Black History Month 2023

This February, organizations throughout the US are celebrating black accomplishments, fostering black connections, and sharing and documenting black history. Here are just a few Black History Month events accessible to those in and around Los Gatos. We hope you utilize all these amazing offerings!

Los Gatos

Tween Book Club (Ages 10-13)

Tues, Jan 31 | 4-5 PM
”In preparation for Black History Month, join us for a discussion of the book, "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks. The sequel to this book, "On Air with Zoe Washington," will be published in February 2023 - don't miss out on the first book, or refresh your memory, so that you can read the sequel next month!”

Art Exhibition & Fundraiser: Highlighting Black Voices in Art and Advocacy

Multiple dates
”This special collaborative effort will feature the digital art of Kweli Bomaye and the words of Folake Phillips- The Founder & Executive Director of AWỌ.

To learn more about both Kweli and Folake, please visit diasporianart.com and awocenter.org

This exhibition will showcase future ideas for homes and imaginative spaces. Where living communities could exist. The pair hope that this “Revolutionary Homes” Collection will inspire people to think of equitable solutions for future homes and living communities. “Art sales during this month-long exhibit will assist AWỌ in covering the cost of providing music therapy and sound healing workshops during AWỌ's “A Place To Call Home” series involving women and girls experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness.”

Oakland

The 6th annual Black Joy Parade

Sun, Feb 26 | 12:30 PM
”Celebrate the Black experience past, present and future. We invite you to come be present, be creative, be open and be free.”

Black Liberation Walking Tour

Multiple dates
”A project of the West Oakland Cultural Action Network (WOCAN), the BLWT captures oral histories to document the lives, art, and culture of long-time residents, historical figures, and rapidly disappearing former Black cultural spaces. They are creating this archive to mitigate cultural erasure and physical displacement.”

Black History Onsite Performance (Grades K-6)

Multiple dates
”Experience an interactive performance that celebrates the dreams and accomplishments of Black musicians and leaders, on OMCA’s new outdoor garden stage.”

A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show

Sun, Feb 5 | 3-9 PM
”A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show is a national exhibition experience celebrating black women artists using various forms of media.”

Richmond

Art of the African Diaspora

Multiple dates
Art of the African Diaspora, in partnership with Richmond Art Center, supports artists of African descent in the Bay Area through representation, professional development, and building a creative community.

Redwood City

BraveMaker: Black History Celebration: 2 Short Films & Discussion

Tues, Feb 28 | 6:30-9 PM
”Two Black filmmakers share and discuss their short doc films elevating the Black experience.”

San José

Layered: Defining Our Relationship with African American Hair

Fri, Feb 3 | 5 PM
”Join the ICA San José on Friday, February 3rd at 5 PM for a conversation with artists and poets on the topic of hair for black history month.”

First Friday | Black/Pacific: The Geography of Freedom

Fri, Feb 3 | 6–9 PM
”For Black History Month, Mosaic America presents Black/Pacific: The Geography of Freedom, a performance by RIGHTSTARTER at First Friday. Through ancient and contemporary beats, rhymes, and rhythms, RIGHTSTARTER presents a unique Black + Brown musical fusion that showcases the drum as a connective tissue between African and Pacific cultures from pre-colonization to the present.”

Black to the Future San Jose

Multiple dates
”A series of events in observance of Black History Month, celebrating Black people, Black culture, and Black spaces in San Jose, CA.”

Santa Cruz

Black History Month Film Series with Father Taj

Multiple dates
”Every Thursday in February, join us for a film and discussion centered around the Black experience. These are community events; all are welcome.”

Virtual

The History of African Americans in Santa Clara County

Tues, Feb 28 | 7 PM
“Noted author Jan Batiste Adkins will discuss her book by the same title on the migration of African Americans to the Bay Area and Santa Clara County.”

The Maritime Underground Railroad

Wed, Feb 23 | 7-7:45 PM
”For Black History Month, a panel discusses how enslaved people achieved their freedom and what the journey by sea looked like for many African Americans. Featuring Timothy D. Walker, Cheryl Janifer LaRoche, and Cassandra Newby-Alexander, and moderated by Kluge Center Director John Haskell.”

---

Posted by Jamie Donofrio, NUMU’s Development + Communications Coordinator
Questions? Email jamie@numulosgatos.org.

Intern Spotlight: Laura Sankary

About Me

Hello everyone! My name is Laura Sankary. I am 25 years old with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Conservation from the UD (University of Delaware). I’m from Minnesota but have family who live in Los Gatos. A few things about me, I like to play piano, visit museums, and travel to new places. During my undergrad, I had the opportunity to intern at the MIA (Minneapolis Art Institute) and UD. I conserved a variety of objects: frames, masks, hair, ceramics, and paintings. Interning at NUMU has introduced me to museum operations and museum collections. The experience has helped with deciding what I would like to study while looking at grad schools.

---

About My Degree

I have my Bachelor’s degree in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware. 

What is Art Conservation?

Art Conservation is the individual and collaborative effort of research, treatment, care, and preservation of material culture. It combines chemistry and art history to keep the integrity and stories of these objects for future generations. 

The courses that I took were taught by practicing art conservators. While in the program, I learned about conservation practices and techniques, care and preservation of cultural materials, and art materials and techniques. The program also provided opportunities to learn and demonstrate what I acquired over time.

---

My Time at NUMU

During my internship at NUMU, I cataloged and rehoused archival materials that are of, or related to, Frank and George in the museum’s collections database. Items I’ve cataloged are letters, journals, postcards, newspapers, photographs, documents, scrapbooks, and photo albums. My favorite item I cataloged was Olivia de Havilland’s journal about her trip with Frank and George to Hollywood and meeting studio executives. In the last few weeks of the internship, I have been cataloging and evaluating the condition of artworks done by Frank and George.

