Pacific Art Collective - Cultural Xposure Through Unity of Art

As he stood next to two of his paintings, Ben Alexie, a San Jose State University student, listened as DJ Village Bike’s light Britpop music filled the room. The guitarist and vocalist of the two-person indie band Baily warmed up and prepared to take the main stage.

It was Friday night at Johnny V’s, a bar in downtown San Jose, and another Pacific Art Collective gathering, known as a PAC session, was just getting started.

“Getting here couldn’t have been easier,” Alexie said.

This was Alexie’s first showing of his art. A friend referred him to the collective on a Monday, Alexie called the next day and hand-carried his paintings to Johnny V’s on Friday, the night of this show.

Pacific Art Collective is a San Jose based group that puts on shows that combine music, visual arts and the spoken word, usually twice a month, at rotating venues in the Bay Area. The collective has showcased more than 300 artists, according to their Web site, and occasionally has its sessions in other cities, usually on the West Coast. By exposing people to different genres of art, PAC will revolutionize the art scene, not only in San Jose, but also the entire West Coast. The collective aims to work as a clearinghouse for artists interested in painting, photography, spoken word, music, dance, fashion, comedy and video, said William Rowan, the South Bay native who started the collective in 2002 after leaving a failed technology startup.

“It’s about adding value and depth to venues,” Rowan said. The group’s basic belief is that people are looking for more diversity when they go out for a night on the town; that the period of dead time between bands setting up should be filled with more than drinking.

“Everybody these days are into everything,” Rowan said. “Attention spans have changed and people are looking for more varied stimulations.”

There was activity in every direction around the smallish upstairs lounge of Johnny V’s at the late March show. Three bands performed, eight artists displayed their paintings, and numerous disc jockeys filled empty time with various arty music vignettes ranging from indie to house. There was no down time – things moved quickly.

Sarah Forbes, of the alternative band Sarai’s Spine, wearing a black cocktail dress and fishnet stockings, was animated as she described the way the collective had organized her album release party.

“They were very easy to work with and very clear on what they could do for us, and what they expected in return,” Forbes said.

Pacific Art Collective is seeking official nonprofit status, Rowan said.

“We cannot get support, financial or otherwise, from the city of San Jose until our status becomes more transparent, and that means becoming a well papered nonprofit."

Rowan noted that without nonprofit status all of the collective’s funding would have to come from sponsors and cover charges.

The collective also gets support from the community. Camera Cinemas recently agreed to hold monthly sessions, and Johnny V’s continues a two-year stretch of monthly shows. The San Jose Museum of Art has recently agreed to begin hosting sessions.

John Van Wyk, owner of Johnny V’s, is proud of the support he provides to Pacific Art Collective. “They are easy to work with and make it easy for me by handling the whole setup from start to finish,” Van Wyk said.

PAC sessions are all about exposure and getting people into a more structured setting, Rowan said.

“PAC is a one-stop outlet for artists. We work with over 30 sponsors who donate ad space and venues to set up everything an artist needs to put on a professional show.”

Benjamin Henderson, lead singer of the band Delta Activity, traveled with the collective on its recent trip to Las Vegas, one of three road trips it has undertaken in the last year.

“We won a sort of ‘American Idol’ competition that PAC holds with its audience and e-mail listings and got to go to Vegas for a show,” Henderson said. “It was almost free to us – they put us up at the Golden Nugget, and even kicked in a little gas money.”

He sees involvement in PAC sessions as crucial for newer and more obscure bands that haven’t built a following.

“They get a better reception at mixed shows like the ones PAC presents, and there is less pressure on them as they start out performing,” Henderson said.

Delta Activity opened the late April show at the San Jose Museum of Art — the biggest show yet put on by Pacific Art Collective. They performed in the Wendel Center, a large square room off of the cafe in the older part of the building. Around the perimeter, under very large windows, six active painters added touches to their work.

The museum show was one that Rowan said he worked particularly hard on. He added that the museum has committed to hosting sessions four times a year.

“This is the cross-pollination that I like to talk about — getting people in the door and hoping that the artists and venue can open them up from there,” Rowan said.

The paintings in the Wendel Center were varied.

Zoe Rose, who came from Gilroy for the show, compared one painting to “a Matisse on acid,” and called another “a Gauguin with bigger nipples.” She smiled as she browsed the room.

The museum’s “Girl Power” exhibit included an artistic video titled “Bra Painting” consisting of narrow latex tubes connected to fish pumps and an ink supply — all leading up to center cups on a bra. A female then applied paint to canvas by squeezing each cup briskly.

“The music in the background really adds energy to this art stuff,” said Tina Lemack, a first-time PAC session attendee who laughed as she stopped to watch the video.

An overflow crowd filled the museum cafe where drinks and a small buffet were served. Another six active artists lined the café, and people commented on the art in loud voices in between bites of meatballs, rigatoni and sausage.

The crowd spread throughout the museum as music played, poets spoke and artists painted. “There’s a depth to this thing, this is special,” said Katherine Jones, a stylish, first-time PAC sessions attendee. Jones said she didn’t normally attend live music shows, preferring less noisy art and poetry clubs, but that PAC sessions had really, “opened her eyes to this new way of doing things.”

Founder Rowan said he sees the collective as a force that will make San Jose an art capital of the world, one show at a time.

“By exposing people to different genres of art, PAC will revolutionize the art scene, not only in San Jose, but also the entire West Coast.” Rowan sees the future of PAC as a win for everyone.

“Established businesses need people, people need art, and artists need support,” Rowan said. He said he also sees the day when, “every business in downtown San Jose has a painter in the corner, and a poet in every backroom.”