Alebrijes — the bright towering art sculptures — have brought a welcome splash of color to downtown San Jose.
A touring exhibit of eight 20-foot-tall multicolored statues of “magical animals” has been installed in and around Plaza de Cesar Chavez this week, as part of the celebration of the 35th annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, which opens Friday night and runs through Sunday.
The jazz may fade away after this weekend, but “Alebrijes en San Jose” will continue to brighten downtown through Sept. 28, with several free, public events over the next few weeks around the Oaxacan art pieces.
San Jose Jazz Board President Julie Ramirez said both Summer Fest and the exhibition celebrate the rhythms and resilience of San Jose through music and art. “These towering Alebrijes are more than sculptures — they visit us as guardians of artistic expression and cultural heritage,” Ramirez said.
San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson has long wanted to extend the festival’s timeline and hustled to assemble sponsors to bring the art exhibit to San Jose. Summer Fest will include a drone show Saturday night that will highlight the alebrijes and bring them to life in the sky, Rawson said.
The eight 1,200-pound fiberglass sculptures glow in different colors at night, courtesy of LEDs inside each one, which depict creatures like coyote with a serpent tail, a CatBird, a LionBull, a rabbit, a dog, an armadillo and an alien. The exhibit celebrates the work of Mexico City artist Pedro Linares, who first created the art style of surrealistic animals and coined the term “alebrije.” One of the artists who created the Alebrijes is his son, Leonardo Linares, and the smaller, original statues on which the big versions are based also are on display inside San Jose City Hall.
The artistic celebration started Wednesday night with a packed-to-the-rafters gala at the San Jose Museum of Art, organized by Mezcal restaurant owner Adolfo Gomez, who is from Oaxaca, Mexico. He brought together several of the Mexican chefs at Silicon Valley restaurants to show off their culinary artistry, including Jo Lerma-Lopez and Julio Juarez from Luna Mexican Kitchen, Azari Cuenca Maitret from Copita, Sandra Murillo from Petiscos, Luis Cruz from the Pressroom and, from Mezcal, Miguel Rovera, Tavo Gomez (Adolfo’s brother) and Libo Gomez (Adolfo’s mom).
“As someone born in Oaxaca, seeing these monumental alebrijes come to life in the heart of downtown San Jose feels deeply personal and powerful,” Gomez said. “In a time when immigrant communities are often politicized or erased, it’s more important than ever to uplift and honor the cultures that shape this city.”
CELEBRATING INDIA: Festive is going to be the word of the day Saturday afternoon in downtown San Jose. San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest will be in full swing at Plaza de Cesar Chavez and the surrounding area. But Discovery Meadow also is expected to be packed with crowds attending Swades: Celebrate India Festival, which will include Indian dance and music performances, booths selling Indian street food, a shopping bazaar and family-friendly activities.
The festival, sponsored by the Association of Indo-Americans, starts at 1 p.m., and will include a 3:30 p.m. parade that will proceed south from the intersection of Almaden Boulevard and San Fernando Street to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. You can get tickets or more information at www.aiaevents.org.
SINGING FOR THEIR SUPPER: It looked like it might be curtains for the Lyric Theatre earlier this year, but donations have managed to keep the light opera company afloat — for now. But audiences can help out, and have a good time doing it, when the Lyric presents a special original musical revue, “The Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing-Off,” at the Saratoga Civic Theater.
The show involves three different companies competing in a Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, performing selections by the Victorian-era creators of such shows as “H.M.S. Pinafore,” “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado.” Each company will provide a wildly different experience for the audience, which will be asked to vote for their favorite at the end.
It’s directed and conceived by Doreen Finklestein, who also worked on the script and some new lyrics with Cordelia Willis and Ronan Beltracchi. There are only three performances — Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for $35-$55 at lyrictheatre.org.
HAVE YOUR SAY, SAN JOSE: The San Jose Downtown Association is hosting a Public Safety Town Hall 6 p.m. Friday at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong will talk about public safety challenges downtown and answer questions from the public at the event, which will be moderated by Alan “Gumby” Marques, the Downtown Association’s interim CEO.
The town hall is scheduled for 90 minutes and will be held in Room 230 at the convention center. It is free and open to the public, and questions can be submitted in advance at sjdowntown.com/town-hall.
Bear in mind that this is happening the same time that San Jose Jazz Summer Fest will be kicking off nearby at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, so traffic and parking is going to be a challenge.
