Some answers to questions about Works:

Is Works closing? Why is Works dark?!

With no exhibition up and no events on the calendar, these are the questions we have heard most. Warned of our financial uncertainty and the threat of an impending move, guest curators and artists were delayed and then could not install in time when given the green light. The building contains all of Works’ property but no exhibition is up or scheduled.

Why did Works move there?

After the new owners of 30 North 3rd did not wish to negotiate a new lease with Works, we moved to 451 South 1st in an arrangement negotiated with the City of San José. The city wanted Works to move to the SoFA arts district and this location offered the lowest preparation costs of any of the area spaces at this size. Still, the move, temporary office space, storage, new lighting, construction, and cleanup cost Works about $30,000.

Isn’t the City of San José paying for the space?

The city approved a 3-year subsidy that would keep the remaining rent near the amount Works paid at the previous location. However, this did not include the substantial income Works received from studio rentals at 30 North 3rd. Works had to somehow make up this lost income with other revenue. With overall space between locations decreasing from around 8000 to 4500 square feet, studio space was not practical.

Over the past year, a few donors have given more than any individuals ever have to Works. But at the same time, the Board of mostly volunteer artists was inexperienced and often uncomfortable with fundraising. Membership revenue and grants fell short and the decision was made to move the benefit auction to Spring to avoid competition with the holidays. With the present uncertainty the auction has been delayed further, and would not be enough alone to sustain Works at the current location.

Is it just money?

Yes, Works needs money, but as much and more it needs people to reenergize it. It needs volunteers and Board members who will, as others have for 31 years, take the organization and remake it with new ideas and energy.

Works/San José is your community art and performance center. For years this sentence has started most descriptions of the organization. The meaning has now become more clear than ever—Works is just people. People like you and me who want there to be a home in San José for the experimental—the less established—the sometimes raw and unfiltered in art. Works is the only arts venue in the South Bay where programming is determined by community proposals—but nothing happens without individuals from the community pitching in.

How bad is it? What’s next?

Money has run out and several bills remain unpaid. Only a few remain on the Board of Directors, along with a couple more on the Executive Committee. A handful of dedicated volunteers have pledged support. The Board has enlisted the help of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San José (RDA) to potentially exit our lease at 451 South 1st Street. Along with RDA we’re now awaiting a decision by a third party that will determine what happens next. There is not yet any new location for Works. Weeks ago RDA made a tentative proposal for another downtown space, but conflicting missions with the other tenant and space issues shelved this possibility.

What can I do to help?

Hey, that’s our question exactly. What can you do? Works needs just about everyone right now: leaders, workers, organizers, and donors. Works needs basic members now more than ever—if you haven’t already, please join or renew to show that Works has community support. We are grateful for the extraordinary support that Works has received from core volunteers and donors. But that list has to get longer for Works to survive.

Who should I contact?

You can email the entire Board directly:
works-board@somejunkwelike.com

Or you can contact the Board President, Steve Cooley:
president@workssanjose.org

The 4th and final round of the EBay auctions from Body of Works is online now! Please go bid on some artwork to help us keep our doors open.

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Tomorrow night, we have not one, but TWO events going on in the gallery.

First up at 7pm is the Artists’ Talk for the current show in the gallery:

in august, 2007, a residency and workshop hosted by silpakorn university, in bangkok, thailand, included three san josé state faculty artists who were invited to participate as part of a larger exchange with several california universities. the artists were directed to address the theme of world environment, and the conclusion of the bangkok portion of the exchange was a major exhibition showing the results of this effort. the exhibition here at works/san josé presents new work from the california portion of this ongoing exchange. learn more at a free Artists’ Talk 7pm, thursday, december 13

And following up promptly at 8pm is the inaugural Share - San Jose meetup and electronic music and visuals jam session:

SHARE is an organization dedicated to supporting collaboration and knowledge exchange in new media communities. Local SHARE groups hold free, open jams and workshops in their communities. Participants bring their portable equipment, plug into our system, improvise on each others’ signal and perform live audio and video. SHARE furnishes the amplification and projection. SHARE happens weekly to monthly in cities around the world, where interesting things happen. This site is dedicated to the San Jose chapter of SHARE. We hope to have monthly get-togethers and have a lot of fun. To be involved in SHARE events, please join:

The SHARE San Jose mailing list

Our next (first!) meeting is December 13, 8pm, at Works Gallery. More details on the Current_events page.

