San Jose Museum of Art

12/28/2008

Interesting.. and a little small.  My favorite exhibits were the cardboard art and photographs of Frida Kahlo.  (I might have a slight obsession with the life of Frida.)  However, I would've liked to see Frida's work, not photographs of her!  My favorite photographs in the exhibit were the ones that showed a painting of hers.

The cardboard exhibit was awesome!  Who knew that one could make so many things out of cardboard.  Doors.. a house with a cake interior (yes, you read correctly), a survival pack, and many other things.  However, I didn't like that snooty homosexual curator in that exhibit who was watching everyone like a hawk so they wouldn't touch the art.

Nice experience.. but it's a one time thing only.. unless they they come up with better exhibits.

9/28/2007

I want to really rave about [our] San Jose Museum of Art.  I really do.  I want to be able to say that the little town south of the Big City has got an enviable collection of art and some sought after masterworks by widely renowned artists.  I want to... but can't.

I like this museum though.  Its a great outlet for some lesser known artists to showcase work that might otherwise go undetected and unexposed.  And on occasion, there have been some installations/exhibitions that were truly inspiring and breathtaking.  But in general, she feels a bit... unremarkable.

Don't get me wrong.  Liu.  DeForest.  VandenBerge.  Teraoka.  There are some moving pieces in the museums collection.  I just wish there were more...

A huge saving grace of the Museum?  First Fridays events.  Performing arts.  Beer/wine/liquor.  New Installations.

C'mon, wealthy people of Silicon Valley!  I know you've got some art in your personal collections... its meant to be shared!  Loan/lend/donate some of those treasures to our hometown Museum...

9/16/2007

This is one of the first places I was taken when I moved to San Jose six years ago.

They have some great pieces on loan from various owners and have some great pieces of their own too!

They have an amazing blown glass structure in the entrance so make sure to look up!

They have a cute gift shop also.

9/2/2008

I was impressed. Their current exhibit on robots is outstanding. It is colorful, graphic, and thought provoking. It is very pop, so everyone can enjoy it.

The one wing called "colors" was pretty bad. Basically, it was large rectangle in different colors. Maybe I am just a little too uncultured, but I was not impressed. I feel like it was kind of a dick head trap. I want to watch some avant-garde hipster come in and start spouting off about how he "really feels where the artist is coming from...."

Haiku now !

Robots are very cool.
My inner child is glad.
Love them laser beams.

Talent Level ? Bring it with you.

7/18/2011

This is by far my favorite art museum. They've had a number of electronics-based exhibits where the artworks are constantly changing colors/patterns/words based on their programming. One called the Listening Post would change based on internet search queries. Another exhibit had several color-changing LED displays - one looked like an ever-evolving Rothko. Their non-changing/static works are also better than the average museum - for instance, they have three quality glass sculptures hanging from the ceiling when you first walk into the museum. If you only have time to see one art museum in the Bay Area, I recommend checking out the San Jose Museum of Art.

8/20/2006

I was speechless.

Echoing Monica L's sentiments exactly, I do feel that the San Jose Museum of Art is way better than SFMOMA.  Although no longer free (we paid $8 admission) for San Jose library card holders, the admission is only $2.

Great setup and utilization of what space is available, I was very pleased to see that they had an exhibit by Jennifer Steinkamp.  With the aid of a projector and bright iridescent colors, she created digital optical illusions and personal interpretations shown on large walls.  The Wreck of the Dumaru was mesmerizing.......invoking moving waves, the swells of a psychedelic watery mass set against the backdrop of an calm yet tempestuous cloudy sky.  Another of her works I found amazing, was Jimmy Carter.  Reflecting the movement of a kelp field moving in response to the flow and ebb of the moving sea, are long tendrils of animated flowers.  Swirling, twirling, as if caught in a tide pool of merciless liberties.....very conducive.

Next was the Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin, Listening Post piece.  This is a hallucinatory obsession for the sensory deprived.  Or overloaded.  Columns and rows of small displays emit scrolling information scavenged from Internet chat rooms across the world.  Wired, it acts like a webcrawler, retrieving specific phrases.  For example, "I am"..."I love this.".....

