Looking Back: Our Biggest Projects and Milestones of 2024
Photos by Alex Knowbody
Local Color has always been ambitious, but 2024 was a banner year for us. We made significant strides toward maximizing our cultural impact for our community partners and the artists we SERVE. That led to some unforgettable projects that made Local Color as visible as it’s ever been.
We also did something scary: we asked for help. After starting the year with a staff of six, we ended with a staff of ELEVEN! This includes new Local Commons Project Associate Heidi, new Creative Services Associate Rachel, new Creative Experiences Coordinator Wednesday, now-full-time Communications Manager Brandon, and Interim Creative Experiences Manager Jessica Carmen (we’ll see you soon, Janet!). Our great hope was that more warm bodies would mean more team impact, and that’s certainly been the case!
As has become tradition, we recap all we accomplished in 2024. Grab your drink of choice, and set aside about 15 minutes to read through our strides.
Creative Services
In 2024, Local Color captured and redistributed $172,917.79 to support 64 artists and their visions across 36 projects, which include over 20,000 square feet of public and private murals, designs, and exhibitions.
Some of those projects included:
Year of the Dragon
Designed and Painted by Maylea Saito for Hakone Gardens
Photo: Jessica Punzalan
During Hakone Gardens’ annual Lunar New Year celebration, Local Color invited artist Maylea Saito to live paint this 6’ x 9’ canvas mural in celebration of the year of the dragon!
Thank you to Hakone Gardens. Learn more about them and visit the Gardens here.
Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate Mural
Designed by Tani Belomytsina, painted with Youth Poet Laureate participants
Working with Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureates, Local Color worked with artist Tani Belomytsina to turn their written art into a large canvas painting.
Photo: Carman Gaines
After reading the youth’s poetry anthology, Belomytsina found inspiration to create the design on canvas which was painted in by guests at an event at Poetry San José.
Learn more about the Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate Program here.
Thank you to program manager Robert Pesich, program coordinator Karla Santiago-Reyes and the 2024-25 Organizing Team: Sage Cobb, Matthew Kim, Nisha Shenoy, Emma Zhang, Anoushka Dugar, Emily Pedroza, and Katerina Matta.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
School Days Journey Volunteer Mural
Designed by Sasha Mufasa, painted by community volunteers
Commissioned by Resources for Community Development Housing
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Resources for Community Development Housing, a past public art partner, reached out to Local Color to transform the temporary fencing along their latest development on Almaden Avenue in San José.
After RCD’s numerous meetings with neighbors of their newest housing project, community members wanted to create a mural to celebrate the students and youth living in the surrounding area. Local Color identified Artist Sasha Mufasa to take the community’s feedback and design this 2,000 SF mural.
Over 40 volunteers came together to paint Sasha’s design on the fence. Hear more about Sasha’s inspiration and process in our Instagram recap.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Celebration of South Asian Heritage
Designed by Chetna Mehta
Commissioned by the San José Sharks in Partnership with ICC Milpitas
To extend their Team Teal Campaign, the San Jose Sharks partnered with Local Color for the Community Connections Mural Project. In celebration of South Asian Heritage beyond the hockey rink, Local Color commissioned artist Chetna Mehta of Mosaic Eye to design this vinyl mural, gifted to the India Community Center in Milpitas. Mehta’s artwork illustrates the community, togetherness, and diversity which can be found at the ICC.
Read more about the San Jose Sharks Community Connections Mural Project here!
Thank you to the San Jose Sharks and ICC Milpitas.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Recuerdos del Este (Memories of the East)
Designed and Painted by Edgar Ochoa
Commissioned by the San José Sharks
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage, the San Jose Sharks partnered with Local Color to extend their Team Teal Campaign. beyond the hockey rink. Local Color commissioned artist Edgar Ochoa to design this mural, gifted to the Latino Business Foundation off of Alum Rock Avenue. Edgar’s work pays tribute to his youth, the East San Jose community, and Hispanic-American culture.
Read more about the San Jose Sharks Community Connections Mural Project here!
Thank you to the San Jose Sharks, The Latino Business Foundation, Flores Services, and Alfredo Barajas.
You’ve Got Great Energy shirt design by JDuh
Commissioned by San Jose Clean Energy
Design courtesy of J. Duh
San Jose Clean Energy reached out to Local Color to find a San Jose based artist to authentically refresh their public awareness campaign.
San José based artist, designer and muralist, JDuh brought their vision to life by creating a design that celebrates the city and the campaign’s slogan in a creative way while showcasing his own art style and hand-lettering.
Learn more about San Jose Clean Energy here.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Horizons Palm Ave Detox Center Mural
Designed and Painted by COVA Street Art
Commissioned by Horizon Services
To refresh the facade of their detox facility, Horizon Services reached out to Local Color to find an artist to brighten up the space and welcome visitors as they come through their doors. After a portfolio review, Cova was selected by the Horizons team to bring his vibrant, dreamy artwork to their walls.
