Estella Inda is giving the San Jose community a look at another aspect of lowrider culture — and its history in the South Bay — with a new exhibition at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown San Jose.
Inda, a San Jose State research services and social sciences librarian, is the curator of “Forever Cruising: Cultura de Lowriders,” which opened July 15 on the library’s fifth floor and runs through Sept. 15. She was also behind a 2019 exhibition on San Jose’s lowrider history and 2022’s “East Side Dreams,” which focused on the history of the largely Latino community of East San Jose.
Curator Estella Inda talks about a display on music that’s part of “Forever Cruising: Cultura de Lowriders,” a new exhibition that opened July 15, 2024 at the San José State University Africana, Asian American, Chicano & Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
This time, the collection goes beyond just the cars, looking at the cultural branches that grew out of lowrider cars including merchandise, music and fashion. “Forever Cruising” is a celebration of the contributions the lowrider community made to the Bay Area.
After the success of the previous two exhibitions, Inda was able to reach out to more sources, including members of the United Lowrider Council, who quickly provided her with photographs, books, artifacts and other materials including parts of lowrider bikes, model lowrider cars, zoot suits and even a Panama hat that belonged to Sonny Madrid, the founder of Lowrider Magazine.
A lowrider bicycle table, created by cousins Matthew and Sam Rordriguez, is on display as part of “Forever Cruising: Cultura de Lowriders,” a new exhibition that opened July 15, 2024 at the San José State University Africana, Asian American, Chicano & Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
A lowrider bicycle table that was already part of the library’s art collection — created by cousins Matthew Rodriguez and Sam Rodriguez — has been moved onto the fifth floor for the exhibition, near a new display about the end of the cruising ban in San Jose — something that happened in part because of the original 2019 exhibition.
“This exhibit is a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity, resilience and cultural pride that defines the lowrider culture,” she said.
A panama hat belonging to Lowrider Magazine founder Sonny Madrid is on display as part of “Forever Cruising: Cultura de Lowriders,” a new exhibition that opened July 15, 2024 at the San José State University Africana, Asian American, Chicano & Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
A free reception will take place Aug. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Africana, Asian American, Chicano & Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center, with artists in attendance and lowrider bikes on display in the exhibit as well as lowrider cars outside the library.
SJ ART SCENE GROWS: San Jose arts nonprofit Local Color wanted to celebrate its ninth birthday by including the work of 99 artists for the first gallery event at its new downtown space, noble workshop & gallery. But nearly twice as many expressed interest, so in a gesture of “radical inclusion,” Local Color accepted all the submissions so the exhibition, “99 Bottles,” actually has more than 170 contributions.
You can check it out Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Arya San Jose, a new affordable housing development on the corner of Balbach Street and South Almaden Boulevard, behind the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and next to Kukar’s House of Pizza.
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And while the Hammer Theatre Center is hardly a new downtown arts venue, it’s expanding its reach with the addition of Hammer2, a second-floor art gallery. The opening exhibition, “Beginnings,” features work by Jackelin Solorio, Robynn Smith, Lani Viet, Jason Adkins and Dottie Lo Bue and will have a reception Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. It runs through Nov. 10.
Of course, all this is happening during the South First Fridays Art Walk, which returns after its July break. Galleries along South First Street and the surrounding area will be open late, with a mix of new openings and some continuing or closing shows. Get the full lineup at www.southfirstfridays.com.
FESTIVAL TURNS 40: The Fremont Festival of the Arts will celebrate 40 years with this weekend’s event, taking place Saturday and Sunday in downtown Fremont. There’ll be even more music this year as the acts at the Main Stage near Paseo Padre Parkway will be joined by a Local Lounge near Walnut Avenue and Liberty Street, which will feature acoustic sets and local beer and wine. Get more details at www.fremontfestival.net.
HEY, YOU GUYS!: Fans of the seminal 1985 hit “The Goonies” will want to head to St. James Park for the latest edition of the San Jose Downtown Association’s Starlight Cinema series on Saturday night. For the 21-and-over crowd, there’s a “Goonies”-themed bar crawl taking place from 5 to 7 p.m. before the movie. Tell the staff you’re on the Goonies Bar Crawl and you can get a discount at Fox Tale Fermentation Project, Dr. Funk, Five Points, O’Flaherty’s and Tiki Pete. Get more information on the bar crawl — and potential prizes — at sjdowntown.com/starlight-cinema.
And anyone can take part in a treasure hunt starting at 7 p.m. Just stop by the “San Jose Scavenger” booth to get the clue sheet and three winners who complete it will receive copies of Cassie Kifer’s book, “San Jose Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for San Jose’s Hidden Treasures” and a $25 gift card to a downtown business. The movie will get started at dusk, around 8:45 p.m., so remember to bring a blanket or chair.
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