---

Takeaways

One thing that stood out to me was the similarities between art conservation and collections management. Both fields have to document, research, rehouse, and evaluate the condition of art objects. Their end goals are to preserve art objects and their stories. For me, preserving and conserving art objects and their stories is why I became so passionate about art conservation. When working in collections, I was doing similar work but in a different application. When creating a record, it is almost like creating an identity for the object. All the information that is held within the record preserves its story and history. And once the record is done, it can be shared to the public. That's what I found truly special about doing this work.  

Overall, the internship at NUMU has given me such valuable insights of the systems and operations of museums and museum collections. It has helped me to find what I am passionate about and my next steps in my schooling and career. Thank you to everyone at NUMU, for being so welcoming and kind. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and to be able to be part of an amazing and inspiring team.

-Written by Laura Sankary

Creating from the Unconscious with Abstract Artist Luz Donahue

At a gallery opening years ago in Santa Cruz fate intervened and collided me with one of my favorite minds. Athena and I knew from the second we met that we’d affect each other. Over the years, we have cultivated a beautiful friendship that has fostered my career as an artist and fed me with enlivened discussions about consciousness and awareness.

This friendship became a collaboration too as we both share a passion for exploring how the creative process unfolds from ideas in the void to the materiality that becomes the work we share and leave behind.

NUMU’s series, In The Artist’s Studio is about bringing the magic of the process of creation out into the open, bridging  the worlds of the sometimes secluded “studio practice” and the public perception of finished artwork. 

As an artist and educator, this mission is deeply important to me, as I am passionate about  using  my creative knowledge and ability to empower others to find more play, reflection and connected awareness through intuitive abstract painting.

Luz and Athena

Luz’s Studio

Sharing about the creative process between artists often leads to unimaginable new frontiers for each maker. It is like feeding a fire. I believe openly speaking about how we develop practices that enable us to sustainably live the lives we want is a mirror to this experience. I hope that by creating a practice  based on sharing about the ways that  allow me to sustainably create, I can empower others to do the same and therefore build resilience in their own lives.

I asked Athena to share a bit about the role of a process structure in her work as a filmmaker. Here’s what she shared:

”As a storyteller and an artist, a structured creative process is integral to my work. It allows me to translate experiences and concepts into visual and sensory media that will evoke emotion and build empathy with the audience. The intuitive process of creation and being present to a story that wants to be told also allows space for unexpected synchronicity and layers of meaning to permeate the work.”

About Athena

Athena Gam is a filmmaker and video producer for live-action and animation. She is dedicated to creativity, collaboration and community, and to using the power of story to expand consciousness and shift the boundaries of standard Hollywood paradigms. Intentional Video

-Luz Donahue

Meet Michèle Jubilee: NUMU's Education Programs Manager

Hi my name is Michèle Jubilee and I’m the Education Programs Manager at NUMU. I began my role at NUMU in January of this year, 2021, and I am so delighted to be on the team. I’ve launched NUMU’s blog in the hope that over time it can reflect the diverse voices of our community and give a window into the lives of artists in the Bay Area, the joys of art practice and learning, and give a special window into education programs and exhibitions at NUMU. 

A little bit about me, I love a good cup of tea with friends and taking walks to appreciate flowers and trees. I was born in Montreal, Canada, and I grew up in the heart of San Francisco, right next to the De Young Museum. I used to walk over to the museum regularly and spend hours just taking in all the art. Museums and art making have always been a huge part of my life. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a double-major in Art History and Visual Arts, from the University of British Columbia (UBC) located in Vancouver, Canada, on the unceded territory of the Musqueam People. It’s such a full circle moment to be living, creating and working in the Bay Area again, on Ohlone Land, working at NUMU. I also work as a freelance multidisciplinary artist and illustrator and invite you to visit my portfolio. You’re welcome to follow my art journey on instagram @michelejubilee_art.

A continual work in progress, I see my work in museum programs and my own art practice as integrally connected, and all part of one path of learning. The arts are so special because we can share in our individual and collective experiences.

Painting a mural titled Something Unfolding, Vancouver, Canada

Michèle Jubilee, Work in Progress, Ink Illustration, 2019

Painting a piece titled Nothing Left Behind, 2019, Vancouver, Canada

Live painting during Missy D’s event Hip Hop in Colors, Vancouver, Canada

Michèle Jubilee, In Bloom, digital illustration, 2020

During my time in Vancouver, Canada, I had the pleasure of working at the Museum of Anthropology, Gallery 1515, and the Contemporary Art Gallery, as well as participating in many grassroots arts initiatives. From conferences, to dance festivals, mural projects, exhibition openings, and workshops, I love working with communities, meeting artists, and empowering youth. The arts deeply shape culture and society and I find creating arts programming an ideal platform for articulating social purpose and meaning. 

Online platforms present a multitude of new ways to engage in art making and conversation. I believe that arts programming in museums must adapt to rapidly transforming notions of creativity and art by asking questions, exploring new artistic mediums and methods, questioning traditions, and learning alongside communities. I look forward to the programs and collaborations yet to come!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to introduce yourself by emailing me at programs@numulosgatos.org. I hope you are all staying safe and inspired. You can submit a blog post idea here, and to all the artists, please consider applying to lead a workshop at NUMU by filling out this form! 

-Michèle Jubilee, NUMU’s Education Programs Manager

Photos from past programs I’ve organized: