Content Pick-Up Party and West Valley College’s Cilker School of Art & Design Graduation EXPO

The second annual collaboration between West Valley College, Content Magazine, and SVCreates brought together students, career artists, and art enthusiasts with three attractions; The Cilker Graduation EXPO and Annual Fashion Show, the Content Magazine Pick-Up Party, and the SVCreates Content Emerging Artist Award ceremony.

The evening started with a pre-party for those instrumental in supporting the missions of each organization and a private celebration of the three Content Emerging Artist Award recipients. Guests were served Portuguese cuisine from San Jose’s Petiscos Adega restaurant. The party began when students, community members, and artists streamed into the college, accompanied by music from DJ Velmalicious. Guests viewed the graduating student showcase exhibition that lined the walls and interacted with artists featured in Content Magazine 15.3, “Perform,” including Carlos Pérez, Dan Fenstermacher, Renée Hamilton-McNealy, and Rubén Darío Villa – Mr. Fuchila, who displayed their work for an in-person magazine experience. Beverages were supplied by Sunnyvale’s ShaKa Brewing and Downtown San Jose’s first natural wine bar, Goodtime Bar, and served by Filco Events.

The exchange of inspiration between students, emerging & established artists, and the broader creative community was palpable. Something about gathering in an educational environment encourages students to look forward with promise and former students to look back with nostalgic inspiration. That feeling culminated in Cilker’s annual fashion design showcase, a fashion show hosted on the college’s lawn with over 300 guests surrounding the catwalk.

The show opened with the Content emerging artists award ceremony that recognized Dan Fenstermacher, Davied Morales, and Keana Aguila Labra for their commitment to their practice, working intentionally to share their vision, and rigor in their approach to creation and production. Once the fashion show ended, guests flowed back into the building for a final look at the exhibition and to enjoy a musical performance by the chancellor of the West Valley-Mission Community College District.

Thank you to all those who attended and helped support local South Bay creatives and Cilker Art & Design students’ boundless inspiration as they progress in their careers. We plan to continue this collaboration among creative community members and hope events like this inspire continued learning and support of the arts.

The West Valley College’s Cilker School of Art & Design Graduation EXPO is a maze of creativity – classrooms filled with sculpture, photography, fashion design, architecture, or digital design projects and students making final adjustments to their pieces. The college’s emphasis on arts education is apparent in its wide range of offerings, disciplines, and talented educators. The development of West Valley’s new art complex, scheduled to open this Spring, hopes to draw the community onto campus while providing more resources for art and design students. This keystone event motivates us and demonstrates that the future of South Bay art and collaboration is bright. 

Thank you, Event Partners & Collaborators! The Cilker School of Art & Design, Filco Events, Goodtime Bar, Petiscos Adega, ShaKa Brewing, SVCreates, and West Valley College.