Works / San Jose

About

works/san josé is the south bay’s community art and performance center. founded in 1977 by local artists, works is an all-volunteer, non-profit, alternative art and performance center dedicated to providing a venue for artists, ideas, and images that expand the scope of cultural and artistic experience and challenge the boundaries of contemporary art. works/san josé is supported by individual members and donors.

the exhibition programs at works/san josé are unique professional development opportunities in which artists and curators are mentored by works volunteers through the production of their exhibition. the intellectual statement of the exhibition is solely the work of the artist or curator; and in this way, works can present the broadest variety of viewpoints, diverse opinions, and a proliferation of possible creative statements while showcasing emerging, innovative, and experimental visual, performance, new media, installation, and interdisciplinary art.

works thrives on community involvement and enrichment and has an active outreach program that favors exhibitions that cross boundaries and facilitate dialogue that lead to greater understanding between diverse populations. participating artists and curators are required to complete an outreach activity in relation to their exhibition; and works provides professional development educational opportunities for artists at every level of career development, including monthly workshops and lectures, a monthly artist critique group, and free art experiences for young people and their families.

works/san josé has functioned as primarily a volunteer organization for 30 years, a testament to the commitment of its volunteers and membership to maintain works operational and programming capacity, and this has allowed the organization to stay responsive to the needs of its membership and the community. a working board of directors, advisory board, active volunteers, and two staff members operate works.

mission statement: works/san josé believes that thriving communities support artistic experimentation. therefore, we serve as the south bay community’s creative laboratory where people can experiment, exhibit and engage with art and with each other. we achieve our mission by providing an accessible, supportive and welcoming art center.

exhibition programs:
the exhibition programs at works/san josé are unique professional development opportunities in which artists/curators are mentored by works volunteers through the production of their exhibition. community involvement and enrichment are core beliefs of works, so participating artists and curators are required to complete an outreach activity in relation to their exhibition to facilitate dialogue between diverse populations to lead to greater understanding.

guest curator (main gallery):
this program is responsible for exhibitions in our main gallery, and allows works/san josé to present the broadest variety of viewpoints, diverse options, and a proliferation of possible creative statements. applications to this program must have a minimum of three (3) exhibiting artists.

paulette peterson installation space (p2is):
this unique space dedicated to the presentation of installation and site-specific work in the bay area.

other programs:

performance art/music events: since its inception in 1977, works/san josé has been the performance art venue in the south bay presenting an eclectic array of artists.

artist development:

works provides professional development educational opportunities for artists at every level of career development, including monthly workshops and lectures, a monthly artist critique group.

youth and family art connection (yfac):
yfac fosters appreciation for and understanding of art by giving local children (ages 7 to 14) and their families new and different ways to express themselves through art in a “no-mistakes” environment that supports the application of creative problem solving and risk taking beyond the visual arts. free creative opportunities are provided at works on the second saturday of the month.

student transition opportunities:
works has a long-standing connection with san josé state university, and last year provided the venue for both the industrial design and graphic design department’s final review and exhibition. on a statewide level, works annually awards a graduate student our new emerging curator award, the winner then is mentored through the production of the new california master show, which is a showcase of mfa students statewide.