing Company. Both occupy lots between Barack Obama Boulevard and South Montgomery Street south of SAP Center.
People stopped at the beer garden Friday afternoon, the first day it was open. Some were just enjoying an afternoon brew, listening to tunes or playing cornhole, while others were stopping by on their way to the San Jose Sharks’ NHL Draft viewing party at SAP Center. You can easily see this becoming a regular pre-event hangout, as the beer garden is open 3 to 9 p.m. every day but Monday.
And, if you’re there, you’re already experiencing the Creekside Art Corridor. The Hapa’s beer garden is enclosed by one of the installations, “The Buzz,” which was led by Art is Luv and concept artist Charmin Roundtree. The installation surrounds the area with large birch plywood panels decorated with cutouts of beer bottles, as well as artwork created by artists Nicole Dixon, Carmen McNall, Rayos Magos and Ian Johnson.
Flora and Fauna at The Lot at Creekside was created by San Jose father-daughter artist team Alyssarhaye and Francisco Graciano. They used big steel cutouts to depict plants native to the area, including the California fuschia, along with birds and grasses. They’re bright and colorful, providing a nice contrast to the largely industrial area near Diridon Station.
“By incorporating local flowers, animals, and themes related to the Guadalupe River trail, we aim to accentuate the vibrancy of a natural environment that reflects the heart and soul of San Jose history,” Alyssarhaye Graciano said in an artist’s statement.
History is also at the core of the third installation, which may be my favorite. “408 Innovates,” the work of San Jose artist Ricardo Cortez, transforms a stretch of fence along South Montgomery Street surrounding the lot where the Stephen’s Meat Dancing Pig sign used to be. A sharp graphic designer with a love of San Jose’s heritage, Cortez created a series of pieces that illustrate important people, places and movements from the city’s past.
He starts back with the Peralta Adobe and touches on everything from lowriders and Eggo waffles to the creation of the hard drive and the pioneering candidacies of former mayors Norman Mineta and Janet Gray Hayes. Both San Jose State and the San Jose Sharks get shout outs, and yes, the Dancing Pig is up there, too.
“This artwork is inspired by the rich, multifaceted identity of San Jose,” Cortez said. “I wanted to create an educational journey, using historical references to point viewers toward understanding our city’s progression.”
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The city’s progression is a key point there, since the entire Creekside area was meant to be part of Google’s sweeping Downtown West project. It’s looking less and less like that will happen in the grand form originally approved back in 2021, but Creekside may turn out to be a really good — if temporary — substitute.
Between the beer garden, the art corridor, studio space for Local Color and Good Karma Bikes, this might just just blossom into another funky art district downtown.
BEYOND THE BOOKS: When you think of libraries, you probably think of the things you can check out like books and DVDs. But the San Jose Public Library does a lot more than that. It recently received a $500,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to launch a transformative two-year programming initiative to expand its programs for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and college and career readiness programs.
The San Jose Public Library was one of just 11 libraries nationwide — and the only one in the Bay Area — to receive the grant.
ORCHARD FAIR: Apricots, nature and technology will come together again July 19 for the Los Altos History Museum’s Apricot STEM Fair. The daylong event at the museum’s courtyard and the Los Altos Heritage Orchard next door features activities and games that are based around Science, Technology, Engineering and Math concepts that are still rooted in agriculture.
Christina Zhao, the museum’s education and volunteer coordinator, said “We hope to connect the past with the future by honoring our collective memory of the Valley of Heart’s Delight. At the same time, we’re encouraging exploration and innovation in what we now call Silicon Valley.”
Admission is $10 at the door, but it’s free for museum members and kids 12 and under. There’ll be apricot-inspired food to buy, too. Get more details at losaltoshistory.org/ApricotSTEM2025.
THREE DECADES OF ‘CLUELESS’: If you find it hard to believe that its been 30 years since the movie “Clueless” added “as if” to everybody’s vocabulary, star Alicia Silverstone is right there with you. The actress, who played Cher in the 1995 coming-of-age hit, announced on Instagram posted on Instagram that she’ll be in San Jose on July 25 to celebrate the movie’s milestone with a screening and a conversation at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.
Tickets are available at www.sanjosetheaters.org.