I found this piece to be very seductive in that once you take a seat before it, it holds your interests because several senses are being affected.  Set against a rhythmic harmonics, each change in display matches the beat.  Intent with the visual senses as well as the mental, this piece is invocative of the amount of data available globally yet so transparent in that not one piece of information points to an owner.  I felt the anonymity reflected within this dense pool of massive data bits.

I love this place.  And despite my interest being piqued by the Matthew  Barney exhibit at SFMOMA, I'd choose SJ MOA anyday.

1/6/2010

They advertised that a certain artist would have work on display, put the photo on the website then decided to cut the work from the "Juicy Paint" show! Some major false advertising. Other than that, the museum is pretty cool, although very small. You would think with all the $$$ in Silicon Valley there would be a rockin' permanent art collection...didn't see one here.

Parking in the lots with a "Pv" is free on weekends. B of A customers get in FREE.

2/4/2010

While not one of the larger art museums in the Bay Area, the SJMA is actually quite stunning, always with an eclectic mix of exhibitions. I love the location and the cafe is actually great for lunch. I'm a member which I think is great as it's basically a year pass and I can go in for as little or as long as I want.

My girls love the Art Museum, even though they're young (5 and 7). But enrolled my 7 year old in their one week long summer art camp and I HIGHLY recommend it to other parents. It was a third of the price of Children's Musical Theater and such a wonderful experience for her. She is looking forward to it again this summer. Not to mention it's across the street from that crazy fountain we would play in when I'd pick her up at 4:30 on really scorching hot days.

I'd give it 5 stars except I think the store is a bit over priced.

8/19/2009

The time before last I'd gone here the exhibits weren't all that exciting.
Then I went again, and that changed my whole view point.  The changing exhibits (not sure how often they do it), but if you go right now, you'll see the same exhibit I'd seen - and it's amazing!  I don't want to spoil anything...but I'll just say it was well worth it that day I'd gone.  Also, on Sunday afternoons it's not as busy, parking was easy breezy and free (parking meter doesn't charge Sundays).

The cafe inside the museum is convenient and a relaxing place to hang out, discuss the work, and have a nice hot cup of coffee.  The only negative about this visit was the lower basement level:  Women's Work.  There really wasn't enough content, and it sort of looked like it was their "extra junk" thrown in together - so the lower level bottom basement really isn't worth the time - I'd go back to the first exhibit on the main floor and spend more time reflecting on the artists' work there.

After the Museum, you can sit out in front of the water splash thing in front (don't know what it's called), but there are benches and plenty of shade on the grass area to enjoy a picnic.

7/26/2012

It's a small museum but that's OK because it's manageable and there is a nice variety of art.  The museum is very child-friendly, making stools and messenger bags stocked with drawing materials, available.  The cafe is pretty good too.

7/15/2009

Me love junk mail and me got free pass to San Jose Museum of Art, after taking the slowest train known to mankind called VTA, I had

ARRIVED.

First off quiet is one way to state this out of the world experience. Next helpful staff because you know me, if I can I will knock down a sculpture in a second and lastly

ART

From local to famous these curators know their stuff.

I love the feel of the muesum and if I could be put on display here well I would be since I was so inspired I never wanted to drag out some finger paints more than I did when I was here...

6/2/2008

I have been to a decent number of museums.  I had such high hopes for this one.  I was so under whelmed by the collection..  I might not have finished the whole museum which could be a first for me EVER.  Meg was P.O. that we drove all the to SJ and basically wasted a day.  

I can't believe that with all the money in this area that the museum is so pathetic.  This might be the richest community that ever existed in the universe and possibly the worst neighboring museum since the Taliban approved art exhibits circa 2000. I'd trade the Buddha back for all of the SJ collection.  Those rich SJ billionaires should have given the Taliban a billion to carve it up cart it to the US and centerpiece the SJ museum.  Can you billionaires at least send over some of your private collections for a month of the year when your in Spain or something.  Shame on you for being so selfish.

youtube.com/watch?v=SSDi…

9/18/2010

I love technology Art and the museum has one of the best collections in the world!