Technorati Tags: arts, electronic, experimental, music, techno

We’re sorry to announce the children’s art workshop originally scheduled for December 8th, 2007 has been cancelled. Subscribe to our RSS feed to keep in touch with us for announcements on upcoming events for kids in 2008!

Interested in getting more involved in the arts community? Works sure is looking for you! We have several kinds of ways for you to volunteer your time and skills. Some ways we need help are:

* Sitting in the gallery during our normal hours of operation.
* Helping run the bar or the front door at one of our special events like South First Friday or an opening night reception
* Being an event coordinator for music and performances
* Being our gallery programming coordinator
* Being our volunteer coordinator
* Being on the Board of Directors

Contact us at volunteer@workssanjose.org to learn more!

Technorati Tags: art, arts, volunteer, works, workssanjose

Don’t let a little rain cheat you out of experiencing some awesome culture! Come on down to South First Friday at Works/San Jose this friday:

Opening Reception: California to Bangkok and Back: an ongoing artistic and cultural exchange of faculty artists. in august, 2007, a residency and workshop hosted by Silpakorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand, included San José State faculty artists Erin Goodwin-Guerrero, Tony May, and David Middlebrook, who were invited to participate as part of a larger exchange with several California universities. The artists were directed to address the theme of world environment, and the conclusion of the bangkok portion of the exchange was a major exhibition showing the results of this effort. The exhibition at Works/San José presents new work from the California portion of this ongoing exchange.

Opening in the Paulette Peterson installation space: Marina Shterenberg: video installation Infinite Desire explores relationships between organic and geometric symmetry, between the human body and euclidean space, and between physical and imagined environments.

On view: WORXX: twenty years of design by Joe Miller, a sampling of the dynamic, award winning, and sometimes controversial graphic design for Works/San José from 1987 to 2007.

Visit SouthFirstFridays.com for more info on what else is going on!

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Works/San Jose is pleased to announce - California to Bangkok and Back, its next exhibition, opening December 4th, 2007, and on view through January 19th, 2008.

In August, 2007, a three-week residency and workshop hosted by Silpakorn University in Bangkok Thailand, included three San Jose State University faculty artists who were invited to participate as part of a larger group of artists from several California Universities. The artists worked in Bangkok, alongside faculty artists from Thailand in the production of a major exhibition which opened in September 2007 at the Art Centre at Silpakorn University.

This exhibition at Works/San Jose represents the California portion of the ongoing exchange of Thai and California artists which was begun a number of years ago by art faculty from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly.) It includes work from all of the artists who have participated in the latest exchanges. Four of these Thai artists have just recently completed residencies at San Jose State and at Cal Poly.

Exhibit Preview: Dec 6th, 2007 – 6:30pm, Works/San Jose

Public Reception: Dec 7th, 2007 – 7:00pm, Works/San Jose

Click here for the entire press release and more photos

Technorati Tags: thai, works, workssanjose

Ah, back to real life after thanksgiving, huh? We had a nice break and hope you did too. Why not celebrate the newly arrived cold weather with a night out at Works/San Jose’s December edition of New Music and Performance night? We have two of the bay area’s finest performers coming in this Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm. From the south bay, we have El Otro Mundo’s El Gato #9, and from the north, we have Will Grant, a.k.a. Blue Fire! Doors open at 7pm, wednesday November 28, 2007. $5 for members, $10 for non-members. No one turned away for lack of funds.

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7:30pm tuesday, november 6

featured poets followed by an open mic
First Tuesdays at Works, presented by Poetry Center San José
with the San José State University Creative Writing Department
free and open to the public

this month’s featured poets:
Peter Malae
Elline Lipkin
Nigel Funge

read more about the poets at www.pcsj.org

Technorati Tags: workssanjose, works

Come on down to South First Friday at Works/San Jose this friday and experience this fine events:

Opening Reception: WORXX: twenty years of design by joe miller
A sampling of the dynamic, award winning, and sometimes controversial graphic design for Works/San José from 1987 to 2007. Installation in the front window and back community wall.

Live electronic music performances by Chlorophil and Derek Scott.

on view in the main exhibition space:
Feel the Difference: Cultural Branding Remix
Artists Jano Cortijo, Binh Danh, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Juan Luna-Avin, and Angelica Muro remix the commercialization of culture and ethnicity.

on view in the Paulette Peterson Installation Space:
Chris Elliman An interactive installation on social stereotypes.

Visit SouthFirstFridays.com for more info on what else is going on!

Technorati Tags: southfirstfriday, works, workssanjose