Steppin' Out
Story
A new arts community springs up in the San Jose BackWater
By Heather Zimmerman
A relic from the Valley's agricultural past is bearing new fruit these days. An old Victorian ranch house has become the first outpost of BackWater Arts, an organization dedicated to building community within San Jose's arts scene.
The group will launch its inaugural exhibition with open studios and a reception on Dec. 1, 6-10 p.m. at the BackWater Arts Gallery, 681 Quinn Ave., San Jose. The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 22, features work by some of BackWater's 10 studio residents, as well as four other local artists.
The Victorian house on Quinn Avenue is the beginning of what co-founders Anne Sconberg and Sara Cole aim to build into an art colony-like community, with live-work spaces for artists, and room for exhibitions, education and just a place for artists to congregate. "I think that definitely we both had this dream, this goal, to bring community and social action to the San Jose area," Cole says, "especially in light of how San Jose is perceived as an arts center compared to Berkeley and San Francisco and Oakland."
The name "BackWater" is both a nod to the house's relatively removed location, but also a spoof on the stereotype of San Jose as a cultural cowtown.
BackWater Arts was inspired in part by Los Angeles' The Brewery, an art colony that has converted about 23 acres of former industrial properties into more than 300 studios. For several years, Sconberg searched for property with similar potential in San Jose.
Surrounded by warehouses, BackWater Arts' first home can be the jumping-off point for a similar neighborhood refurbishment. The Victorian house has been renovated into a gallery plus rental studios for 10 artists, who may choose to live in their studios. Current resident artists include writers as well as visual artists. Gallery exhibitions will change monthly and artists don't have to be residents to show in the gallery.
There are plans for BackWater Arts to offer arts education programs for the general public. Cole, who has taught art for seven years, aims to hold workshops that will grow into a regular schedule of classes--in everything from visual arts to poetry.
The organization is entirely a volunteer operation. Cole recently left a job in the tech industry to oversee renovations and curate for the organization.
The effort is not only about creating more space for artists, but also showing that positive community change is possible. "I believe that art is a great agent of social change," she says, noting that she has seen how creating art can empower students. "I want people to realize that you can affect cultural change."
BackWater Arts Gallery is open Friday noon-6 p.m. and Saturday, noon-4 p.m. For more information, contact sara@saravcole.com.