Many thanks to Horizon Services for the chance to bring Local Color’s services up north to San Mateo County! And shout out to Cova for bringing their vibrant vision to life, showing passers-by that hope is on the horizon.
Learn more about Horizon here.
Run Local San José Half Marathon Medal
Designed by Alyssa Wigant
Commissioned by Soul Focus Sports
Photo courtesy of Run Local
Soul Focus Sports brought back their San Jose Run Local series in 2024 and kicked things off by reaching out to Local Color to find a San José based artist to create their medal for the 5K and Half Marathon run.
After reviewing portfolios, Alyssa Wigant was chosen by the team to create the medal and t-shirt design with heavy nods to San José landmarks like the Rose Garden, lowriders, and the Victory Salute Statue.
Read more about it and learn about Run Local here!
Refuse to Fail
Designed and Painted by Jessica Cao alongside August Boeger Middle School Students
Supported by the SVC Arts Access Grant
Photo: Jessica Punzalan
Two August Boeger Middle School teachers, Ms.Smith and Ms.Gonzalez, contacted Local Color to bring some creative arts-education to their 6th and 8th grade students after receiving the SVC Arts Access Grant. Over several weeks, students were able to ideate their mural and worked alongside artist Jessica Cao to bring their vision to life on canvas.
Cao worked with students to refine their design vision and create Refuse to Fail, which shows the students’ requested themes of aspiration, diversity, and empowerment. The mural was painted by Cao and August Boeger students.
Weaver Birds
Designed and Painted by ORLUARTS
Commissioned by Pacific Ridge Builders
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Wanting to use their building as a canvas for the community, Pacific Ridge Builders reached out to Local Color to find an artist to design and paint a mural for the 1,000+ sq ft wall facing Highway 101.
Local Color worked with Bay Area artist Olivia Losee-Unger, known professionally as ORLUARTS, to think creatively about artistically representing PRB’s mission and services. Olivia came up with the design Weaver Birds, which depicts the mural’s namesake – little architects of nature building nests around the existing red stripe that goes along the building.
Thank you to Pacific Ridge Builders.
Without Them Is Not Us
Designed and Painted by Oscar Lopez
In Partnership with ICA San José
In continuation of his project “Your Food, Your Work, Our Land”, artist Oscar Lopez was identified by ICA San José’s curator Zoë Latzer to create artwork for the building’s facade.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
ICA San Jose worked with Local Color to turn Lopez’s artwork Without Them Is Not Us into a mural. Painted on a smaller scale, the painting was photographed and enlarged to be installed as mural cloth alongside two canvas paintings hung in the windows of the gallery.
This work commemorates the vanishing history of San José’s agricultural roots and portrays activists of the farm-workers movement: Dolores Huerta, Philip Vera Cruz, Larry Itliong, and Cesar Chavez.
Learn more about Oscar’s project here and visit the ICA San José!
San Antonio Festival
Photo: Rachel Jones
On November 23, Local Color supported the San Antonio Festival, an SJSU initiative to Light up the Paseo. Placed on the Paseo between 1st St and 2nd St, the event featured live performances, pop-up vendors, workshops, and immersive art. Local Color facilitated the installation of two 4’ x 4’ temporary murals inside a vacant storefront: “Mono Stationary” by QuynhAnh Vu, and “Cookie Makerspace” by Jared Gochuico.
We hope that this inaugural fest continues to highlight the community potential of Paseo de San Antonio and helps to inspire a transition back to a more vibrant block!
Photos by Miguel Ozuna, Alex Knowbody, and Curtis Ying
Threads Woven
Designed and Painted by Jimmy Paints & Community Volunteers
Project in Collaboration with Adobe and the San Jose Downtown Association
Three San Jose institutions partnered to create a landmark public art project. Local Color and SJDA, both Adobe Hometown Commitment grant recipients, partnered with Adobe to help rejuvenate the heart of downtown San Jose.
Completed with the help of over 500 volunteers, “Threads Woven” was painted over three days after a week of extensive prep by muralist Jimmy Paints and a team of assistant artists. At over 13,000 square feet, “Threads Woven” is the largest public art piece Local Color has been involved with!
Jimmy’s design fuses inspiration from Mexican sarape blankets with his signature geometric style to create a series of vibrant color combinations.
You can read more about the project on Adobe’s Blog.
Are you an artist interested in expanding into murals? Would your company love to turn a blank wall into a vibrant piece of public art? Reach out to our Creative Services Manager Jessica Punzalan (jessica@localcolorsj.org) or click the button below to learn more!
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Creative Experiences
In its first full year as a Local Color program, Local Color’s Creative Experiences program facilitated 31 public and private workshops for corporate teams, community groups, and K-12 youth. Creative Experiences paid out $81,009 to 25 creatives for facilitating artist-designed workshops.