6/7/2008

This museum is kind of random, and I don't think there is permanent collection but rather travelling exhibits.  It also does not follow any particular formula in types of exhibits so Picasso sketches and a giant robot exhibition can exist side by side.  

The museum is pretty small - unless you are a great conosseur of a particular artist I do not see spending more than a couple of hours in here.  However it's a fun couple of hours.

10/24/2008

San Jose really lacks culture.. sorry I had to say it because to me it's purely factual. I think San Jose Museum of Art makes up for it completely, after a couple of hours of scanning galleries you will leave a cultured and worldly San Joseian. I went last year to view the Camille Rose Garcia "Tragic Kingdom" exhibit by accident and it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. There was a gigantic hand crafted stuffed squid  that took up an entire room.  My trip to the museum was magical and it shook my goth girl roots to the core. It's always great to see a little culture in the rat race city. The gift shop is cool , and you can kid one of kind gifts there.

My only qualm is that parking is a pain in the arse.

8/31/2008

+1 Star, for being a museum in San Jose, we need them and need more.
-1  Star, for costing $8, when it used to be free and for such little content.

Hours are Tue-Sun, 11am-5pm, which is rather narrow, and parking downtown is an added negative variable.

The museum store and cafe are kinda neat.
I have seen a few exhibitions there, and artistically they were done very well (4-stars) despite the place being far too small.

7/1/2008

It's a much smaller museum ( in comparison to SF moma), random interesting art pieces inside the museum.

I remember this art piece made out of shoes that's made into a chair.  The artist was inspired by Imelda Marcos's massive shoe collection.

It looked very painful eek! can you imagine sitting in a chair where the cushiony part was mainly heels.

6/19/2009

I came here to see the Andy Warhol exhibit.  I don't think there were more than ten other visitors when I came, but I did go on Thursday...in the middle of the day.  

It was quite an enjoyable experience though.  In the Andy Warhol exhibit, they had a hands-on activity where you could make your own little pieces of art.  Since there weren't many people around, it was rather relaxing without having to worry about getting in anyone else's way.  

Fab day for only $5.  (Student Prices)

6/27/2008

I've never spent time in downtown San Jose, so this was my first visit to their Museum of Art. At first glance, the building is small. Once inside, you realize that it is indeed small. There are two levels, and I walked through the Robots and Superlight exhibits.

The downstairs space for the Superlight exhibit is modest, but if you're intrigued by random, eclectic displays of art that teach you bits of new information here and there, then the exhibit isn't absolutely hopeless. I especially liked learning about Harwood, Wright, and Yokokoji's project using Strowger telephone operator switches to unite a network of Congolese refugees who fled their homeland because of the Colton Wars (the crisis due to dangerous mining for the mineral coltan, which is vital to the international market to manufacture mobile phones).

Upstairs, in the venue's touted Robots exhibit, the primary space is bright and spacious, but aside from the humongous white robot in the corner, the majority of the pieces are merely paintings, illustrations, or prints of robots along the walls.

The smaller gallery rooms are better -- I liked the 21st-century Venus of Willendorf-type robots, Neil and Iona, which were cool. They, along with other robots, are featured in a room blasting Bjork's "All is Full of Love," which was quite the aural touch.

A display of Feric (Eric Feng)'s two illustrations and animation are neat -- Feric fuses traditional Asian brush painting, concepts of Buddhism and rebirth, and internal robotics into his work -- he combines the mechanical and the fairytale in one. Another noteworthy piece was Jeff Soto's horizontal piece "Battle of Twin Palms," which features elements of graffiti and stylistic throwbacks to "Metropolis" and "Star Wars."

5/6/2011

A great museum.  The Mapplethorpe show on currently is great with lots of photos from the 80s of all the cultural icons from NYC.

