On Saturday, April 25, 2026, downtown San Jose was bustling with energy, as if it were the gateway to an early summer. At the city’s center, the evening began at the circle of palms with the 2026 Gala + Auction, a signature moment where supporters gathered to invest in the creativity and community that define the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA). This year, the museum honored sculptor Alison Saar with the Artist of Distinction Award and recognized The Adobe Foundation with the SJMA Visionary Award. While the gala sets the foundation for the museum’s mission through an elegant dinner and live auction, the After-Party—presented by Casino M8trix—opens the doors to the broader community, inviting everyone to join the celebration that began earlier.

Walking the purple carpet and seeing members of the arts community dressed in their finest immediately set the tone for a night of shared revelry. Even guests at the gala who seemed to be on their way out at the start of the after-party could be seen second-guessing the decision as the music began to hum. The heart of the party was the dance floor, centered in the museum lobby directly beneath Pae White’s installation, Noisy Blushes, hovering over the crowd like a geometric disco ball landing on Earth. The piece, a meditation on movement and time, material presence, and the elusiveness of form, links the outside with the inside of the museum and serves as a fitting beacon of an evening elevated by the confluence of community. On this night, the lobby was transformed into the classiest nightclub in town, pulsing to live sets by mainstay local DJs and vibe curators DJ Chale Brown and Cutso, with a surprise guest performance by Lyrics Born that electrified the audience.

The vibe on the dance floor was buzzing, a convergence of backgrounds and styles all moving together under the shimmer of White’s work. Between dances, guests enjoyed chef-crafted “light bites” in the Wendel Center from local restaurant partners, including Mezcal Restaurant, The Club on Post, Scott’s Seafood, and Casino M8trix, paired with specialty spirits from 10th St. Distillery. The unique charm of the atmosphere allowed attendees to easily slip away from the music and to the museum’s galleries and experience world-class artwork in a more intimate setting, exploring current exhibitions like Motherboards, ektor garcia: loose ends, and Tending and Dreaming. It was a testament to the power of art and community joy in downtown San Jose.

Follow the San Jose Museum of Art on Ig at sanjosemuseumofart and on the web at sjmusart.org