POW! WOW! SAN JOSE 2018 ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL & NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE – OCT. 17-28PWSJ 2018 Honors San Jose’s Historical “Speed City” with 10+ New Murals, Public Art Installations, Music Exhibitions, and MoreSAN JOSE, Calif. – Oct. 9, 2018 – POW! WOW! San Jose 2018 ushers in its second annual week-long arts and culture festival spotlighting street art and music in Downtown San Jose on October 17-28, 2018. This year’s festival is inspired by San Jose’s long history of activism and local cultural pride. 50 years ago, San Jose State University track stars John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists at the 1968 Summer Olympics to show solidarity with those fighting for human rights. This year’s festival will honor this source of local pride, and artists will showcase their talent and passion for their art and culture throughout the week.“While the Silicon Valley is traditionally known for its innovation in technology, the City of San José is an equally rich community of culture, art and music,” said Council member Raul Peralez, San José Council District 3. “Working with POW! WOW! San José, we are thrilled to turn San José into a city-wide artists’ canvas, showcasing art in action and transforming our City alongside the community.”2018 MURALISTSPOW! WOW! San Jose 2018 is honored to welcome the following artists who will share their talents throughout Downtown San Jose and surrounding San Jose neighborhoods:Silicon Valley and Bay Area Artists

• San Jose: Sean Boyles, Drew Flores, Abel Gonzalez, Ivan Gonzalez, Duh, Frances Marin, Harumo Sato, Nikkea Takagi, Roan Victor
• San Francisco/Peninsula: Apexer, Knits for Life, w.five
• Oakland/East Bay: Felicia Gabaldon, Illuminaries, Skinner, UrbanAztec

Visiting Artists

• Canada: 123KLAN
• Hawaii: Cory Taum
• Iran: ICY and SOT
• Japan: Dragon76
• Los Angeles: Shrine, Woes
• New York: How and Nosm
• San Diego: Spenser Little
• South Korea: Sixcoin