6/28/2009

The SJMA does it again with another fantastic exhibit.  The Todd Schorr: American Surreal exhibit opened at the SJMA on June 20th.  As usual, the layout of artwork is fantastic with information on the artist and his work painted boldly on the walls in several areas of the exhibit.  Most of the paintings are huge and the amount of detail is mind-blowing!  

Take the pop icons and cartoon characters of the last 60 years - Disney characters, jack-o-lanterns, Mr. Potato Head, aliens, the Easter Bunny, Bob's Big Boy, Humpty-Dumpty, King Kong, dinosaurs - and mix them up in a wild dream and make them drippy like a Dali painting and you have the art of Todd Schorr.  

The paintings in the exhibit are supplemented with smaller drawings and a display of influential objects from the artist's childhood.

All together, an informative and enjoyable exhibit.  Catch it before it ends September 16.

9/1/2008

Came here on Sunday. We were asked if we were both adults. Being that my friend is 6'4" and I am 5'2" and do not look related, perhaps the staff thought he was babysitting me??? It was a rather cute verbal mishap. She was very friendly and helpful. Admission was $8, not bad at all.

San Jose is definitely not known for its culture so I didn't expect too much from this museum but was pleasantly surprised. We went to see robots. I waved my hand dismissively at most of the stuff downstairs (except for Love Disorder  which is slightly creepy but intriguing) though my friend appreciated the Superlight exhibit far more than I did. Audiovisual is really not my favorite form of art. When we reached upstairs, my heart filled with joy. ROBOTS! Robots that moved when you stood in front of them. Cowboy Robot complete with a penis and two space pistols.  Styrofoam Robot that was almost as tall as the room. Framed tiny robot seated in a living room  chair sobbing to the movie Thin Man. I loved it.

Robots!

8/14/2008

ALMOST FREE ADMISSION, FIVE STARS!

It ain't the greatest museum but then again San Jose ain't the greatest art community so there you go. If I was a genius art dude, I for sure wouldn't be hanging around here, I'd be in N.Y. or Paris or Fiji.

To be honest everything here looks a little wierd to me but it seems to fascinate little kids because you see a lot of Mom's pushing carriages around.

Nice place to come once a year or so on a date so she thinks you are that type of a person who likes these kind of things. But if you are reading this review, therefore you are that type of person, aren't you?

Isn't that why you watch "Dancing With THE Stars" too?

BTW, I love Kristi Yamaguchi. Too bad she's married and happy.

4/12/2008

This place used to be free, but now they charge three bucks.  It's still not too bad.

This place has a cafe, event room, and plenty of art viewing space.  The first floor normally has a traveling exhibit.  Upstairs is where the permanent collection is held.  There is also another side space for another exhibit.  Near the stairs is a smaller yet still sizable room for exhibits.

There is a lower floor downstairs for the really small exhibits and sketches.

If you can't use the stairs, they do have an elevator.  But be sure to go near the stairs.  They typically have a huge piece of art at the bend of the stairs.

The service is usually really nice.  Sometimes workers come up to me to talk about the art or notify me about certain things.  You can take an audio tour via cell phone or ipod.  If you have neither, they have ipods to borrow.  I haven't taken the tour, but I'm sure they're good.

The museum boasts really different and engaging art.  From mixed media to traditional masters to up and coming artists, this place shows just about everything.  There isn't a lot of specific design stuff, but they do seem to have a good amount of design influenced work, like the Japanese "Super Flat" exhibition.  I always expect great shows from the Museum.

SJMA also hosts cultural events, education programs, lectures, and fundraisers.  Certainly not as up-tight as other museums.

If you become a member, admission is free and you get discounts most things.

11/13/2008

They try hard here but it is difficult to compete with the San Francisco museums.
The membership drive event was a good idea but they need to bring in better exhibits.
A reciprocal membership would be good here.

