Separating itself as the “mallternative” for holiday shopping, nine artists participated in the first Holiday Art Boutique at Santa Clara’s Studio Bongiorno on Nov. 28 and 29.
Artists of the Silicon Valley Artists Collaborative, closing the most recent show, “Healing the Planet, Healing Ourselves,” braved the inclement weather on Black Friday and the following Saturday to vend their affordable holiday gifts.
“It had potential … I think it opened the door as far as the space and how to set it up,” said studio owner Phil Bongiorno. “The weather posed some limitations but spring is going to be awesome. I’m going to do it once a month.”
The event will likely be the first in a series for the studio and Bongiorno hopes that in 2015 he can push the boundaries of the art world with a series of shows that are cutting edge and very “now.”
“I want to take on cutting edge stuff and take live painting to the next level,” said Bongiorno. “Artists approach me with an idea and then do whatever they want to go along with the them – show movies, discussion groups, have live music. They can plan out the whole month based around the show … I really want to take on some issues that need to be looked at and examined because I don’t have the restrictions that other places have … I’m really excited about it.”
Although he’s not quite ready to release the details of what all of that entails, his plans include putting the studio on the map and drawing some of the San Jose crowd into the studio, which is considered to be a living hub for the arts.
Prior to the kickoff of his blueprint for 2015, Studio Bongiorno is hosting a night of music and art on Dec. 6, with a CD release party for Sage and the Chemists – a group with a laid back, surreal sound that has performed often at the 500 Lincoln St. locale.
In addition to Sage and the Chemists’ performance, artist Chris Moon will live paint a piece that will be raffled off during the event, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. A $5 donation is requested and will enter participants in a drawing to win a Lauren Ringelman limited edition CD artwork print and CD signed by the band.