Check out some of our Creative Experiences’ 2024 highlights:
Photos by Alex Knowbody
Creekside Socials
Starting in Fall 2023, Local Color partnered with Jamestown LP to provide the San Jose community with free art workshops taught by working Artists as part of their Creekside Socials initiative. In 2024, Local Color presented 13 workshops and provided pop-up activations in support of other Creekside Socials events.
We’re currently presenting workshops that utilize upcycling to create new works of art. Follow our Instagram for event details!
Second Annual Montalvo Lowrider Art Showcase
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Local Color returned to Montalvo Arts Center to help honor the South Bay’s deep connection to lowrider culture. We popped up to create buttons and facilitate free arts talks for participants!
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Women’s Heritage Day at History San Jose
We joined History San Jose and Mosaic America in March to honor female empowerment at Women’s Heritage Day! Attendees who visited our booth got to head home with a piece of wearable art thanks to our fun button-making activity.
Thank you to the Applied Materials Foundation for their support in making activations like these possible.
Are you a creative with a great idea for a workshop, or are you interested in bringing a great experience like this to your school or workplace? Please reach out to our Creative Experiences Associate Wednesday (wednesday@localcolorsj.org) to start the conversation!
Color Me Rad
We continued to connect with the next generation of young creative talent through our Color Me Rad program. In 2024, we welcomed 24 Young Artists to cultivate their creative voice alongside Working Artists during the spring and summer. Each participant was paid a $100 stipend, and we were able to contract 4 Working Artists for leading participants through their in-depth workshops.
Jessica Carmen and Beca Escobedo welcomed 12 participants in the Spring to a Group Mural workshop. The workshop was such a success we welcomed this dynamic duo back to lead another Group Mural workshop in the summer! They were joined by Miguel Ozuna and David Kabra, who walked Young Artists through the art of Street Photography.
Photos by Alex Knowbody
After two weeks of immersive, hands-on learning, both cohorts finished with a closing exhibition that welcomed friends and family to celebrate view the art created during the workshops.
Thanks again to all of our 2024 Color Me Rad Young Artists! We hope your experiences were the first step on a fruitful creative journey.
Are you a creative interested in empowering the next generation of Young Artists? Local Color just put out an open call for a Lead Artist to guide our Color Me Rad Spring 2025 cohort. See our Instagram post for more details, or click here to sign up!
Photo: Carman Gaines
Creative Spaces
Local Color’s Creative Spaces support 40 studio members and 7 organizations by providing over 23,000 square feet of affordable work space for rehearsals, meetings, podcasts, and workshops. In 2024, Local Color managed in-kind donation of 23,000 square feet of space — including the mighty 800 square feet that makes up noble workshop & gallery.
Photo Courtesy of Iridescent Batik Studio
These spaces served as hubs for private and public creative exploration. They also served as spaces for fostering community connection when members of our 50 BO Studios near SAP Center hosted open studio events to welcome the community into their workspaces and grab one-of-a-kind creations!
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Are you looking for an affordable artist workspace, or are you interested in hosting an event with us? Learn more on our website — or send us an email to start the conversation! Reach out to hello@localcolorsj.org. Fun fact: we also offer creative co-working!
noble workshop & gallery
With support from Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) and the San Jose Downtown Association’s Arts Marketing Grant, noble workshop & gallery launched its inaugural series in mid to late 2004.
Billed “a small space for big ideas,'“ noble is where working Artists share their craft, where young Artists start their creative journey, and where we celebrate the artistic vibrancy present in our local scene.
Opening show 99 Bottles aimed to showcase 99 creative takes on various vessels and containers. In the spirit of radical inclusion, Local Color accepted all 118 applicants! The diversity in shapes, sizes, and styles was a celebration of the wide range of experience and expression present in this region.
The momentum continued with A Look Through Their Lens, a group show curated by SJ Shooters. San Jose’s tight-knit photography community packed noble in support of an exhibition featuring work from 70 photographers.
noble closed its season with POSTED!, a curated group show highlighting the great creative potential of the poster format. The show featured 24 artists with backgrounds in visual art, graphic design and photography.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
In its first season, noble presented 205 artists across 3 exhibitions.
We look forward to continuing to highlight noble and its great potential to celebrate art and empower creatives to share their knowledge.
Stay up to date with new events happening by following noble on Instagram.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
Local Commons
Via the Local Commons, we provide fiscal sponsorship services to expand access to restricted funding resources and foster pathways toward sustainability for local community organizers.
In 2024, the Local Commons supported 19 fiscally sponsored projects, helping $317,116 of contributed funds reach diverse community networks. Local Commons Members included festival organizers, filmmakers, City of San José Creative Ambassadors and Resilient Artists Cohort Members, podcasts and more.