7/17/2009

As far as "contemporary" museums go, this is one of the best! Showing truly "contemporary" ( existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time) art! The exhibits have been truly exciting, the Robot exhibit with wondrous, moving bots and paints of bots; the Camille Rose Garcia show was a wonderment and the Todd Schoor exhibit going on now is a fantastic celebration of American icons in surreal scapes.
Hats off to the curator! They have the nerve to do what other museums haven't, to show new, emerging artists rather than "safe" proven ones we've seen a million times.
Not into the commute to San Jose, but I do it anyway, because the museums up here fall short of expectations. As far as charging admission... well, let's just say, they have to. All these people complaining about paying to get in, need to open up their own museum or business, then we will all see how many of them don't charge admission! You pay for what you get.
And the great little workshops they have set up are so fun! Good for kids and adults alike, who want to get their creative juices flowing.

1/26/2009

The San Jose Museum of Art is small and doesn't have the best art around, but I always find it interesting and completely worth the small entrance fee. The last time I went I spent a good two hours going through all the exhibits. The docents are very friendly and knowledgeable, and they seem more like friends and less like annoying museum guides. The gift shop is a little pricey, but they have some great books which are fun to flip through after your visit.

Next time you are downtown I would recommend paying the nominal fee and checking out some great artists.

10/1/2010

Saw the current exhibits and they're all pretty fun and awesome.  The "Vital Signs" exhibit is my favorite.  The artist uses technology and the rhythm of his heart, breathing, etc in his pieces.

7/9/2007

My first visit happened on a Thursday afternoon.  You could hear crickets in the museum.  Clearly, this is not a big-league modern art museum home to any major collections of international repute... but the greatest thing about it is that it doesn't pretend to be one.  You won't find large retrospective exhibits of Richter, Kiefer, Calder; nothing of that sort in decades to come unless San Jose gets its some serious art game on.

But in its liberty to not compete for 'importance' with the likes of SFMOMA (and other smaller city modern art museums around the country for that matter), SJMOA actually does a fine job focusing its curation and outreach in a manner that makes it offer art exhibition that the larger museums might never actually touch, with a good measure of risk.  Recent examples?   First time museum exhibits for artists such as Il Lee (works in incredibly huge scale with ballpoint pen -- amazing chiaroscuro abstracts, especially because of the medium), Camille Rose Garcia, Kathy Aoki, Yoshitomo Nara.  Clearly, they're not afraid to show the whimsical here.  For the impossibly critical, they earn merit too through solid selections from fringe masters such as Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Ed Ruscha, David Gilhooly, Ruth Asawa.

M.C. Escher.  What what??  Oh that was easy.  Of course, all of the Bay Area's technogeeks would be all over that one, so thanks to the Portland Art Museum for coordinating the most successful exhibit the museum has seen yet.  One that I managed to miss, no less, since it was over way sooner than I expected -- something to be expected of a smaller museum that intends to turn exhibits over more quickly than 2x a year.  So if you ever see an exhibit that fancies you here, seize the day and go.

One other amusing thing that caught me off-guard: after leaving the exhibit hall containing Il Lee's work in fascination, a young museum worker greeted me and asked "Do you have any questions?"  Odd thing for a museum worker to say, I thought at first... then I thought about all the teeny security detail personnel in SFMOMA who never say anything as much as "Do not blow" (in response to my not-subtle-enough efforts to make Calder sculptures more... kinetic).  Then I realized, no, that's a really cool and unpretentious thing for a museum worker to say, and soon after I enjoyed a spirited blab fest with the young docent.

5/26/2010

I like this museum more than my local SF museums.  I believe San Jose Museum of Art takes risks that others don't, but still balances out by having some really great standards. Showing artist like Camille Rose Garcia as well as Wayne Thiebaud?! Now that's what I'm talking about!  Non pretentious, friendly staff and easy to get around.  It's hard for me to put into words why I love this museum more than many others, but maybe you'll see what I'm talking about next time your there...

6/3/2007

BEST PLACE TO TAKE A DATE IF YOU'RE BROKE!  no joke.  here, you can conversate about what you like, what you dont like, and what you dont get about certain pieces of art with a certain someone... afterwards, you can grab a bite somewhere local and nearby for CHEAP.  and there are plenty of photo ops around the area as well.

whats great is that this place is FREE TO THE PUBLIC.  hallelujah!

