Public Arts

Creative Expression for Social Impact

people in foundry gear hold large glowing crucible with metal tongs in foundry with equipment and gear all around 91 artists and creators collaborate with communities to transform public spaces and amplify underrepresented voices through innovative art. Our faculty lead participatory art, community murals, performance initiatives, and multimedia installations that address pressing social issues and celebrate innovation and the cultural fabric of our area. Below is a rotating selection of our standout creative practitioners and community-engaged artists.

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   ○ Related Strength: Cultural Studies in Action
   ○ Related Strength: Civic Humanities
   ○ Related Strength: Public Policy

Selected Publications

Harris, Y. (2020). . Resonance: The Journal of Sound and Culture, 1(2), 121–131. 

Luna-Mega, C. (2020). . Edgetone Records.

Mendoza, V. (2020). . Juried Exhibition, de Young Museum.

Norris, K. (2022). . Unnamed Press.

Rael, R. & San Fratello, V. (2018). . Princeton Architectural Press.

Award Highlights

Harris, Y., "Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption" — Artist in Residence, Art|Sci Center, UCLA, 2020. With exhibition at Getty Initiatives Southern California PST ART 2024

Holberton, Krishnaswamy, “Hiding in Plain Sight: To Support the Production & Exhibition of Multidisciplinary Interpretative Responses to Historical Archives in Silicon Valley” — National Endowment for the Arts, 2022

Luna-Mega, "Abierto Placemaking Grant" — City of San José, 2022

Rael, San Fratello, “Teeter Totter Wall” at U.S.-Mexico Border, Design of the Year 2020, Design Museum in London

Affiliates

Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies

Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies

Public Art as Resistance in San José - Public Art Tour


Featured Faculty

harris
Lecturer, Art and Art History
Sound, Listening, Environment, Underwater Sound, Ocean, Whales, Sound Art, Digital Media Art, Video Art
ORCID: 0009-0006-5203-786X

holberton
Associate Professor, Digital Media Arts
Multimedia Installations, Digital and Interactive Technologies, Virtual Reality, AI, Political Ecology
ORCID: 0000-0001-9147-8998

lasser
Professor of Art
Photography, Video, Sound, Site-Specific Installations, Public Art, Environment, Health, Culture
ORCID: 0000-0001-7740-6381

luna mega
Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Technology, and Composition
Musical Translation of Environmental Sound
ORCID: 0009-0009-4965-7015

mendoza
Associate Professor of Art and Art History
Photography, Installation, Artist, Image Maker, Affordable Housing, Social Practice, Photographer, Narrative, Personally Rooted
ORCID: 0000-0002-3176-3575

san fratello
Professor of Design
3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Architecture, Interior Design, Design, Art, Activism, Border Wall
ORCID: 0000-0003-3914-2391

shiverdeckerAdam Shiverdecker
Associate Professor of Spatial Art
Art, Ceramics, Sculpture, Militarism, Contemporary Culture
ORCID: 0000-0001-8928-6196

 

Potential collaborators and members of the media may contact us at officeofresearch@sjsu.edu.