Loading...
Document Type
Interview
Publication Date
5-25-2025
Keywords
Santa Clara County, SV Pride, Murals, Live Painting, Art as Resistance, Safe Spaces, Hubs
Abstract
This interview with Arely Cardenas, art curator for Silicon Valley Pride (SV Pride), provides a critical look at how large-scale art events transform into artistic mentorship and safety. Cardenas emphasizes SV Pride’s evolution from a celebratory event into a functional hub for LGBTQ+ artists, particularly those from BIPoC communities. Cardenas endorses the live painting programs at the festival as an act of spatial reclamation. Cardenas' goal is to create safe spaces where artists can create without fear of the hostility prevalent in the broader urban landscape. Cardenas critiques the gentrification and the tech industry in Silicon Valley, which has led to the displacement of the local queer community. Through her work, Cardenas emphasizes a mentorship model that social media and collective live-painting events create an informal network of professional opportunities, ultimately advocating for a future where queer artists are recognized for themselves rather than being confined to an LGBTQ-only bubble. As part of the Mosaic Atlas project, Mosaic Staff and Volunteers, SJSU students, and faculty from the Anthropology and Film, Theater, and Dance Departments interviewed people who support and produce art throughout the Bay Area.
Recommended Citation
Arely Cardenas and Johnny Santaella. "Mosaic Atlas: Interview with Arely Cardenas" Mosaic Atlas Interviews (2025).
Transcript
Network
LGBTQ+ Advocate
Address
San Jose, Santa Clara County
Neighborhood
Santa Clara County
