FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Robin Lasser, Project Manager Yekaterinburg and San Jose Through the Eyes of One Another 510.282.6993 rjlasser@earthlink.net

TWO NEW EXHIBITIONS OPEN AT SAN JOSE CITY HALL

SAN JOSE, CA, September 1, 2011 Opening this week at San Jos City Hall are two new premier exhibitions: Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange and Seven Days in San Jos. Both shows are open to the public and will be on view through the spring of 2012. Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange, a comprehensive installation of photography, video, sound and handmade book art, is on display daily in City Windows Gallery, on the 4th Street side of the City Hall complex. Seven Days in San Jos, a finely focused selection of sixteen photographs, can be seen in the Mayors lobby on the 18th floor of City Hall from 8:00am5:00pm, Monday through Friday. San Jos City Hall is located at 200 East Santa Clara Street, between 4th and 6th Streets. A program and reception will be hosted by San Jos State University and the City of San Jos on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 5:507:00pm, in City Hall meeting rooms 118 and 119. A slide show with artists Robin Lasser, Adrienne Pao and Brian Taylor will follow formal opening remarks. Both Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange and Seven Days in San Jos are components of a large and farreaching international collaboration. The project, Yekaterinburg and San Jos Through the Eyes of One Another, was begun in the fall of 2010 by the United States Consulate General in Yekaterinburg, Russia. In partnership with sister cities Yekaterinburg, Russia and San Jos, CA, as well as San Jos State University and Dom Metenkov House Photography Museum, anambitious and exciting artistic and cultural exchange was undertaken with the goal of exploring the two cities throughtemporary art installations and photography. Three artists from San Jos State UniversityRobin Lasser, Adrienne Pao and Brian Taylortraveled to Yekaterinburg in May of 2011. For seven days they explored Russias fourth largest metropolis through the lenses of their cameras. Traveling with them was Ms. Russia: Camera ObscuraDress Tent, a temporary public artwork created by Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao. With many visual and historical references to the past, timeless iconography, international travel and the age of technology, Ms. Russia: Camera ObscuraDress Tent was performed and documented in various sites in Yekaterinburg, engaging locals and visitors alike. In return, two artists from Yekaterinburg visited San Jos in June. Both Denis Tarasov, a professional photographer, and Sofia Nasyrova, an amateur photographer, were chosen for the project through photography contests, one of which was held on the Consulate Generals Facebook page. While in San Jos, the Russian artists were co-hosted by eight graduate students from San Jos State Universitys photography program. Together, they all trekked around the greater Bay Area for a week, each capturing their own view of the region. The result of this historic exchange has been a number of exhibitions shown in both locales, as well as a book and film commissioned by the United States Department of State. Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange stems from the exchange itself, showcasing the works created by the five artists who traveled between Yekaterinburg and San Jos. Seven Days in San Jos, features a selection of works by Ara Ahadi, Barbara Boissevain, Elena Polanco, Julia Weber, Jeffrey Opp,

Sieglinde Von Damme, Eric Baral and Tamara Danoyan. All are graduate students in San Jos State Universitys photography program, and their work will give viewers a different perspective on familiar territory as the students photographed along side the Russian team. While the citizens of San Jos enjoy Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange and Seven Days in San Jos a companion exhibition is on view at the Dom Metenkov House Photography Museum in Yekaterinburg. Both the book and film about this significant project, currently in production, are due out at the end of the year. For more information about the project please visit www.russianamericanexchange.weebly.com.
Support for Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange and Seven Days in San Jos has been provided, in part, by the City of San Jos, San Jos State University, the U.S. Consulate General in Yekaterinburg, Russia, the City of Yekaterinburg and Dom Metenkova Museum of Photography and the Sister Cities program with technical support courtesy of Jan Tulloch Company. Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange and Seven Days in San Jos are part of the City Hall Exhibitions Program established to provide the temporary display of art work and artifacts in San Jos City Hall. The purpose of the program is to enliven the City Hall, to celebrate the creative and diverse community of San Jos, and to engage the public. A project of the Public Art Program, San Jos Office of Cultural Affairs.

CALENDAR LISTING: GALLERY EXHIBITIONS: WHEN: WHERE: Seven DaysSister CitiesArtist Exchange Seven Days in San Jos September 2011April 2012 City Windows Gallery Mayors Lobby, 18th Floor San Jos City Hall 200 East Santa Clara Street San Jos, CA 95113 Open to the public and free PROGRAM & RECEPTION WHEN: WHERE: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 5:307:00pm. San Jos City Hall Meeting Rooms 118 & 119 200 East Santa Clara Street San Jos, CA 95113

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