BUSINESS + ART JOIN TOGETHERPride in San Jose’s rich culture is not unique to the organizers of POW! WOW! San Jose. Many businesses throughout the Silicon Valley are supporting the festival through donations of supplies, lodging and funding. With the help of organizations such as Visit San Jose, a Community Partner, and The Silicon Valley Organization that represents over 1,400 businesses in the Bay Area, art in action will come to life during the festival.“POW! WOW! San Jose continues to bring both businesses and community together to create a world-class event that showcases the heart of Silicon Valley,” said Matthew Mahood, president & CEO, The Silicon Valley Organization. “A city’s art and culture serves as its identity and offers its residents a way to connect. The SVO and our members applaud the work POW! WOW!San Jose is doing to showcase our city’s greatest strength: our diversity.”2018 festival sponsors include: Cresco, Eastridge Center, Google, Hawaiian Airlines, Hyatt Place, Iguanas Burritozilla, Kelly-Moore Paints, Knight Foundation, City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), The Silicon Valley Organization, Visit San Jose, and more.“As a local business headquartered in the Bay Area, we take pride in the beauty our paints can bring to the world in the hands of artists – whether those artists are homeowners, teachers, or muralists like those sharing their talents through POW! WOW! San Jose,” said Jasmine Hatch, regional learning and development specialist - South Bay, Peninsula and Central Coast, Kelly Moore Paint Co. “With our contribution of paint for the murals, we are thrilled that Kelly Moore will have a direct tie to the remarkable works of art that will live on in our City.”POW! WOW! SAN JOSE 2018 EVENT DETAILS“POW! WOW! San Jose is an annual public art, culture and music event that contributes to the City of San Jose's beautiful landscape and its neighborhoods,” said Juan Carlos Araujo, owner of Empire Seven Studios and co-organizer of POW! WOW! San Jose. “The goal of POW! WOW! San Jose is to shine ‘light’ through the creation of mural art into areas of the City that seem neglected. The work we do would not be possible without the support of local businesses that believe in us, as well as the City of San Jose as a whole, bringing artwork to the larger community that will last as long as the walls stand.”Below is a schedule of events taking place throughout the week of POW! WOW! San Jose. For more information, please visit www.powwowsanjose.com.Thurs., Oct. 18 9 p.m.Midnight The Changing Same – a weekly excursion keeping time with the future of Soul, RnB, and Jazz featuring DJ That Girl and LexapeelThe Continental, 349 South First St, San Jose, CAFri., Oct. 19 6:30-10 p.m.POW! WOW! San Jose 2018 Media Mixer – Press event to meet the muralists, sponsors and partners behind PWSJHyatt Place, 282 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CASat., Oct. 20 3-5:30 p.m.Community Mural sponsored by “The Arsenal” – Leave your personal mark - open invitation to paint a community mural Next Door to Camino Brewing Company 718 S 1st St, San Jose3 p.m.-Midnight POW! WOW! San Jose Block Party – Kick off PWSJ in style with all of San JoseCamino Brewing Company, 718 S 1st St, San Jose, CAMon., Oct. 22 9 p.m.Midnight Motown On Mondays San Jose – DJ’s spinning exclusive remixes, originals, and close relatives of your favorite Motown songs. Featuring special guest and PWSJ 2018 muralist WOES, Cutso, DJ Quantum, SmoovGroovs, The CME, & Chale BrownThe Continental, 349 South First St, San Jose, CATues., Oct. 23 6-10 p.m.POW! WOW! San Jose Presents “Past and Present” – During the final art showing at Empire Seven Studios, meet 2017 and 2018 PWSJ muralists and experience their art in-person. Featuring music by DJs Mark PLSTK & Dubstantial. All ages welcome $5 entry fee.Empire Seven Studios, 525 N. 7th Street, San Jose, CAWeds., Oct. 24 9 p.m.Midnight Wax Wednesday – a weekly vinyl party curated by Black & Brown vintage and modern clothing company, during PWSJCafe Stritch, 374 S 1st St, San Jose CAThurs., Oct. 25 9 p.m.Midnight The Changing Same – a weekly excursion keeping time with the future of Soul, RnB, and Jazz featuring B. Lewis and Georgia Anne MuldrowThe Continental, 349 South First St, San Jose, CASat., Oct. 27 8:30 a.m.Noon Hawaiian Airlines excursion with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful – join in this community clean-up event George Shirakawa Sr. Elementary School665 Wool Creek Dr, San Jose, CARSVP: https://181027-cleanup.eventbrite.com3-7:30 p.m. Live Mural Painting & Community Event at Eastridge Center –in conjunction with 150+ stores participating in free trick or treating, food trucks, music, local vendors + moreEastridge parking lot between JC Penny and VTA Transit CenterSun., Oct. 28 9-10:30 a.m.Mural Bike Ride will tour murals created throughout the festivalStarting at The Alameda Artworks, 1068 The Alameda, San JoseVarious locations throughout Downtown San Jose, Calif. and surrounding neighborhoods. Please check www.powwowsanjose.com and follow the festival’s Instagram feed athttps://www.instagram.com/powwowsanjose/ for specific locations by October 21, 2018.A Passport providing detailed information about the events scheduled throughout the week will be provided at special locations, which can be found at www.powwowsanjose.com and via the festival’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/powwowsanjose/ starting on Oct. 20.About POW! WOW! San JosePOW! is the impact that art has on a person. WOW! is reaction that art has on a viewer. Together they form POW WOW, which is a Native American term that describes a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. POW! WOW! San Jose, spearheaded by local arts groups Empire Seven Studios and Universal Grammar and digital consulting firm Mighty Design, serves as a week-long event to merge the thriving arts, music and culture movement with the established tech presence.The original POW! WOW! Festival started in Hawaii in 2011, and has since spread throughout the world to locations such as Taiwan, Long Beach, Israel, Korea, Japan, Worcester, Washington D.C., Guam...even SXSW. To learn more about POW! WOW! San Jose, please visit: www.powwowsanjose.com.Watch last year's POW WOW San Jose recaphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=10Yw7yIR9ioAbout Empire Seven Studios (E7S)Established in 2008, E7S has been advocating for local/global artists by creating opportunities and providing a place to elevate and highlight emerging talents on a grand scale. More information can be found here: www.empiresevenstudios.com. About Universal GrammarUniversal Grammar (UG) is a boutique production house that presents quality artistry from emerging contemporary voices. More information can be found here: www.ungramr.com.About Mighty DesignMIGHTY is a branding and digital design agency headquartered in Silicon Valley. Creativity, visual design, and hard work have become the agency’s cornerstone. The MIGHTY team works alongside some of the most talented designers and creators. Together they collaborate with clients to design, develop products, from go to market strategies, plan engaging activations, and everything in between. Leveraging design thinking to change the way businesses operate, MIGHTY creates measurable value while staying relevant in a rapidly changing market. www.mightydesign.io