November 2, 2007, Friday, open from 10am – 5pm and again from 8 - 11pm

South First Friday

Free Museum admission all day
South First Fridays are an eclectic evening of arts and culture in downtown San Jose’s SoFA arts district, centered on South First Street. Held on the first Friday of every month, the arts venues on South First Street are all open from 8 until 11pm and offer free admission and a wide variety of live entertainment. It’s a lively scene attended by arts-lovers of all ages.

This month’s free event:
A Reading/Performance: Chains: Ties that Bind Lover and Beloved Begins at 8:30pm
Nazanin Hedayat Shenasa and Azin Arefi will explore the connection between love, longing and obligation in Iranian culture as expressed in literature. Shenasa and Arefi will examine the idea of the "lover" as a being imprisoned or entangled in the object of the beloved, based on the Medieval poetry of Rumi and 'Attar, and echoed in the contemporary writings of Arefi.
Nazanin Hedayat Shenasa is an independent curator, textile artist and art historian in San Jose , CA . She received her Master of Fine Art in Fiber from the Cranbrook Academy of Art (1996) and Master of Art from San Jose State University (2007), with a concentration in Islamic art and textiles. Shenasa has an upcoming artist residency at the de Young Museum in San Francisco (January ’08) and is currently a lecturer at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA and Program Director of Works/San Jose Art and Performance Center in San Jose, CA.

November 4, 2007, Sunday, 2 – 3pm

Kids Create

Get ready to explore the many cultures in our community with this popular program. Join us each month as we celebrate a different tradition through story and a hands-on art project. Kids Create is a multicultural arts program for children aged 5-10.
Free for kids; accompanying adults pay museum admission. Reservations required, 408.971.0323 x14.
This month’s theme: Starry Inspiration: Native American-inspired snippet quilt
See the complete Kids Create calendar.

November 17, 2007, Saturday, 1 – 4pm

The Art of Collecting and Becoming Collectible: A Conversation on Making, Appraising and Collecting Textile Art

Have you always wanted to collect textile art but didn’t know how to get started? Are you an artist whose work is ready for collectors? Get the inside scoop on how textile art is acquired, collected and valued from some of the most respected collectors and appraisers and some of the finest and most-collected artists, and in the United States. Participants include: Nancy Crow, renowned Saturn Returns artist; Julie Silber, nationally known curator and appraiser; and Louise Allrich, principal of Allrich Fine Art; and Del Thomas, well-known contemporary art quilt collector.
Half Day Collecting Forum: $30 non-members; $25 members
Reservations and advance ticket purchase is required by October 29. For tickets to this important event, call 408.971.0323 x14 or download an order form.