Commons members include: City of San José Resilient Artist Cohort, Culture Night Market, San José Day, San José Creative Ambassadors Alice Hur, Deborah Kennedy, and Pantea Karimi, Willow Glen Holiday Trees, T.E.Y.A., San Jo Lo Down Podcast, Ruby Rae Productions, San José Is Not For Sale, La Ofrenda Festival, SOBA Collective, Tattoo 408 Podcast, Bizare Art Festival, TRNSCND, San José Shooters, Mas Dulce Productions, Larry Itliong Way, Stop Drop and Roll Show, ArcTangent Dance, Sampaguita Press, and Destination: Home’s National Lived Experience Conference Art As Testimony Exhibition.
Photo: Alex Knowbody
The generous supporters of the Local Commons includes hundreds of individuals in addition to foundations and local government representatives, including:
The County of Santa Clara and SVCreates Unrestricted Operating Grant and Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grants
The County of Santa Clara Representative Sylvia Arenas of District 1
Santa Clara County Public Health Department
City of San José Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs Creative Ambassador Awardees, Festival, Parades and Celebrations, and the Resilient Artist Cohort
City of San José District 5 Council Member Peter Ortiz
City of San José District 2 Council Member Sergio Jimenez
Silicon Valley Community Foundation Local Journalism Grant
Gilroy Foundation
The Britt George Foundation
Gavilan College
Latino Family Fund de Gilroy
Quakes Foundation’s
CalTrain
Catholic Charities Santa Clara County
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Santa Clara Family Health Plan
Excite Credit Union
Santa Clara County Association of Realtors
Republic Services
Just Us For All Foundation
UA Local Union 393
Advance Staffing, Inc
Youth Alliance
Digital NEST
Are you a DIY creative looking for more support to empower community-minded projects? Fiscal Sponsorship can increase eligibility for more significant funding sources that are able to foster sustainability and equity. Reach out to Local Commons Project Associate Heidi (heidi@localcolorsj.org) to learn more.
31 Skulls
All 31 Skulls Photos by Alex Knowbody
In October, we hosted the Fifth Annual 31 Skulls Showcase & Auction at the historic San Jose Woman’s Club. The understated elegance of this facility matched our “goth formal” sensibilities perfectly. It was an evening of photo ops, flowing beverages, tasty snacks, and a lively auction for a great cause.
Thank you to KLM Auctions, J Miclette Entertainment, our volunteers, in-kind donors, and all winning bidders for making the night unforgettable!
A huge thank you to all of our contributing artists:
Aliks Mahn | Alondra Newnie Paco | Augie WK | Beca Escobedo
Ben Henderson | Berni Prado | Cova Street Art | Edgar Ochoa
Elba Raquel | Eric Bui | Erin Salazar | Francisco Ramirez
Force129 | Itzayana | James Mertke | Jessica Carmen
J. Duh | Jimmy Paints | KG | La Yaki
Liquid Brain | Lucia M. | Melanie Reynisson | Melissa Marzan
Mesngr | Priscilla Marquez | Roberto Romo | Sarah Joy Esponiza-Evans
Sasha Mufasa | Sidy | Tani Belomytsina | Wisper
Thanks to your donations, we had the most successful fundraiser in Local Color history! We look to continue this momentum as we enter our tenth year.
Mark your calendars — the Sixth Annual 31 Skulls Showcase & Auction is planned for Friday, October 24, 2025.
Are you interested in sponsoring the next 31 Skulls? We’d love to get in touch! Please contact hello@localcolorsj.org.
Greetings From Grantland
Local Color was awarded 12 grants in 2024, totaling $461,173.00. Thank you to
all the foundations and organizations who helped fund our mission to build equitable pathways for Artists & creatives to thrive!
We thank the following funders and foundations for their kind support of our mission:
Adobe Foundation’s Hometown Initiative
City of San Jose
City of San Jose’s Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs ( General Operating and Festival, Parades, and Celebration Grant)
County of Santa Clara Office of the County Executive
SVCreates Unrestricted Operating Grant and Arts Access Grant
California Arts Council Creative Youth Development Grant
Kenneth Rainin Arts Opportunity Fund Grant Fund
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
San Jose Downtown Association & Knight Foundation Arts Marketing Grant
Hakone Foundation
Comcast
Founded in 2015, Local Color’s mission is to build equitable pathways for artists and creatives to thrive.
Ten Years later, Local Color has captured and redistributed $1,650,106.70 to over 300 local Working Artists and their visions.
Thank you to all those who contributed to making 2024 our most impactful year yet. We’re carrying that momentum into 2025, as we say “Cheers to 10 Years” with numerous events and activations to help fund our continued success as an artists organization.
Stay tuned for more info as we share it by following us on Instagram and LinkedIn and subscribing to our newsletter at the bottom of our home page.
