Stephanie Dinkins’ AI-driven “Data Trust” transforms San Jose’s ICA

The visitors at the Institute of Contemporary Art last Friday can say they were there when one of the bulk innovative installations in the city s history was unveiled It s Information Trust a project by Brooklyn-based artist Stephanie Dinkins that has transformed the downtown San Jose gallery into an immersive AI-driven ecosystem It s about land and history and storytelling and instrument but it s really about people Dinkins who was named one of Time s Most of Influential People in AI interviewed people in African American communities in the Bay Area to get the oral histories that the project s artificial intelligence uses to generate immersive projections on -foot walls images the move and evolve It s participatory too as visitors can tell their own stories into one of several red telephones yes real old-school telephones and then they too become part of the digital tapestry Artist Stephanie Dinkins speaks at the opening Records Trust her immersive art installation at the San Jose ICA on Friday Sept Photo by Keith McCullom Dinkins attended the launch of Information Trust which was supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation s Hewlett Arts Commissions and drew more than people The mesmerized crowd included artists and academics from San Jose State Santa Clara University UC Berkeley and Stanford along with selected of the project interviewees and both San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Stephen Caines who serves as the city s chief innovation officer It s something that really necessities to be experienced and fortunately there s plenty of time to do so ICA Executive Director James Leventhal says the project will be up through next March to coincide with the return of Nvidia s big equipment conference GTC The ICA is open from noon to p m Thursdays through Sundays and you can get more information at www icasanjose org HAPPY HOLLOW S UN-GALA Who says a fundraising event necessities a big ballroom gowns and tuxedos Certainly not Happy Hollow Foundation which held its benefit last Saturday outdoors in San Jose s beloved park and zoo As Happy Hollow Foundation Executive Director Rhonda Nourse put it the third annual Hooray for Happy Hollow was more of an un-gala that encouraged guests to come as they were Danny the Dragon clowns around with guests at the third annual Hooray for Happy Hollow a charity fundraiser for Happy Hollow Foundation held at the San Jose park and zoo on Saturday Sept Photo courtesy Happy Hollow Foundation Guests roamed the grounds and took part in hands-on events including meeting certain of Happy Hollow Park Zoo s animal ambassadors up close before letting it loose for the live auction The desserts crafted and donated by local bakeries for the auction got creative with the zoo theme including a Monarch Meadow pollinator cake from Paris Ave in Willow Glen and a Danny the Dragon-themed layer cake from Icing on the Cake that sold for in the live auction And it was touching that C est Si Bon bakery in South San Jose created jaguar-themed cupcakes to honor Sophia the zoo s longtime big cat who died in June at age following a kidney complaint assessment But the big auction item of the night was the up-close Capybara Encounter which sold three times for each meaning the zoo s big rodents will have lots of company in the coming months STITCHES IN TIME The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association is celebrating its th anniversary with a quilt show this weekend at the swanky Club Sportiva in North San Jose SCVQA President Nancy Reis says members will be displaying a collection of their favorite quilts and there ll also be vendors at the show as well The organization helped establish the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in and has had a long history of sharing the quilting arts with the population The guild also has a recognized philanthropic history and to this day its members donate countless quilts of all sizes to NICUs hospitals quilts for kids shelters veterans and hospice Reis reported The Sept - show opens at a m both days and tickets are in advance or at the door You can get more information at scvqa org quiltshow Club Sportiva is at Charcot Ave and parking is free SMALL LANGUAGE MODELS Action Day Schools will cut the ribbon Monday on two new classrooms for its first-ever Full Spanish Immersion Preschool plan aimed at kids from to years old When the venture launched last month its enrollment speedily maxed out with students prompting the need for more space pronto The a m event at Lincoln Ave in San Jose s Willow Glen neighborhood is open to the constituents Related Articles Raise a stein for another Oktoberfest celebration at Gordon Biersch Cowboys making a big comeback at the Stanford Theatre next month Joe Montana makes a splash with new canned cocktail Summit League makes game-changing donation to Loaves and Fishes San Jose s Bark in the Park putting rescued dogs in the spotlight After years of serving families in the South Bay we are thrilled to expand our language immersion opportunities Action Day Schools President Cathy Jelic commented We know how valuable it is for children to learn a second language early and we re proud to offer a campaign that reflects the demands of in contemporary times s families REMEMBERING LU RYDEN When you re a Republican on the San Jose City Council you tend to stand out But that never seemed to be a matter for Lu Ryden who served years on the council from to Ryden who died Sept at age in Duluth Ga spent the latter half of that decade as the only conservative voice on the council Former San Jose City Councilmember Lu Ryden photographed in died Sept in Duluth Ga Ryden a Republican served years on the city council after hosting a women's talk show on KNTV and running a modeling agency Photo by Patrick Tehan Mercury News She certainly had moxie suggesting to KNTV that the TV station needed a women s talk show which she then hosted from the mid- s to the early s When her TV stint finished Ryden started a modeling agency and then was elected to office in when she was A profile by Leigh Weimers noted that her sharp wit and sense of humor in the job not only helped her handily win re-election but also allowed her to hold her own with then-Mayor Tom McEnery But she was on the losing side of multiple votes and was a vocal opponent of both gay rights initiatives and the Equal Rights Amendment After she left office she was very involved with CityTeam Ministries and remained evolving in civic affairs She left San Jose for Duluth in following the death of her husband Paul