I ALWAYS HAVE FUN running up and down the long hallways to each different new piece of artwork in this place... their installations and choices of exhibition artists are amazing!  i like standing in front of each and every thing i come upon - *stop* - stare... *tilt my head* - stare at it more as though tilting my head made a difference in understanding the artist's piece of work on a deeper level... then i mosey onwards to the next piece subject to my constructive oogling to repeat the cycle...

9/5/2010

I've been a member for a few years now, and I'm proud to support such a wonderful local asset.

8/14/2007

In my book, a non-profit organization displaying art to a much needy public deserves 5 *s, just for that.  But for such spaciousness, there was little on display.  And I was unmoved by the exhibits:  was it the layout? was it the disjointed sequence?  the flow (or lack thereof)? the antiseptic feel of the building?

???

I just wanted (and hoped for) more.

4/7/2008

Im an artist, but I dont like going to Museums, why look at all the art when you can be the one creating your own art!  Also, museums are stuffy and filled with elite posh employees.

I changed my beliefs when I visited SJMA.  This museum exhibits contemporary art from local artists,  and their mission statement reflects their progressive viewpoint.

You can really tell because the employees are also art students and are easygoing and will really help you out.  I even forgot my ID card and still got in student price.

You can also talk to the employees because they are probably bored, and will practically write your report for you, hehehe.

7/10/2010

It's small but I really liked it. The staff is very nice and polite. I love the lighting fixtures and the arts & crafts they have. I enjoyed every since piece they had. Great place, and I really like the location. Not pricy at all, btw.

12/18/2009

Stopped in yesterday and found some beautiful greeting cards done by local artists.  Absolutely stunning.  I wish they carried more of those.  Nice inviting store with an interesting selection of art books, jewelry and tchotchkes.  Staff was friendly and you don't have to actually go into the museum to grab a quick gift.

6/1/2008

It's a hidden jewel! I haven't been so surprised and delighted by a museum in quite a while.

The current exhibitions are "Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon" and "01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge". The latter was inspiring and thought-provoking, and the former delightfully entertaining.

The staff are friendly, full of smiles, and pretty good looking. :)  I love them even more because the front desk staff discounted my entrance fee for engaging in entertaining conversation with them.

We should start a Yelp Lovers of San Jose Museum of Art group!

10/4/2008

This museum sucks compared to all the art museums ive been to. I came here today and ddly i like this one better than the others.. I like modern art so everything in this place looked cool to me. Its really empty though. Like REALLY empty. They need to have more art here so make it better.
The robot gallery was pretty cool. The huge foam bot was awesome. The roadtrip gallery made me want go go travelign to some of those places. I was worth the five dollars, like exactly worth it. I didnt get more than i asked for and didnt get less. 5 dollars for students!

5/10/2010

I never knew San Jose had a Museum of Art until last summer when I had to go on a class field trip to look at art galleries. It's a very small museum tucked away in downtown San Jose. I was a bit confused on where to park though. It's a verrryy nice museum not full of tours or crowds (my class was only 10 people). Everything was placed very spacious with interactive art for people to get their hands on. I would suggest going when there is a specific artist/exhibit you want to see or else you might go through the museum reallllly fast.

2/15/2009 Updated review

This is a great local museum that has interesting exhibits - it is tiny but perfect for spending an hour or so.  I think it is the perfect size for kids so you can expose them to a bit of culture without them getting too bored.  I took my son again this rainy afternoon to check out the Andy Warhol exhibit and was surprised that they also had a collection of Frida Kahlo photographs being exhibited as well - double treat for me!  They always have some sort of interactive activity for kids (actually adults participate too) - this time it was mylar and colored paper that you could create your own little Warhol-esque design!  Then in the Frida Kahlo exhibit they had a project where you could make a little butterfly out of paper and hang it on a special exhibit - my son loved it.  Entrance is reasonable and the gift shop has interesting items as well.