Local artwork has returned to the Los Gatos Town Council chambers for the first time since the program was paused during the pandemic.
Part of an exhibit titled “An Exploration of Color Part 2, Works by 55 Plus Program Artists,” the project is the result of a collaboration between the town’s arts and culture commission and artist workshops affiliated with Los Gatos Saratoga Recreation for adults 55 and up. The exhibit will be up through Feb. 24 of next year, and will be visible shortly before, during and after meetings that take place in the council chambers.
Lynnette Vega, who facilitates the Women Artist Connection group for Los Gatos Saratoga Recreation, said the exhibit came about after the group participated in the first iteration of “An Exploration of Color” about two years ago in a show at the Los Gatos Library.
“This is an opportunity for these artists to have their work really displayed and looked at and also to bring art to the council chambers,” she said.
The art on display doesn’t have a unifying theme. “I’m more of a rule breaker than a rule maker,” Vega said.
The group, she added, is a sort of book club for artists, a place for people who make art to come together and discuss the process, intention, struggles and successes behind their work.
Viewers of the exhibit will see artwork in a variety of mediums using a variety of materials and covering a variety of topics, some imagery of local nature like Vasona Park and some more abstract.
Cristiano Colantoni, a member of the arts and culture commission who was involved in the project, said the original Art in the Council Chambers program was popular with the public and town officials when it was ongoing before the pandemic.
“This is our reintroduction to kickstart the program back up to showcase the rich and diverse talents of our artists,” he said.
Colantoni said this exhibit fits into the commission’s broader efforts to create a master arts plan for the town. It comes just after the latest installment of a cat sculpture that’s part of the commission’s gateway project.
“This is an opportunity for the public to learn about what public art could be and all the possibilities,” Colantoni said. “It’s just another avenue for us to continue engaging and reaching out to the community, to see what they want to see in their town’s public art program.”
