By Khalida Sarwari
Residents staying local this summer will find plenty of things to do in the South Bay. And for those who are seeking a cultural experience, look no further than the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.
The Triton is home to a new art exhibit showcasing the works of art educators in the West Valley-Mission Community College District.
The untitled exhibit will feature numerous works created by 28 art instructors in the art departments at West Valley and Santa Clara’s Mission College.
The exhibit includes ceramics, bronze, sculpture, painting, mixed media, drawing, pastel and photography.
Jason Challas, an art instructor at West Valley College, will be exhibiting two of his works: a large painting and a smaller mixed-media work. The painting is of a screw and was inspired, said Challas, by everyday tools that have changed the way people live.
In his second piece, titled “Not Cloud,” Challas used digital prints in combination with hand-painted surfaces.
“The idea behind it is it’s about logic, circuit design, but juxtaposing the symbolic language of circuit design with the imagery of nature,” said Challas.
Other participating faculty members from West Valley are Kathryn Arnold, Heidi Brueckner, Wes Burns, Kimberly Cook, Chris Cryer, Mitra Fabian, Ron Guzman, Bill Heiderich, Francisco “Pancho” Jimenez, Margaret Niven, Mark Nobriga, David Ogle,Michael Pauker, Sylvia Rios, Yori Seeger and Gary Tolomei.
Challas said this will be the first time that artwork from the two college faculties are being jointly exhibited in a museum.
“It’s a chance for the whole district to be seen, as well as for us to work together,” Challas said. “It’s bound to be an interesting range of both media and subject.”
The exhibit will run from July 20 through Sept. 8 at the Triton Museum, 1505 Warburton Ave. in Santa Clara.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. On the third Thursday of each month, the gallery will be open only from 5 to 8 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays.
Admission to the exhibit is free.
For more information and for examples of exhibited artwork, visit tritonmuseum.org.
